People whizzing by on Pacific Coast Highway have been shouting out from their cars.
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Duuuuuuke!
Duke Kahanamoku, the iconic figure depicted in a new larger-than-life mural, is a well-known fixture in the wave-riding world, considered the father of modern-day surfing who helped spread the aloha spirit.
“If you surf, you know exactly who it is,” said Mark Schulein, who help get the painting on the side of his family’s Crown Ace Hardware store in Corona del Mar. “If you don’t surf, you’re going to wonder — who is this guy and why is he here, larger than life?”
The hope is for the public artwork to be a conversation starter, so people who aren’t in the know can learn more about this iconic figure whose influence spans Orange County’s shoreline — and around the world.
The 100-foot-long painting is a chance to tell not just Kahanamoku’s surfing story, but also his Olympic gold medal feats and brave lifesaving actions just steps away when a fishing boat capsized off the Newport Harbor entrance.
“It’s beautiful and relevant and I think it will shine a light on the history of Duke and the story of Corona del Mar,” said Schulein, himself a waterman who has a strong connection with the sea.
Austin Gosswiller helps artist Jack Stricker, not pictured, put the finishing touches on a mural paying homage to Duke Kahanamoku on the northern wall of Ace Hardware along Pacific Coast Highway in the Corona del Mar neighborhood of Newport Beach, CA, on Wednesday, May 13, 2026. The Hawaiian is the modern-day godfather of surfing, but also a rescuer who saved several boaters when a vessel capsized off Newport Beach, and an Olympic gold medal swimmer who would train in Orange County pools. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Artist Jack Stricker puts the finishing touches on a mural paying homage to Duke Kahanamoku on the northern wall of Ace Hardware along Pacific Coast Highway in the Corona del Mar neighborhood of Newport Beach, CA, on Wednesday, May 13, 2026. The Hawaiian is the modern-day godfather of surfing, but also a rescuer who saved several boaters when a vessel capsized off Newport Beach, and an Olympic gold medal swimmer who would train in Orange County pools. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Artist Jack Stricker puts the finishing touches on a mural paying homage to Duke Kahanamoku on the northern wall of Ace Hardware along Pacific Coast Highway in the Corona del Mar neighborhood of Newport Beach, CA, on Wednesday, May 13, 2026. The Hawaiian is the modern-day godfather of surfing, but also a rescuer who saved several boaters when a vessel capsized off Newport Beach, and an Olympic gold medal swimmer who would train in Orange County pools. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
The Crown Ace Hardware store has been a staple in the seaside community since 1949, with Schulein’s family purchasing the shop in the mid-1970s.
On one side, a big painting showcases the Wedge, an iconic surf break on the north side of the Newport Harbor entrance.
But many people don’t know what happened just a short paddle away in 1926, when the fishing boat Thema capsized during a big swell off Corona del Mar, before the jetties were put in place.
Kahanamoku and a handful of other surfers were hanging out on the beach when they saw the boat in trouble, 17 passengers flung into the water, struggling in the sea.
He quickly grabbed his wooden surfboard, bringing eight of the men safely to shore.
Last year marked the 100th anniversary of the big rescue, recognized by the city with a plaque set up on a hill overlooking China Cove and where the rescue took place.
Kahanamoku first surfed Corona del Mar in 1914, before the surf break was destroyed by jetties in the ’30s, and became friends with the Vultee family, which had a home on the bluffs.
“I bet there’s a lot of people who surf and don’t have the history of what happened down at Corona del Mar,” Schulein said. “It was one of the best waves of the coast. Unless you’re a surfer or interested in history, you wouldn’t know the history of that spot.”
Other public recognitions and relics of Kahanamoku’s story exist around Orange County. The Surfing Heritage and Culture Center showcases his big wooden boards, and a sculpture of him greets guests at the International Surfing Museum in Huntington Beach.
A large bronze statue of the Hawaiian waterman is a landmark in front of Huntington Surf and Sport overlooking the city’s famed pier, and steps away is a big mural of the waterman bodysurfing inside of Duke’s Restaurant at the base of the Huntington Beach pier.
Schulein had long wanted a mural to fill a big, empty wall that faced the millions of people who stop at a light at Marguerite Avenue and pass by on Pacific Coast Highway.
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So when a community art project began in 2025 as a collaboration between the city, Mayor Lauren Kleiman and the Sherman Library and Gardens as a way to have programming outside of the garden walls to increase the impact on the community, it seemed to fit the project’s mission, said Kirstie Acevedo, president of M.H. Sherman Co. and part of the gardens’ board of trustees.
In addition to the latest mural, two others have been completed; one is at The Place in Corona del Mar and the other on a building adjacent to the gardens, all with an emphasis on history, horticulture and arts, Acevedo said.
The Sherman Library and Gardens has archival information about Kahanamoku’s influence on Corona del Mar, including the rescue, and helped with developing the concept with the artist and Crown Ace Hardware, with donations from OluKai, the Schulein family and Kleiman, using discretionary funds, making financial contributions for the project.
Muralist Jack Stricker, from Ocean Beach in San Diego, was commissioned for the project. He specializes in portrait murals. Stricker brought on Austin Gosswiller, whose family has roots in Hawaii, to tackle the surf portion of the project, showcasing Kahanamoku gracefully riding a wave.
The portrait of Kahanamoku is 17.5 feet tall, and the sections showcasing the surf are 12 feet tall.
“When we heard it was the Duke, we jumped at the chance,” said Stricker, who has done murals for 20 years from San Diego to San Francisco. “He’s the godfather of surfing.”
But beyond his surf celebrity, Stricker didn’t know the rest of Kahanamoku’s rich history until researching the project.
Kahanamoku not only saved lives using his surfboard that fateful day off Corona del Mar, but the use of rescue boards was adopted around the world in the following years because of that rescue.
And his Olympic feats — three gold and two silver medals from games in 1912, 1920, and 1924 — were not just swimming milestones for the United States, but were earned while he faced discrimination because of his dark skin color.
Stricker also learned about how Kahanamoku made it his life’s legacy to spread Hawaiian culture, including introducing wave riding, to coastal towns across the world.
The mural is meant as a creative way to tell Kahanamoku’s story through art, Stricker said.
“He seemed like a pretty humble person, and I was humbled to paint him,” he said. “He had a very warm spirit about him. His face had a calm, cool, collected look about him… I wish I could have met the guy.”
Some people who stopped to chat as painting on the mural progressed said they knew Kahanamoku, or shared stories of crossing his path, Stricker said. Others would bring sandwiches and ask about the artistic process, he said.
“The feedback from people was amazing,” he said. “The community welcomed us with open arms. Everyone was really nice.”
The piece is simply called: “Duke.”
A ribbon-cutting celebration is planned at 6 p.m. on July 16, as part of the Corona del Mar Third Thursday street fair.
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