What do you do when the world assumes your path is easy — but your lived reality proves otherwise? In this Manaʻo Bomb, Duane DeSoto’s journey from keiki surfer to community leader reveals the real work behind meaningful impact, and why the hardest moments are often the ones that refine us most. A story for anyone building something bigger than themselves.

From a toddler tied to a boogie board in Makaha to founding Nā Kama Kai, Duane DeSoto, the 2010 Oxbow ASP World Longboard Champion, has lived his life by the pull of the ocean. Surfing took him around the world, but it was coming home that sparked his greatest purpose: opening the waves to Hawaiʻi’s keiki. Read to find out how one person’s passion rippled outward, transforming joy into service, struggle into growth, and ultimately, leaving a legacy in motion.