Danny Ching grew up in Los Angeles’ South Bay. He’s the only mainland American represented in this year’s The Ultimate Waterman competition in New Zealand. He’s also the only one of the eight men competing for the title whose background isn’t predominantly focused on surfing. The other seven competitors include guys like Mark Visser, one of the best big wave surfers on the planet, Kala Alexander, a perennial invitee of the Eddie, and Manoa Drollet, from the shortest of short lists for men who dominate at Teahupo’o, just to name a few. But even though Ching was raised in the center of Southern California’s surf culture, as he puts it, “I dabble in everything else…but I do outrigger.”
And that was how Danny Ching was introduced to the pieces of Hawaiian culture passed down from his grandmother, to his father, and onto him: with a paddle and a canoe.
“When I was a kid I got this really cool poem that my grandma wrote for me,” he says. “It basically says this child of the ocean will one day touch the world with a canoe race.”
So Danny’s raced in canoes his whole life. His father started a canoe club over 40 years ago. He says that’s how his parents met. And sure enough that’s also how Danny met his own wife. He “did the Olympic kayak stuff for a while” and represented the United States in the Pan American games at one point. His most recent race just so happened to be the first event in The Ultimate Waterman. Ching won the 16 kilometer (10 miles) outrigger race by an eight minute margin. It’s the second time he’s won the same race in convincing fashion, setting up a pretty good start toward becoming the world’s best all around waterman. And let’s not forget he’s doing all this against some of the best athletes on the planet.
“I dabble in the standup race scene and I started a company. I dabble in the prone stuff when the lifeguards have their competitions. I dabble in the surf skis,” he says. “And I do love surfing. I just love being in the water and being on the waves. For most people it’s the only way they see the Hawaiian culture, or the first way they see it. And so they gravitate that way.”
“Luckily for me, with the culture I grew up in there were all these different canoe clubs and teams that are all about working hard. You have these great, athletic people before you. And it’s always about working as hard as you can then passing it along for the next generation so they can start right where you finished. The biggest thing for me has been to grab on to the parts that I like and pass those on, which is inclusion.”
So Danny puts those lessons to use today, coaching and sharing his passion back home. He says there are anywhere from 20 to 30 people training with him and learning from him, getting to Redondo Beach’s King Harbor at first light.
“You give for the team, you give to help others. Pay it forward. That really for me represents the Hawaiian culture that my dad passed down.”
So Danny Ching doesn’t consider himself “a surfer.” And he just might be the best all around waterman in the world. Today he’s one step closer to holding that title officially.
Grandma was definitely on to something here.
Editor’s Note: Learn more about The Ultimate Waterman, the athletes competing for the title, and follow them on Facebook here.
