Name: Keith Sasaki
Age: 47
Location: Honolulu, Hawaii
Home Break: Sandy Beach
Years DK: 35
Natural/Goofy: Natural
Why DK: Because the style I use is one I created 35 years ago and I still learn things each time I go out.
Favourite DK riders: Jacky Buder, Mason Rose
Favourite DK Movie/Section: Rarely watch anything, but Fu Manchu still hasn’t been beat after all these years
Prefer Fronthand/Backhand: I am much stronger fronthand. Kirra, Superbank, Trestles, Kaisers, Sandy’s, Sebastian Inlet and Queens are some of my favorite waves. I do love a good backhand section, especially if there is a tube section.
Favourite DK move: A good bottom-turn ( the basis of any successful ride), into a frontside stall, snap under the barrel, exit and while keeping my entire rail dug deeply, carve a perfect arching top turn.
Future For DK (eg-moves,direction): I just want to stay in the tube. Innovation is for today’s rider. Being old school, I am happy with my basics I have developed the past 35 years.
DK Rippers At Your Local: Aka Lyman
Shout Outs/Thanks: Those on the knee.
A few words from Keith -
I grew up in a suburb just outside of Waikiki. I have always been involved with the ocean, as do just about everyone growing up in Hawaii.
Bodyboarding came into my life when I was around 12 years old. I saw a picture of Jack Lindholm on the packaging of a bodyboard and I knew DK was for me. I just couldn’t be like all the flat riders. Having fun was everything to me back then. Competition was the furthest thing on my mind.
While I looked up to Lindholm, two surfers have a bigger influential part of who I am today. Mark Richards of Merewether was doing these incredible turns and I loved trying to copy some of his patented moves. Shaun Tomson of South Africa was the tube riding specialist, the consummate professional and was stylish in and out of the water. I religiously followed these two guys. Trying to emulate their moves on a bodyboard required tweaking Lindholms style. Thus, the birth of modern drop knee with a more upright style.
Eventually, competition entered my life. I won the first 6 events I entered, some of them being professional events. I continued winning, all while riding drop knee. Years passed, I stuck to my guns, even sacrificing contest results to keep to what I was fighting for.
I moved to Europe in semi-retirement. Helped build the sport there. Formed a family. Purposely dropped out of the bodyboarding scene as it wasn’t going in a direction I could be proud of. Did not care about being in the hip magazines or videos. Still don’t care.. This isn’t to say I don’t care about bodyboarding, as I do. In life, there comes a time where one needs to cut the umbilical cord and let the child grow.
Today, life is good although I suffer with a bad back injury that cuts down on my water time.
I would like to wish Adam only the best in this venture that will continue to push drop knee riding in the direction Lindholm, myself, Buder, Vargas, Roach and other founders fought hard to establish.
Keith Sasaki
*All pics taken from FaceBook with riders permission
Love the fur coat Keith! haha
Yeah David. I’m bummed. When I left France, I left it in my wine cellar.. It got flooded one day and my coat ended up in the trash.. I used to love wearing it around France and piss off all the “don’t use fur, it’s animal” types.. Hahahah.
hey keith, whats up? long time no see.I still live in california,working, married you know the usual stuff.I read some of your comments you know i still think about the good old days at the wall.sometimes I’ll call Dean Marzol,Kainoa Mcgee to see how they’er doing.Sometimes I’ll run into a conversation with these young guys and they don’t know crap about who’s, who or who Jack The Rippa is. as a kid I always looked up to guys like MIKE, J.P., PAT, BEN, KAVAN. and you. You guys were idols to me. Im happy to say I was there to see it all unfold. and to see what it came to be today.
Wow Tommy.. Long time no hear.. I think the last time I saw you was at T-Street or somewhere in California, many years ago..
Thanks for the compliments. I’m glad Throw Tail has reached out far enough to attract you to comment. It is very easy for people to mention the likes of Roach, Ballard, Aka, etc., as those names were also associated with so many good photos and videos over years past. What some of us forget to do is dig much deeper and give props to guys like you. Guys like you who hung out with me, Dean, Kavan and the boys. Guys like you who actually pushed us hard and shaped our hunger to progress.
Today, I’m back in Hawaii. Just got out of a little session at Waikiki Wall. Some good riders out there, yet the intensity level not anywhere near three decades ago.
Tommy, if you make it back to Hawaii, hit me up. Until then, when you get out there, Throw Tail.
ks