American Masters

(rock music) -

Narrator

At 14, Duke Kahanamoku embraced his responsibility to master the ultimate Hawaiian tradition, becoming a Waterman. -

Man

A Waterman is someone who can do everything in the water. -

Man

As a kid in Hawaii, you wanted to be a Waterman. And The Duke was the Big Kahuna. To us, he's the king of surfing. -

Man

No American athlete has influenced two sports as profoundly as Duke Kahanamoku. -

Man

He was on the world stage, even though the world wasn't ready for it. All of a sudden it's like, he's a superstar. (upbeat music) -

Man

Jim Thorpe, Jesse Owens, Jack Johnson, and lost in that shuffle is Duke's role as a racial pioneer. -

Man

He did encounter overt racism. He was able to break a lot of color lines. The amount of pride that he was able to give to his people. He was one of the biggest celebrities in the world. Aloha. He had come from nowhere to the Olympic team in three months, which is an unrivaled story in Olympic history. -

Man

To change the world with the Kahanamoku Kick, the same kick that Michael Phelps learned. -

Man

A superhuman feat. He's bringing a sport that nobody had seen before to their shores. I think that Duke shared surfing with the world because it was the greatest gift that he had received in his life. And he wanted other people to experience it. He rescued so many people, lifesaving wasn't a profession back then. There are true heroes in the world and he was one of 'em. -

Man

Duke accomplished the seemingly impossible. The story of one of America's greatest icons. When the world saw Duke, they saw Hawaii. (upbeat music ends)