The eighth annual Duke's OceanFest — celebrating Hawaii's first Olympian — kicked off this morning with a blessing at the Duke Kahanamoku statue near the police substation in Waikiki.

The week long ocean sports festival in Waikiki includes several surf meets, stand-up paddling and watermen relay competitions and surfboard water polo. Highlighting the surfing events is the return of Rabbit Kekai's Toes on the Nose Pro Longboard Classic after 13 years in Costa Rica, which runs Wednesday through Friday, and the Gidget Women's Pro Open on Thursday and Friday.

Today would have been Kahanamoku's 119th birthday. The blessing is scheduled for 7 a.m.

For more information, call 545-4880. The Web site is dukefoundation.org