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Russ K. Keaulana – A Down Home Visit With One of Surfing's Most Prestigious Riders.
By Roz Makaula
With an approachable shy, local-boy smile, it's hard to believe that this soft-spoken, modest waterman from Hawaii and the male model in a Vogue photo shoot with Cindy Crawford are in one in the same – or that he's also a stunts man in the movie, Rundown with The Rock. Perhaps it's his reverent appreciation of the ocean and the love of family that's kept world-renowned, three-time long boarding surf champion, Russ K. Keaulana grounded.
“It's a big family here,” explains Keaulana of Makaha Surf Beach, where contrary to what some believe, he says, everyone is welcome. “It's like a family tree here, when you come, just introduce yourself, communicate and you'll be surprised – you'll want to come here.”
He credits his parents, the legendary Buffalo and Momi for guiding him to the ocean. As a kid, Keaulana says that the ocean kept him and his siblings busy and off the streets. He gives a nod to big brother, Brian for guiding him to surfing. “He (Brian) knew I had a technique for long boarding.”
At 39, Keaulana recalls growing up in the ocean, and laughs at his first memory of being in the water.
“Staying under water until I broke my ear drum.” He was almost four years old at the time, the exact age of his son, Kelii.
Smiling with adoration and admiration, Keaulana looks on as his father keeps an eye on his little boy in the shower of their favorite surf spot. “There's a time and place for things. Right now you're seeing three generations. My son keeps my dad young. It's funny, sometimes it's like the youngest, (Kelii) is the boss, not us.”
At this point, Keaulana excuses himself and hops off the green picnic table we're sitting on. He scoops up his son from the shower and carries him over his shoulder to where he'll change and dry him off.
In a few minutes, Rusty – as his friends call him – is back at the table, ready to carry-on where we left off.
A typical day for Keaulana begins with a grateful heart. He thanks God every morning when he wakes up. And there sure is a lot to be thankful for. He is a three-time consecutive world long board surf champion, taking the number one spot at surf competitions in Haleiwa '93, California '94 and South Africa '95. Following a 15-year sponsorship with Quiksilver that ended in 2005, Keaulana successfully signed a 10-year contract with the Japan based company, Russ K Makaha Crimson. The humble Hawaiian shares about his relationship with a Japanese man who guided him in the business realm. Keaulana is a business owner and entrepreneur with his surfboard label all over the world.
We talk again about memories in the water and it's not the winning of competitions that comes out of his mouth, but his heartfelt and funny recollections of good times on the beach.
“Over there,” he says, pointing to the left of where we're sitting, “that's where our house used to be. Right there on the beach. The address on my birth certificate says, Makaha Beach, 84-369 Farrington Highway.” Further down, still pointing, Keaulana pins the family house and then the area of a property he just acquired.
His life, his family, his memories and his future all lay on the shores of Makaha Surf Beach. On any given day, if he's not traveling, you can find him in water of his birthplace. “If I don't go in the water, it's like the blood is not flowing in my body. I'm like a fish, I'll dry up.”
To Keaulana, he needs at least one hour in the ocean every day. On a good day, he'll spend four to five hours surfing the big blue. If conditions aren't prime for surfing, he'll go in anyway, whether it's to dive, spear fish or lay net. He directs our attention to the ocean and says his younger brother Jimmy is out there laying net as we speak. He jokingly adds, “Jimmy lays net. Brian doesn't do that, he buys fish from Tamura's.”
Jokes and jabbing elbows aside, Keaulana displays a clear respect for his family, his brothers and sisters and the ocean that bonds all of them. Number four of five children, Keaulana learned early on the importance of taking care of others, a lesson he practices everyday with the youth of Waianae who visit his West-side playground. “We (the older generation) take care of the younger ones,” he explains. As a way to give back, Keaulana offers private surf camps to kids.
Keaulana speaks with the wisdom of a much older person, knowing from experience that the ocean offers a world of opportunity and growth to anyone willing to dive in. Looking out into the ocean of Makaha, he says, “there's dreams out there.”