Born Montgomery Ernest Thomas Kaluhiokalani in 1958, the Waikiki kid nicknamed Buttons for his tiny curls spun full 360s, slid tails and surfed switch-foot decades before it was normal. From a scrap of foam and a wooden paipo board at the Wall, to a Ben Aipa shortboard and the Sunkist Pro at Malibu in 1979, a long fight with addiction, and a second life teaching kids and adults with disabilities to surf, this is the Buttons Kaluhiokalani story. 0:00 Intro 0:26 Waikiki, Hawaii 1:39 The style 2:35 The peak 3:17 The climb back 4:12 Farewell 4:50 Close Footage: Many Classic Moments 1978 (Gary Capo, via Surfer), Vans Triple Crown tribute (2013), PBS Hawaii HIKI NO, Banzai B Media, Lost and Found Collection, Real Surf Stories (Buttons Kaluhiokalani: The Surfer Who Changed the Game), International Surf Properties (Larry Bertlemann Surfing in His Prime, Super Session 1975 16mm) Archive footage: Off the Wall TV, Surf Radio Buttons Kaluhiokalani interview audio and footage: The Lost and Found Collection https://surfclips.tv
