This exhibition will feature master shaper, Bob Pearson’s precisely fashioned replicas of redwood o’lo boards first created by the princes in 1885 and ridden at the mouth of the San Lorenzo River in Santa Cruz.

David Kawananakoa, Jonah Kuhio Kalaniana’ole, and Edward Keliiahonui were grandsons of Kauikeaouli (Kamehameha III) and were part of a prominent lineage in the Hawaiian Kingdom. The image of these 100 lb. boards and the princes riding them made the 1885 papers, making them the first recorded incident of surfing in the Americas.

But do not forget to find the Unsung History of Antoinette Swan! She was the daughter of Hawaiian royalty who hosted the three princes during their many visits to Santa Cruz, and was an accomplished surfer herself. Find her, and many other surfing surprises at the Museum of Art and History!