In the movie Point Break, Patrick Swayze’s character Bodhi tells Keanu Reeves’ Johnny Utah about how some surfers “…only live to get radical. They don’t have any real understanding of the sea, so they’ll never get the spiritual side of it.”
This is what separates director Isaac Halasima’s Waterman from other surfing films. Halasima’s documentary goes beyond the breathtaking sight and the spectacle of wave-riding artistry and dives deep into the cultural impact that the godfather of surfing, Duke Kahanamoku, had on the entire world.
The story of Duke Kahanamoku is not unlike many trailblazers throughout history — he’s a man who faced terrible adversity throughout his life and sadly, his impact was realized very late in life and even more so after his passing. However, Waterman’s focus is not on this tragic irony; it instead focuses on the spiritual side of Duke’s life.
Duke’s ethos of Aloha and his reverence and adhering to the principles of the Hawaiian waterman that made his impact not just on sport, but culture an indelible one. Aloha, as explained in the film, is not just an expression of “hello” or “goodbye” it’s the Hawaiian word for love, affection, peace, compassion and mercy. This allowed Duke to break down racial, societal and cultural barriers not just for him, but generations to come. This allowed him, despite being faced and held down by racism and exploited for amateur and corporate profit, to become a multi-time Olympic swimmer, introduce the world to the Hawaiian tradition of surfing and influence modern lifeguard life-saving techniques. It’s the reason statues of Duke have been erected in Hawaii, Australia and New Zealand, and the reason why surfing is a vital part of world sport and culture.
Halasima does a fantastic job of bringing the audience into the spiritual world of Aloha and waterman by incorporating local and educational interviews throughout the documentary. One interview in particular follows a local Hawaiian creating and carving a wooden surf board. The creation of the board wonderfully juxtaposes Duke’s story as well as the audience’s immersion into Aloha. The inclusion of surf legends like Kelly Slater and Laird Hamilton as well as singer/surf Jack Johnson helps cement Duke’s legacy to younger/casual surfing fans. The narration from Hawaiian native Jason Momoa gives gravity and authenticity to Duke’s story.
The amount of archival footage Halasima acquired for this film is stagger and watching it inter-spliced with dramatized footage featuring longboard surfer Duane DeSoto as Duke is masterfully done and really adds a nice dramatic flair to the life of Duke. Yet, the storytelling device that works the best in the film is how Halasima introduces different chapters of Duke’s life by pivoting off footage of his appearance on the classic television series, This is Your Life.
Waterman is a fascinating look into the life of a man who had a gigantic impact on the world that most people aren’t even aware. It tells Duke Kahanamoku’s story to not only document his accomplishments but to teach us the philosophy this man lived during his life and how we should all try to embody this in our everyday lives. Waterman is a story about the spiritual side of surfing and it does a brilliant job teaching its audience about it.
Waterman airs on PBS as a Part of the ‘American Masters’ Series on May 10.
