The Waterman

Hollywood and surfing have had a bumpy relationship for the last 60+ years.

Attempting to capture a nuanced subject like surfing and convey it to mass audiences with little-to-no relevant experience with the subject matter tends to yield wonky results. 

A couple of the surf documentaries from the last 20 years have successfully crossed over into the mainstream (Step Into Liquid and Riding Giants being the two that come to mind most readily) but for the most part, anywhere the Venn diagram of surfing and mainstream media meet, the result has been a miss.

That in mind, the trailer for The Waterman—the story of Duke Kahanamoku, narrated by Jason Mamoa—looks like a delight.  Of course many of surfing's most recognizable faces will make an appearance to weigh in on the magnitude of Kahanamoku's significance in the arc of surfing (Kelly Slater, Jack Johnson, Laird Hamilton), but the story of Duke is one that should be told, and I'm thrilled it is being told at this scale.

Speaking of Duke, our friend Tanden Launder did this delightful mixed media piece entitled Surf King (24" x 48") that is currently for sale in our shop.  Tanden's art generally surrounds Americana iconography and legends, and this piece featuring Duke was part of a surf series he did earlier this year.

See the full collection here.

Hang Duke in your home.