Duke Del Mar

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During the 1920s in California, small groups of "Roaring '20s" surfers rode waves at a few select breaks from Santa Monica to San Diego. The most popular spot was Corona del Mar, l ikely due to both its excellent surf conditions and the vibrant nightlife in nearby Balboa, just across the channel to Newport Harbor. The prime surf at Corona del Mar was largely due to the south jetty. In 1925, Olympic champion Duke Kahanamoku played a heroic role in rescuing the majority of the crew from The Thelma when it floundered off Newport Beach. Battling heavy seas on his surfboard, where no small boat could survive, Kahanamoku was the first to reach the drowning men. He made three trips to the shore, saving four people on his first trip, three on his second, and one on his third. Sheffield, Plummer, and Derega were credited with saving four others, while other members of the rescue team waded into the surf to carry additional survivors to safety. Show more