Beyond the University of Hawaii’s high-revenue athletic programs is a team hidden from the spotlight. Quietly and humbly, they build opportunities for an underserved local population through the island’s historical vantage and deep investment in its cultural values.
Yet, the university’s media relations primarily hands publicity to high-interest spectator sports.
It’s 8:30 a.m. on a summer morning at the University of Hawaii’s Duke Kahanamoku Aquatic Complex. The sky is overcast with heavy gusts of wind and sporadic two-minute bursts of pouring rain, a normal part of daily life on O’ahu.
As I sit in a puddle along the concrete edge of the pool, watching swimmers stroke steadily up and down their lanes, I cannot help but question why the swim and dive team’s popularity on an island smothered in water culture appears to be no match for other mainstream collegiate sports. Instead, the sport carries the same lack of collegiate representation as any mainland swim and dive team despite the island’s historical connection to land and water.
The swim and dive program set a home meet attendance record this past season with 350 spectators, an unusually strong turnout for a Division I collegiate swim meet, according to UH head coach and swim and dive alumnus Steve Allnutt. Even so, attendance remains far below that of higher-profile sports at the university, such as women’s basketball, which typically draws at least 1,500 to 2,000 fans per game.
“Swimming, outside of a couple of specific places in the world, has been an every four-year sport for the public interest during the Olympic cycle, so there hasn’t been a push to become more visible … It’s hard to get people interested in swimming,” Allnutt said. “Only in the last couple of years has there been a more concentrated effort to get people in the stands at competitions.”
I hear this and think back to an image of a defining figure in Hawaii’s history. A bronze statue of the famous waterman Duke Kahanamoku stands on the shore of Waikiki Beach, serving as a reminder of the Native Hawaiian who proved his talent by becoming the first of his people to win an Olympic medal in the 100-meter freestyle event at the 1912 Summer Games. He spent his lifetime sharing compassion and demonstrating humility and hard work by educating nations of people that mocked him, bringing global recognition to Hawaii.
Despite Kahanamoku’s tremendous influence, Hawaii’s modern culture still reflects the lasting effects of colonization, including the loss of land, language and tradition following Western and American expansion into the islands. Despite generations of political and cultural displacement, Native Hawaiians have preserved many of their ancestral practices and values. Its modern culture has evolved through the blending of Indigenous traditions with aspects of American society, creating a unique identity shaped by resilience and adaptation.
“Hawaiian people like mainstream things,” said UH Director of Marketing and Fan Experience Eric Mathews. “They want to be part of something popular. Swim and dive is popular in some aspects, but it is not mainstream. Right now, there is no star in swimming and diving … there isn’t a polarizing person piquing the public’s interest in the sport at their local universities.”
The reality is that O’ahu is filled with water sports, but they are more commonly found in local settings and are not known for being mainstream or spectator sports. Because swimming and diving attracts fewer spectators, the university invests less time and marketing in the program than sports that generate more revenue for its overall athletics program.
“When it comes to our business, it’s not a very smart decision to invest a lot of time and effort into a sport that is not bringing in any money,” Mathews said. “When you incorporate the current business of college athletics, you have to consider whether the sport will help the program make money.”
While the team lacks collegiate promotion, it naturally brings in supporters through contributions to the local community. Swimmers, coaches and alumni look after youth club teams, high school teams and adult aquatic programs by providing coaching, volunteers, university pool access and local competitions to develop athletes.
“I’ve realized how far I’ve come and how impactful I am in the community through my swimming because younger kids are looking up to me,” said UH swimmer Aoife Harkin. “When I was younger, I looked up to older kids and that’s what helped me. I wanted to be as fast as them and get to where they were.”
Caring for the community is just as important as embracing and honoring Hawaiian cultural values. The team’s cheers, performed in the Hawaiian language ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi, reflect deep respect for local traditions. During conference finals, cultural practices such as performing the Haʻa, a ceremonial chant, and wearing Ulua fish tattoos further celebrate Hawaiian heritage. Athletes lead with native values marked by humility, hard work and work-life balance, ensuring the sport isn’t their sole focus.
“We want to have a connection to the people and history here, so it’s important for us to be a positive member of the community as a whole and part of that is embracing Hawaiian culture,” Allnutt said.
Duke Kahanamoku was known as the “Ambassador of Aloha,” a title that reflects the Hawaiian value of treating others with unconditional love and respect regardless of who they are. It was not what he did that contributed to his influence, but who he was that gave him that influence. The UH swim and dive team is uniquely grounded in humility and goodwill, embodying the spirit of aloha in a way that positions the program for continued growth toward a greater future.
Leila Woods is a student in the Travel Journalism in Hawai’i program in the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication.
Totally enjoyed the article. Highlighted this beautiful sport in a fun to read story!