BYU-Hawaii History Professor Isaiah Walker left a potential life of pro surfing to pursue more important aspects of life, such as education and family. He is considered by some to be the leading expert on surf history, with a special emphasis on the Hawaiian perspective. His skills and educational background have led him to work on various projects, events, and influence the world’s surfing community.
Raised in Hilo on the Big Island, Walker said he has been an avid surfer since he was a young boy, surfing on a body board as a toddler and doing actual stand up riding at age nine. “I still remember getting up on my first wave,” he reminisced. “It’s still clearly imprinted on my mind, every detail. I remember wanting to do more and more. From that point on, I was hooked and that excitement has never left me.”
Walker started his amateur career at 12, and at 15 was No. 1 for his division on the Big Island. By 16, he was No. 6 in the state of Hawaii, No. 5 as a national surfer for the 16 and under division, and went up against big-name surfers such as Ross Williams, Shane Dorian, and Kelly Slater.
When he was 16, it was a big year for him because he was sponsored by the company Instinct, a business similar to the modern companies Rip Curl and Quick Silver. He traveled around Hawaii, California, and other locations under said brand and had boards and clothes provided for him as he climbed the ranks of amateur surfing. However, Walker said he always kept his eyes fixed on the life of a pro surfer.
Walker's plan radically changed, he said, when he was introduced to the LDS faith. Walker’s parents were divorced when he was young and grew up with his non-LDS father. His mother, who remained an essential part of Walker’s upbringing, was from a strong LDS Hawaiian family. In fact, her grandfather Abraham Kaleimahoe Fernandez baptized Queen Liliuokalani into the LDS Church in 1906. At 15, his mother challenged him to read the entire Book of Mormon, which he did. Walker was subsequently baptized the following year by his then bishop and mentor, Aley K. Auna, now a General Authority of the Seventy. Walker explained, “Things became very clear to me about the church and serving a mission.” A year later, Walker received what was then a seminary scholarship to go to BYU-Hawaii and started pursuing biology to become a doctor like his father.
Walker initially thought he would be similar to the NFL player Steve Young, who used his fame to openly advocate for the church. He still wanted to go on a mission, but he also wanted to be a strong, active member and speak up for the church using his following in the surf community as a positive tool for missionary work. However, he said this was not the path the Lord would lay before him.
After being inspired to serve a full-time mission, Walker said he became a great leader while serving in San Diego, Calif., where his surfing tales followed him. Walker comically told the story of how he baptized one member in the ocean and, while walking back, he body surfed to the shore.
After visiting his mission years later, a young sister exclaimed, “You’re Isaiah Walker! Is it true you took a bunch of missionaries to Mexico for a surf competition and won it when you served?” Walker said he was amused by the radical development of his personal history and has mentioned that surfing tales, like any story, can get out of hand.
Following his mission, Walker returned to BYUH, but he said he now had a new love for teaching, stories, history, and culture. They were all joys he said he had before serving, but they were further cultivated during his mission. He then changed his major to history and focused on Hawaiian and American history. His studies continued as he obtained his master’s in American history at the University of Hawaii and doctorate at University of California at Santa Barbara. It was there the door was opened for Walker to forge a career out of surf history.
During his studies and dissertation, Walker had the help and support of his mentor Paul Spickard, who advocated Walker’s dissertation on the history of surfing through American and Hawaiian lenses. Walker mentioned an obstacle he faced in his studies was the lack of official or credited work on surf history that left many misconceptions and inaccuracies. Walker said his work has focused on making it a credited field while closing the gap of these misconceptions.
Walker’s work has made him the leading expert on surf history. His book “Waves of Resistance” unfolds the story of surfing in general and through the Hawaiian perspective. It contains information on the blend of cultures, the values of surfing as a sport and social engagement, and all the political controversies behind it. This book created an opportunity for him to be a commentator for famous surf competitions such as the Van’s Triple Crown, which surfers say dictate the champion of pro surfing.
He also has been a headliner for Da Hui Backdoor shootout, which commemorates Duke Kahanamoku, who is considered a forefather of modern surf culture, and the Women’s Pipeline Pro and the HIC Pro. Walker’s book also highly critiqued the film “Riding Giants” by Sam George, labeling it widely inaccurate of surf culture and history. His review caught George’s attention; after reading the book, George called him and thanked him for his review.
George asked for Walker’s assistance and input when filming a “30 for 30” episode for ESPN on Eddie Aikau. It was a showcase for pro surfers and other experts in the field. Walker said the film was considered a success in the surfing community in the way it honored Eddie Aikau. He said it was highly praised for its accuracy in depicting Aikau’s life.
Walker is a practitioner as well as a theorist when it comes to surfing. Among his history courses at BYUH are the history of the culture of surfing, which focuses on surfing roots from the Hawaiian perspective and how it developed overtime into the modern era. The class does not focus on turning students into surfers but to value surfing ideals and to create a deeper appreciation for the sport.
Besides teaching surfing as a course, he also coaches. Walker started assistant coaching on his son’s team for Kamehameha schools. He said he wanted to be more involved with his son’s team and became the head coach. The team has won two national championships, he said.
One of Walker’s pupils is Ezekiel Lau, a Leeward Oahu surfer who recently turned pro in the World Surf League. Lau won his heat on March 17 against Brazilian star Felipe Toledo, an experienced surfer in the Gold Coast Championship. Besides this, Walker said he has taught underprivileged children in a surf club for those who have rough family backgrounds or who wouldn’t have the means otherwise to afford a board.
Beyond his passion for surfing, Walker said his faith, family, and education his top priorities. He said these priorities have allowed him “to make surfing much more pertinent and special in his life” beyond if he had just had a short stint as a pro surfer.
Walker said he thought he was a good enough surfer to turn pro, but he would never “be a Slater.” The “pro life” became unappealing when he returned from his mission and saw his pro friends living out of cars just to make it by. The path he pursued allowed him to make surfing a passionate part of his life, he said, while seeking after other important things like his family.
All of his children surf, and Walker said the ocean and surfing is a safe haven. He said, “Out in waves, I found God, and I could find answers to big questions.” When asked where he wants surfing to take him and what he wants his students to understand, he said, “I feel like I have gotten a start, but I want to continue to reshape and fix the views associated with surf history, as well as re-empower the Hawaiian voice.”
Writer: Colton McLane