Dave Kalama


Dave Kalama is a big wave surfer/tow-in surfer, stand-up paddle surfer and racer, surf and SUP board shaper, windsurfer, outrigger canoe racer, private adventure guide, and celebrity watersports enthusiast. Kalama, his wife, 2 sons and 1 daughter live in Kula, Maui.
Kalama is credited with the co-development of the big wave surfing technique of tow-in surfing, along with Laird Hamilton, Darrick Doerner, and Buzzy Kerbox. Recently, Kalama together with close friend Laird Hamilton have been actively promoting and mastering an ancient Hawaiian mode of water transportation and watersport called SUP, "stand-up paddling", and he has begun a series of increasingly longer solo paddle events between various Hawaiian islands. Kalama and Hamilton are also credited with the co-development of "foil surfing".
Kalama is a descendant from a long line of noteworthy Hawaiian watermen; his grandfather brought outrigger canoe paddling to the mainland U.S., and his father Ilima Kalama was the 1962 world-champion surfer and a lifelong outrigger canoe paddler. Kalama is known socially amongst surfers as placing a high respect on local and community surf etiquette.
Kalama is a part-time coach to SUP competitors Kai Lenny and Slater Trout.
As a high school age athlete, Kalama was a competitive ski racer and high school football player in the winter sports resort town of Mammoth Lakes, California.
In July 2006, Kalama and BamMan Productions business partner Laird Hamilton were jointly awarded the Beacon Award at the Maui Film Festival for "helping to revive the surf film genre."

Kalama and Laird Hamilton

Kalama and fellow celebrity surfing pal Laird Hamilton have been featured in big wave riding films and photographs while riding the largest ocean waves in recorded history. For survival, they surf together and only with other wave riders they absolutely trust. Their preference is the tow-in surfing method, which affords them the ability to catch the largest of ocean waves; their preferred location is the reef at Pe'ahi on the northcentral coast of the Island of Maui ; and their preferred riding style is "radical, late take-offs, forceful sweeping drops and turns across the face of 60+ footer waves, exiting over the shoulder of the wave at the end of the ride ". Their extreme wave rides, chronicled in film and photographs, are daredevil conquests that do not seem possible. They have survived near-death experiences in major "wipe-outs" under mountains of falling water.

Film appearances

Kalama appeared in the opening sequence of the James Bond film Die Another Day.
In October 2006, Kalama, along with friend and celebrity waterman, Laird Hamilton, biked and paddled the entire Hawaiian Island chain—more than 450 miles—in a week. The feat was featured on Don King's film A Beautiful Son in support of those afflicted with autism.
Kalama won an award for his role in Riding Giants.
Kalama has also appeared in All Aboard the Crazy Train, Path of Purpose, Endless Summer II, Step Into Liquid, Waterman, Hereafter, Kaho'olawe, and Radical Attitude.