 But the first surf icons who gained widespread recognition, George Freeth and Duke Kahanamoku, became famous for practicing their traditional sport and helped spread it from Waikiki to around the world.As the news of this new sport began to spread, locals in Waikiki began giving lessons and demonstrations for tourists.This was the basis of the Waikiki Beach Boys, a loose groups of mostly native Hawaiians who hung out at the beach, surfed daily, and taught wealthy haole tourists how to ride waves.