Author Description

In The Last of the Golden Years in Surfing, legendary surfer Conrad Louis Canha, father and founder of the Hot-Dog style of surfing, shares his experiences and adventures that would forever change the culture of surfing and revolutionized its style. The son of a Portuguese descendant from Madeira who was a machine mechanic on the plantation, Conrad became an ambitious and determined surfer. His style of surfing continues to inspire more than 20-million surfing enthusiasts with his zig-zag, cut backs and tube rides. Conrad tells these stories, written in English with Pidgin scattered throughout (Pidgin is the language of the plantations, still spoken in 21st century Hawaii). He describes his real-life experiences from living on the Puunene sugar plantation on Maui to learning the Hawaiian sport of Kings, surfing, and becoming one of the few people in the world to become an International Surfing Champion. From sailing for the first time from Hawaii to California, and competitive canoe paddles to a teamster driver, Conrad met many of Hollywood's finest - from Walt Disney to Tom Selleck. He worked on the movie set of the original Hawaii Five-0 with Jack Lord, James MacArthur and Kam Fong. During this time, he would also meet Robert Conrad and Connie Stevens of Hawaiian Eye while working on the set of the original Jurassic Park. His stories are mixed with different emotions but would not be complete without sharing the love Conrad had for the three dogs that played such a major part in his life's journey. As the author, Fran Palama (herself a surfing champion), introduces each story, she weaves the history of the era and the reality of the times into stories that can stand on their own even as they are deeply connected to the stories of Conrad's life.Duke Kahanamoku once wrote that the best surfer out there is the one having the most fun. Kimo Hollinger, big-wave rider and author of many surfing articles wrote that whenever and wherever Conrad goes, you have got to know