John Makua was just 3 years old when his late father, Kimo, took him to Waikiki Beach for his first swimming lesson. Kimo’s instructions to his son as he put him in the water were simple: “Swim; no drown!”

Since then Makua has become an accomplished waterman, following in the footsteps of Kimo, who worked as a beachboy in Waikiki for 45 years. The beachboy tradition started in the 1920s when visitors began arriving in Waikiki for long vacations. Skilled at reading the waves, tides, winds and currents, the beachboys would take the newcomers on canoe rides, teach them how to surf and “talk story” with them about the local lifestyle — always with a lot of aloha.

“In the morning before school, from the time they were young, my dad and his two brothers would go to the beachboys’ stand, rake the sand so it looked nice and smooth, and set up chairs and umbrellas for the day,” said Makua, a lieutenant for the Federal Fire Department at Wheeler Army Airfield. “My great-uncle John ‘Boss’ Makua, whom I was named after, would pay them 10 cents each for the work they did. That way they earned the privilege of having fun time at the beach.”

When Makua was growing up, he and his friends also did their part. The beach was their playground; they were there every day after school to swim and surf but knew they had to be at the beachboys’ concession by 4:30 p.m. to pick up litter, put away the surfboards and collect the chairs and umbrellas.

“We learned important lessons, including malama aina (take care of the land),” Makua said. “We learned to respect nature, the elders and everyone at the beach. Dad enjoyed meeting people from all over the world; some of them became his close friends.”

Monday’s fourth annual May Day Waikiki will honor Kimo; his uncles John Makua and Blue Makua Sr.; his aunt Violet Makua, one of Hawaii’s first beachgirls; his cousin Blue Makua Jr.; and his best friend, William Moku Kamaka. All of them except Blue Jr. have died.

“It’s wonderful to remember and pay tribute to them because they not only inspired me, but thousands of kamaaina and malihini (visitors),” Makua said. “In Hawaii the ocean is our backyard, and they paved the way for the beachboy stories, traditions and knowledge to be perpetuated. They set the standards by which Waikiki beachboys live and work today.”

Blue Makua Jr. and other members of the Makua family will attend May Day Waikiki along with representatives of the Kamaka ohana. Well-known island actor and entertainer Kimo Kahoano will emcee the commemorative program, which will begin at 3 p.m. with a helicopter flower drop. Attendees are welcome to bring lei to set adrift in the ocean for the honorees or in memory of loved ones.

The program will also mark the 100th anniversary of the Life-Saving Patrol in Waikiki, which was established May 2, 1917. Beachboys were the patrol’s first recruits.

Following that will be entertainment featuring Henry Kapono & Friends (Johnny Valentine, Alx Kawakami, Blayne Asing and Robi Kahakalau) and hula performances by Ka Hale i o Kahala Halau Hula. The concert will be broadcast live on facebook.com/MayDayWaikiki.

The event should draw crowds to Waikiki Beach on Monday to celebrate the enduring legacy of the beachboys and to discover why they and other watermen and women feel such a kinship with the sea.

For Makua the ocean is a sanctuary. “It’s a peaceful place to relax and clear my mind,” he said. “I love diving, being underwater in a whole new world. I love surfing a big wave and feeling the incredible energy of the ocean. I love paddling and the teamwork that’s required to move a canoe across the open sea. My wife, Jennifer, and two daughters, Julia, who’s 16 years old, and Jessica, who’s 12, share my passion for water sports. When we have free time, everyone knows where to find us: at the beach, in the ocean!”

—

ABOUT MAY DAY

In Hawaii, May 1 is known as Lei Day. The City and County of Honolulu’s 90th Annual Lei Day Celebration will go on from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at Kapiolani Park. The Royal Hawaiian Band, Hoku Zuttermeister, Natalie Ai Kamauu and members of the Hawaiian Steel Guitar Association are among those scheduled to perform.

Also planned are children’s activities; demonstrations of lei making, tapa making, lau hala weaving and more; the investiture of the Lei Queen and her court; and a lei contest (entries will be displayed from 1 to 5:30 p.m.). Lei, food and drinks will be available for sale throughout the day. Admission is free. Call 768-3041 or click here for more information.

Cheryl Chee Tsutsumi is a Honolulu-based freelance writer whose travel features for the Star-Advertiser have won several Society of American Travel Writers awards.