Duke’s OceanFest, Waikiki’s premier ocean sports festival and a popular celebration in tribute to Duke Kahanamoku for watermen and waterwomen worldwide is being showcased this summer over a nine-day period, August 16-24, 2014.
Now in its 13th year, Duke’s OceanFest will feature a variety of competitions and events that includes surfing, stand-up paddling, one-mile ocean swim, lifeguard competition, surfboard waterpolo, wounded warrior canoe regatta, paddle boarding, beach volleyball, and beachfront luau.
Most competitions will take place near Queen’s Surf in Waikiki, with the surf stand and exhibit booths fronting the majestic statue of Kahanamoku.
Kahanamoku’s enduring legacy and all he represents to Hawaii and the waterman spirit continues to be the primary inspiration for Duke’s OceanFest, with this year’s events concluding on Sunday, August 24, the 124th anniversary of his birth.
Revered as Hawaii’s greatest athlete, Kahanamoku (1890-1968) won six Olympic medals, including three gold medals in swimming, from 1912 to 1932, and is recognized as the “Father of International Surfing.” Kahanamoku was the world’s fastest swimmer, a champion paddler and steersman, and a lifelong mentor to generations of watermen and waterwomen. He once used his surfboard to rescue eight people from drowning following a boating accident in California. Kahanamoku was the first person inducted into both the International Swimming Hall of Fame (1965) and International Surfing Hall of Fame (1966).
Duke’s OceanFest supports the mission of the Outrigger Duke Kahanamoku Foundation (ODKF), the public, nonprofit foundation established in Kahanamoku’s honor in 1986. Net proceeds from Duke’s OceanFest help fund ODKF’s awarding of college scholarships and athletic grants to Hawaii residents and nonprofit groups competing in water sports and volleyball. ODKF has awarded $2-million in scholarships and grants to 1,349 recipients since its formation, including $150,000 to 72 recipients in 2013.
Major sponsors of Duke’s OceanFest are the Hawaii Tourism Authority, City and County of Honolulu, Outrigger Hotels and Resorts, Kona Brewing Company, Capital One 360, Hawaiian Airlines, Duke’s Waikiki, AccesSurf, Mobi PCS, Barefoot Wine & Bubbly, Honolulu Star-Advertiser, Hawaiian 105 KINE, Surf News Network, and This Week.
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
