Riding the Ripple | with Duane DeSoto
It started with a love for the ocean, and lead to a ripple of influence spanning across generations.
From the moment he was old enough to walk, Duane Desoto was drawn to the water. His mom would bring him down to the water, and had him swimming by nine months old.
“It was no problem at two and three years old. Just tie me to a boogie board and let me go play in the shore breaks at Mākaha Beach.”
The ocean was his playground, his classroom, and his escape. At just four years old, Duane entered his first surf contest at Auntie Rell’s, cheered on by uncles, aunties, and cousins who made sure he was safe in the lineup.
Duane DeSoto at 6 years old, winning 3rd place in the 10 & Under division of the Mākaha's Menehune Surf Contest.
“The beach was just that main source of connecting to the kai and the ʻāina. But I think more importantly also the escape from reality…Being able to surf and play in the ocean gave way to not worrying about chores, homework, chaos, any of that stuff.”
That passion carried him around the world as a professional surfer, chasing waves and championships. At sixteen, he shocked the surf scene when he defeated the reigning world champion, Joey Hawkins, at Haleʻiwa.
He recalls not even realizing what he had just done. “I didn’t even know who Joey Hawkins was, I was just a surfer from Mākaha.” It was always more than a competition to him.
In 2010, he became the Oxbow ASP World Longboard Champion. A huge feat that he gained through his love of the water.
Surfing gave Duane more than wins. It gave him perspective. Long flights and global contests made him realize how precious Hawaiʻi’s ocean culture was, and how many local keiki were missing out.
“I had choke friends who were sitting right next door to me…they didn’t know how to swim or surf. That became troublesome in my mind. That was like, okay, something’s wrong.”
Turning passion into purpose
That realization rippled into something bigger. Surrounded by mentors who had once poured into him, Duane began to wonder how he could pass that same gift to the next generation.
“It was obvious that…what was being shared with me constantly by auntie them and uncle them…the children on the island, the entire island, needed to have access.”
In 2008, the answer took shape. Nā Kama Kai was born, a nonprofit built to empower keiki by teaching them ocean safety, conservation, and stewardship.
“Nā Kama Kai…the idea is as children of the sea, we’re all empowered by that ocean.”
The idea was that, when these kids become adults, having been empowered by experiences in the ocean, they become advocates for the ocean and want to protect, love, and nurture the ocean. Giving back to what once gave to you, the same way Duane had felt.
What started as one clinic in Kapiʻolani Park became a movement. Kids who once stood on the sand watching others surf were suddenly paddling out, learning, laughing, and feeling that same rush Duane had as a child.
the struggle beneath the surface
It wasn’t easy. Behind every clinic were hundreds of phone calls and more than a few no-shows.
“Two weeks prior to an event, I’d start calling up 200 people…hustling to get 35 volunteers to make this event happen.”
There were days when the weight of it all made him question if he should keep going. But then, a volunteer or parent would thank him, reminding him why it mattered.
“It wasn’t about the money, it wasn’t about the naysayers, it was about looking at the keiki, having something in their life for the rest of their life that made them stronger and better humans and they were gonna protect our ʻāina.”
a legacy in motion
For Duane, passion for the ocean started with joy: a child on a boogie board in Mākaha’s waves. That passion turned into a career, then into a calling.
That same image now plays out again and again: keiki in the water, perched on boards, laughing, and discovering the ocean as both playground and teacher. Today, it continues to ripple outward through Nā Kama Kai, shaping not just the kids who enter the water for the first time, but the generations who will inherit their care for it.
“If you’re gonna create something…the expectation that everything’s gonna be smooth sailing is a little bit jaded. Honestly, each obstacle, I looked at it as my kupunas, my guiding angels were giving me these roadblocks to learn something new…that was the next point of growth for myself.”
What We Can Steal
Let passion lead the way: Start with what you love, and let it grow into something bigger.
Pay it forward: The knowledge and joy you’ve received become more powerful when shared.
Ripple effect is real: One person’s spark can shape generations.
Obstacles = growth: Every challenge is a chance to evolve and deepen your mission.
Legacy isn’t trophies: It’s the lives you touch and the community you empower.
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