Tamiki waikiki biography of albert
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"Rabbit is the living link," as Longboard magazine put it in 1998, "to surfing's entire modern history." Kekai was born (1920) and raised in Waikiki, began surfing at age five, and was later ...
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“It’s an end of an era,” said Randy Rarick, a co-founder of the Triple Crown of Surfing.
Born in Kalihi, Albert Kekai got his nickname “Rabbit” for his jackrabbitlike sprints at school.
He began surfing before he was 5 years old — when tourism was in its infancy in Hawaii and the only hotel on Waikiki Beach was the Moana.
One of the last early beach boys and hot dogging surfing legends, today we celebrated the life of Albert “Rabbit” Kekai on the beach at Waikiki in front of Duke’s Restaurant. And maybe that is appropriate when you celebrate the life of someone who was more at home in the water than on land.
Photo: Don JamesSubscribe to view
Rabbit Kekai, mid-1990sSubscribe to view
Rabbit Kekai, Waikiki, 1957. For a time #UncleRabbit was said to be the best surfer on earth. Rabbit Kekai Your remembered in each and every cell, my heart and my should. I loved this guy. You handed me my last contest jersey in my Hawaiian competitive surfing career.
You were part of every heat I had for over 20 years Uncle Rabbit, thank you for being there. As the long time beach marshal for the Triple Crown of Surfing events on the North Shore of Oahu, Rabbit was known by all of the pro surfers in the Association of Surf Professionals, now known as the World Surf League.
See how many surfing luminaries you can recognize throughout this morning event which included the customary beach paddle out and rainbow.
I apologize for the sound quality of this video.
I will miss you speaking to me in pigeon how crazy the waves are and how lucky we are to surf the waves. always would tell me some sort of off the charts joke every time he handed me a jersey so I'd always go into the ocean with a big smile on my face for every heat #OriginalBeachBoy #ThankYouUncleRabbit*
Tom Carrol (@thomasvictorcarroll):R.I.P.
Like the hand of Hawaii being passed on I drew closer for the wisdom and listened. Thank you "Rabbit" I know we are lucky we live, and lucky we live the life that past pioneers and legends would dream of. much Aloha and many many Mahalos
Luke Egan (@lukeegan):Uncle Rabbit. #respect #aloha #pioneer #legend
Makuakai Rothman (@makuarothman):Aloha uncle...
U will be Surfing with all the legends, tell Andy, Sion, uncle Kealoha kaeo Aunty Reli, buttons and Bradded IZ makua says aloha! Hope you are surfing and making everyone laugh wherever you are Rabbit. I was lucky enough to share a couple sessions at #Queens and #Canoes with him and #DocPaskowitz together in the early 2000's. He recalled that before an invasion, as part of the demolition team, he would explode steel barriers that would prevent troop landing crafts carrying Americans from coming ashore.
After World War II, Kekai was one of the founding members of the Waikiki Surf Club, established in 1948 to provide a place to store surfboards and beach equipment and to shower.
In the 1950s, celebrities who came to Hawaii eventually found themselves on Waikiki Beach.
Kekai recalled teaching movie stars how to surf, including Red Skelton, Gregory Peck and Kirk Douglas.
“He was on the beaches of Waikiki during the romance era of the 1950s,” said Fred Hemmings, former state senator and a Makaha surfing champion.
The music is Hawaiian in spirit and at heart. Surf with u again in heaven one day. Thank you for all the knowledge you have given to me, all the days I got my jersey and u told me to go get um.