I am recalling another of Punahou School’s legendary surfers, Paul Strauch, a 1959 winner of the Makaha International Surfing Championships. Paul attended Punahou from 1955- graduating in the class of 1961. He was part of Punahou’s first group of students and teachers who attacked the Makaha International Surf Contest. These included Paul, Fred Hemmings, Vicky Heldreich, Tim Guard, Brant Ackerman, Peter Cole, Erick Romanchek, and Laura and Jimmy Blears.
Paul won second place in the inaugural Duke Kahanamoku Invitational Surf Contest behind winner Jeff Hakman (Punahou) and was one of the original four members of the Duke Kahanamoku Surf Team which included Fred Hemmings Jr. (Punahou).
Paul Strauch carved his way through the Makaha Surf Contests and the World Surfing Championships in the late 1950s and most of the 1960s. Credited with inventing the cheater five nose ride and participating in some early surf films like Endless Summer and Gun Ho, Paul left his mark as the smooth local Hawaii boy who would become one of the original members of the Duke Kahanamoku surf team.
So it is no wonder that I would catch up with surfing legend Paul Strauch at the 2014 Duke’s Oceanfest in Waikiki. I asked if he could remember anything about his very first surfboard. This is what he told me.
Photos in this video not taken by Kyle Metcalf of Tom Blake and one of his early swallow tail surfboard are used under the Fair Use doctrine for historical and documentary purposes.
Thank you to Bill Brooks for the use of his music on this video.