Rell Sunn (1950 - 1998)
Lifelong Mākaha resident Rell Sunn was an internationally known pioneer of women's professional surfing. Taught to surf as a child by legendary West Side surfer Buffalo Keaulana, she also was an accomplished diver and spear fisher. Sunn watched over her beloved Mākaha beach as Hawai‘i's first female lifeguard, one of many noteworthy firsts for this local heroine who was known affectionately as the "Queen of Mākaha."
In 1975, at a time when surfing was an overwhelmingly male-dominated sport, Sunn and two other woman surfers co-founded the Women's International Surfing Association, the first women's pro circuit. In 1979, she formed Women's Pro Surfing (WPS) along with several other female pro surfers. Sunn twice was ranked third among women professional surfers worldwide, and in 1982 she was no. 1 in longboard surfing.
Sunn was not only an accomplished athlete, but also a leader in the Wai‘anae coast community. Beginning in 1975, she established an annual surfing event in Mākaha for children, the Menehune surfing competition, to promote self-esteem and sportsmanship in children. After being diagnosed with breast cancer, she volunteered for the Wai‘anae Cancer Research center's outreach program to counsel other women suffering from cancer.
Sunn lived with breast cancer from age 32 until her death from the disease at age 47. Her inspiring life is the subject of a documentary film, "Heart of the Sea," which was the 2003 winner of the PBS Independent Lens Audience Award as well as the Audience Award for Best Documentary at the San Francisco International Film Festival the same year.
References Cited
Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). 2003. Heart of the Sea, The Film. PBS Independent Lens Web site. http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/heartofthesea
Sodetani, N. 2002. "Heart of the Sea: A new documentary pays tribute to waterwoman Rell Sunn." Hana Hou! The Magazine of Hawaiian Airlines 5(5). http://www.hanahou.com/heartofthesea.htm
