Pua Kealoha

Early life and swimming

Pua Kealoha was born on November 14, 1902, in coastal Waialua, Hawaii. A close friend believed he grew up in the Kalihi neighborhood of Honolulu, about 25 miles southeast of Waialua, and learned to swim at the Palama Settlement pool, which may have offered free instruction. As a youth, he reportedly earned money diving for coins in Honolulu Harbor. He attended Kamehameha Schools and later St. Louis School in Honolulu, where he excelled in multiple sports; his tuition was funded by a Montana copper mine businessman.

Kealoha trained with the Hui Makani Club under coach Harvey Chilton, who later entered the Hawaii Sports Hall of Fame. Early training may have occurred in Honolulu Harbor, but larger pools like the Punahou School tank and the Waikīkī War Memorial Natatorium were also available. A 1930s photo with entertainer Eddie Cantor suggests Kealoha stood around 6 feet tall; his post-peak weight was about 175 pounds.

1920 Antwerp Olympic medals

At the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp, 17-year-old Kealoha represented the United States, one of eight Hawaiians on the team. He won a gold medal in the men's 4×200-meter freestyle relay with teammates Perry McGillivray, Norman Ross, and Duke Kahanamoku, setting a new Olympic and world record of 10:04.4. Individually, he earned a silver medal in the men's 100-meter freestyle with a time of 1:02.6, finishing second to Duke Kahanamoku. In 1923, swimming for Saint Louis College, he set the Yale Interscholastic Swimming Meet record in the 50-yard freestyle at 24 seconds flat, a mark that stood for 24 years.

At the 1924 Olympic trials in Chicago, he placed fifth in the 100-meter freestyle final and did not qualify for the team. Kealoha joined the Outrigger Canoe Club in 1962. According to a Kahanamoku family member, he was the only person to swim unassisted from Molokai to Oahu. He was inducted into the Hawaii Sports Hall of Fame in 1998 and the Hawaii Swimming Hall of Fame in 2002.

Later life and careers

After his swimming career, Kealoha worked as a musician, forming his own band, Pua Kealoha and his Hawaiian Trio, which performed Hawaiian music with hula dancing, ukulele, woodwinds, steel and acoustic guitars. His six-piece orchestra played at the opening of Honolulu's Royal Hawaiian Hotel in February 1927. He composed 'Bucking Horse Hula,' later recorded by Chick Daniels and the Royal Hawaiians. Around 1935, his band was hired by the Lake Arrowhead Resort in California, where they performed daily by 1938; the resort resembled a Swiss chalet and offered yacht races and sports.

Kealoha spent much time in Laguna Beach, known as a diver, surfer, and ukulele player. The resort's owner, Burton Ogilvie, also owned the Royal Hawaiian Hotel. Kealoha later worked as a musician on Matson Lines cruise ships, including the SS Monterey (renamed Matsonia) and SS Mariposa, traveling to Fiji, Samoa, New Zealand, and Australia. In later years, he gained weight to around 250 pounds.

From about 1968 to 1973, he performed on the SS President Roosevelt with drummer Robert E. Krebs, and may have sailed on other American President Lines ships. Around 1969, Kealoha made a will naming Krebs a beneficiary, who later inherited his Olympic gold medal and a ring.