A Legend is Born

The Son of a Kauai Sugar Plantation Worker, Ben was toughened by his Uncles growing up as his dad left to be a merchant marine. Later, as a teenager, he moved to Oahu to help support his mother and siblings working in the pineapple fields, shining shoes in downtown Honolulu and diving for coins thrown off of tourist liner boats at Aloha Tower. Ben, a man carved by his own intention, to dominate whatever he did. From middle school to high school Ben Aipa was a fearless competitor in swimming, weightlifting, and football (later becoming a semi-pro football player).

Making a statement on the wave - not with his words.

Ben Aipa has made a most significant mark in the world of surfing: making the board that fellow Hawaiian Fred Hemmings used to win the World Championship in 1968 and founded his own brand Aipa Surfboards in 1970. Ben invented the doubled-edged swallowtail design in 1972 and followed this with the split-tail design in 1974. Moreover, Ben has served as an informal coach and trainer to such top surfers as Michael Ho, Larry Bertleman, Mark Liddell, Sunny Garcia, Brad Gerlach, and Kalani Robb. Ben Aipa continued to enter and compete in various surfing contests: He won the grandmasters division of the 1989 United States Surfing Championship and the legends division of the 2000 U.S. Championships. Inducted into the Surfing Hall of Fame in 1992, Ben was named one of the Top Ten Shapers of All-Time by Surfing magazine in 2004.

1962

1964

DUKE INVITATIONAL

Shaun Tomson on Ben Aipa - “In 1967 I read an article about 2 up and coming surfers called Hawaii's New Breed - one was Eddie Aikauand the other was Ben Aipa - it's been over 40 years since I saw the mag but I still remember that title and a pic of Ben doing a massive bottom turn. Massive is the operative word because back then surfing was more about delicacy but Ben's maneuvers were brute force - carving, power surfing before the approach existed. Sure, now we know about Ben the shaper and his relationship with Larry Bertlemann and Buttons. What isn’t known as much is his contribution to modern surfing - "I believe he laid the foundation for what was to become power surfing.”

SHAPING HIS LIFE

Ben started shaping the same year he started surfing. Surfboards Makaha was in need of some additional help so his friend Joe Kaula went over to Ben to see if he wanted to shape. Ben welcomed his offer. Joe showed Ben the fundamentals of shaping and Ben took to shaping like an eagle to flight.

“For Eddie Aikau and myself, competing was more of a challenge, having to prove ourselves as Hawaiians in the surf because all those competitions were run by outside people.”

1 year after learning to surf, Ben paddled out with Eddie Aikau during the 1965 Duke Invitational to make a statement that Hawaiians should be invited to surf in the contests held in Hawaii…In our own backyards.

1967