Established in 1960, the Kinimaka family surf school has brought joy to thousands of students. Our school has been in operation for six decades, preserved across three generations of Native Hawaiian professional surfers.

Our Mission: To share our family’s passion for surfing AND THE OCEAN with you.

1960-1980

After serving as a Waikiki Beach boy under the mentorship of Duke Kahanamoku, our founder Percy Leleo Kinimaka moved home to Kauai to begin his surf concession at Kalapaki Beach. He is pictured here with some of his students as well as with his mentor, Duke.

1980-2015

Titus Nihi Kinimaka, the younger brother of Percy Leleo Kinimaka, would grow up as a beach boy under the close care and guidance of his older brother. Titus would go on to become a world renowned big wave surfer, competing in prestigious contests such as the Duke Kahanamoku Invitational, the Quiksilver Eddie Aikau Invitational, and the first Jaws (Peahi) Tow-In Competition. In 1995, Titus received the highly coveted Waterman of the Year Award.

In addition to his successful surfing career, Titus has had multiple movie appearances and is featured in an award winning documentary titled Nihi. An avid Hawaiian Slack-Key musician, Titus has also been nominated as a Na Hoku Hanohano finalist. Today, Titus and his wife Robin operate the Hawaiian School of Surfing.

2015 - Present

Maluhiahāliiokauaiepilialoha and Maineialoha Kinimaka, daughters of Titus and Robin Kinimaka, were raised in the ocean and quickly rose to prominence as professional surfers - earning multiple state and national titles before the age of 17. Today, Mainei has made a name for herself in film and television, with roles in Apple TV’s SEE (2019), The Last Manhunt (2020), Ka Pō (2022), and Apple TV’s Chief of War (2025). Maluhia, a Stanford graduate in Atmosphere and Energy Engineering, now competes full-time on the WSL professional circuit while pursuing a PhD in Marine Biology at the University of Mānoa. Maluhia was featured in Amazon Prime’s Surf Girls Hawai‘i (2023) and is a 3x Vans Pipe Masters invitee. Both look forward to perpetuating the family kūleana for heʻe nalu and continue to represent the next generation of Native Hawaiian excellence in and out of the water.