Excerpt from “Faster and Faster: the Country, the Contests, and the Last Secret Spot on the North Shore,” by Drew Kampion, 

As usual, the Duke Kahanamoku Surfing Classic was held at Sunset Beach, this being its ninth go-around there. In spite of forecasts calling for flat surf and poor conditions, on Tuesday morning, November 27th, competition director Chuck Shipman looked across Kam Highway from his front porch at six- to eight-foot waves grinding at inside Sunset. Chuck alerted the competitors, and later that morning the prelims began.

Eddie Aikau, James Jones, Larry Bertlemann, and of course Jeff Hakman, stepped right from first-place in their heats into the finals.

Eight other surfers, meanwhile, advanced to an eight-man semifinal match to compete for the remaining four final spots. Gerry Lopez, Jeff Crawford, Oscar Malpartida, Tiger Makin, Rory Russell, Terry Fitzgerald, Reno Abellira and Clyde Aikau paddled out to twelve-foot-plus (and perfect) late-afternoon Sunset.

The surfing in this semifinal has been described as inspired, incredible, and the best surf session of all time. Being a land of hyperbole, who knows? But Bill Hamilton, who certainly gave a fluid and totally coordinated surfing performance in his preliminary heat only to be eliminated from a chance at the final by an interference call that involved no contact, was not in the semifinal. Gerry Lopez, the surfer “interfered” with, later noted that he would rather have seen Bill in the semi than himself.

Mark Martinson had this to say about the Lopez-Hamilton call.

They had three interference judges. They're set up to deal with interference decisions. They just stuck by the rule that first man up has the right of way. But the situation called for a different decision. Hamilton didn’t interfere with Lopez, who was in front of him. The judges did not take into account that once you’re committed to a wave, what can you do? Stick your feet in the water and try to pull out? The interference judges gave the excuse that if they make a ruling on Bill they have to change everyone else’s decisions. That’s the poorest excuse I’ve ever heard. What are the interference judges there for? If you were just going to follow a rule you wouldn’t need three guys up there making a decision.

Hamilton surfed better than anyone in his heat and might have gone on to win the contest, but instead he was eliminated. The point being that if he surfed better than anyone else he should have been in the final.

Surfing being so non-objective, it seems a ruling like that is unfair. I can see it if a guy blatantly takes off on someone or for unsportsmanlike conduct. That’s why they have those three judges. But if you go by the rule, cut-and-dry, it's unfair.

In the semifinal heat, Terry Fitzgerald burned up the inside reef, taking long, graceful strides, many of the rough edges now gone from this surfer who was spawned at Narrabeen, the grunt-and-swivel capital of the surfing world.

Jeff Crawford worked well backside and became the only East Coast surfer in a Duke final.

Eddie Aikau knew the place well, maneuvered perfectly through its swollen geography, and went on to the final.

But the surfer of the day was Reno Abellira, who rode the waves masterfully.

Chuck Shipman later said that this semifinal heat was the best surfing and the best waves he had ever seen a for a contest and that the surfing of Reno Abellira was the finest exhibition of the art he had yet witnessed. Many others were in agreement with Shipman.

That was a wrap for the day. All that remained was the finals.

When the surf came up a few days later and ABC was on hand to film the final, Sunset was closed out, as was every other North Shore spot save one. So the contest was moved to Waimea Bay where 

 could boast of presenting the first televised coverage of a contest held in “the biggest surfable waves in the world” (till Jim Neese does Kaena Point, anyway).

Although the Duke surfers protested and argued that Waimea was incompatible with the direction of the event already established in the prelims and the semifinal, meet directors decided to go ahead and have at least the first half of the two-part final here, if only for variety’s sake.

It was a bright, sunny day but the swell wasn't large enough to show the Bay’s full potential. Peaks and shoulders were the order of the day, with occasional larger waves that threw up a longer wall and provided all the highlights: Reno taking off late, dropping to the bottom inches ahead of exploding white water, and managing a turn and glide that pulled him out ahead of danger. Booby Jones getting smashed and covered by tons of whitewater and emerging, still standing to finish the wave. Reno and Hakman eating their lunch together on one of the day's biggest waves. Crawford backsiding under a mighty peak. Bertlemann whipping cutbacks on a wave that kept pulling back from him. Eddie, Booby, and Clyde all sharing a wave and surviving.

All during the heat, the ABC helicopter jetted in loops over and around the lineup, like a blue and white hornet (“the ultimate toy,” Steve Bigler called it).

Cars lined Kam all around the horseshoe bay, filled the parking lot, lurched over the lawn. Crowds of tourists, North Shore locals, and Townfolk massed on the grass above the steep, wave-washed beach. In the channel, photographers bobbed about, jockeying for shots of the surfers jockeying for the waves. Jim Neese was one of the lifeguards, sitting on his 12-foot Kaena model.

Results of the final, Part One: Jones, Abellira, Hakman, Eddie Aikau, Clyde Aikau, Crawford, Bertlemann, Fitzgerald.

The surfers want to leave, drive back to Sunset for the second final. But the ABC program director says no, you surf here. Terry Fitzgerald says, but we can’t do our thing here, there’s no room for expression, for art. Let me take care of the art, says the man from ABC. No surf, no money.

As Jim Neese’s Kaena board washes up onto the beach in two pieces, the finalists return to the lineup for part two of the final.

Reno gets off to a dramatic start with a long, double-peaked wall that holds as he rides high, gracefully, across it. Then Hakman begins to click on wave after wave, jamming bottom turns so hard he nearly loses it several times, but never quite does. Clyde surfs unreal, loose and powerful, covering a lot of face in a short time. Fitzgerald at last has a couple of good waves; he jams off the bottom, off the top, begins to click. Booby works perfectly around mountains of soup and Larry Bertlemann takes off on an eighteen-footer and bails, belly-first down the face.

Still, it is not Sunset. It is not the same demanding canvas. It is not as good a medium of expression. The surfers, some of them, are let down. Pressured into performing against their better judgment, the knowledge that ABC audiences would never know the difference (no one will ever tell them) was little consolation.

Results of the final, Part Two: Clyde Aikau, Hakman, Abellira, Jones, Crawford, Bertlemann, Fitzgerald, Eddie Aikau.

Then there was a long wait for the results, as the human computers began to total up the two heats, five best waves from each.

More computing, then counting down to first: Terry Fitzgerald, Larry Bertlemann, Eddie Aikau, Jeff Crawford, James Jones, Jeff Hakman, Reno Abellira, Clyde Aikau.

The Aikau family and their friends whooped ecstatically. Mama Aikau was in tears. Sol Aikau, Clyde’s father, head of the clan, gathered the family around. Eddie and Clyde embraced. A twinge of disappointment crossed Reno's face: so close!

The Duke awards ceremony was an exceptionally emotional and unifying experience. Held two days after the final, the evening’s activities began with Reverend Abraham Akaka’s welcoming prayer, followed by puu-puus. Golden Duke statuettes were passed out, including one to Doctor Bob Scott of the Western Surfing Association, honored for his efforts in organized surfing and especially for his selfless loan of over $10,000 to bail out the San Diego World Contest ($4,000 still outstanding).

The theme of the evening was set by Duke organizer Ron Medeiros, who emotionally and repeatedly evoked the Aloha spirit of Duke Kahanamoku. Mrs. Kahanamoku herself was on hand to congratulate the surfers as they received their Golden Dukes and checks, and the proceedings became more and more charged with emotion until second-place finisher Reno Abellira was called up on stage, awarded his trophy as his mother spoke into the microphone that Reno’s incredible performance in the semifinal had been ten years to the day from the death of his father.

Then Clyde stood up for his award and a deep well of pride and emotion surged onto the stage in the form of the entire Aikau family. Here was the moment they had worked and waited for over the years. The Sport of the Hawaiian Kings, the 

 the first place trophy for the highest Hawaiian athletic achievement; the Spirit of the Duke; all at last brought home by the strongest and most renowned Hawaiian surfing families.

After accepting his award, Clyde chokingly spoke of the short period of time between the two halves of the final, when the set of day had poured through and his brother Jerry had nearly drowned. For Clyde, the greatest thing about the evening was that Jerry was on stage at that moment when he could well have been killed. [A tragic footnote: just days after the ceremony, Jerry Aikau died in a car wreck.]

Then there were movies of last year’s Duke, and after that Clyde, Owl, and Hawk played some tunes, and Rory Russell was wet-eyed talking about how the Aikau's had taken such good care of him.

It was a warm, close, affectionate evening.

1973 Duke Kahanamoku Surfing Classic

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