Duke Paoa Kahanamoku was born on August 24,1890, in Honolulu, Hawaii. The first out of six sons and three daughters of Duke and Julia Kahanamoku, Duke spent his childhood different than most children. He spent all of his time swimming, surfing, canoeing, and body surfing. When Duke was in high school, he was a member of the school championship soccer team. [1] After that, Duke dropped out of high school. He gave up school for swimming and surfing.
Since Duke dropped out of high school, he never attended a college. Duke did join clubs though. In 1908, Duke and two of his friends formed the Hui Nalu (club of the waves). [2] Three years later, duke broke three freestyle world records in Hawaii’s first ever AAU swim meet. [3]