Monday through Friday, longboard surf legend China Uemura parks his van and sets up post at Ala Moana Beach Park.

There are no regular hours at his “;office,”; but it is practically a second home for the semiretired surfer, who shares the use of his stand-up paddle boards and knowledge for free.

“;I teach for free because anybody can learn,”; said Uemura. “;I don't ask for money, I don't hustle and I don't take appointments. All I ask after I give a lesson is a simple 'Thank you.'”;

Uemura will offer the basics and a few tips and watch the paddler on the water to make sure they enter and exit the right way. He also teaches them to give swimmers 100 percent the right of way.

Students have come from as far away as Paris, New York, Australia, Miami and Japan. He only teaches adults, and his oldest student, so far, was 79 years old.

If it gets too windy, then he packs up and goes home.

Uemura just has a few rules.

If you borrow the board from him, then you take a lesson from him. Also, he asks that people personally return the board to him.

“;Return it and say, 'Thank you.' That's all I ask,”; he said.

Surprisingly, this has not always been the case.

Some people have borrowed a board, left it on shore and gone home without telling him. Some have also forgotten to say thanks.

But Uemura says most people honor his rules.

Uemura still owns China Surfing Productions, spends time designing boards and organizes charity surf competitions, including the upcoming Wahine Surfing Classic in Waikiki in June for Shriner's Hospital. The annual Longboard Surfing Classic takes place in July for Kapiolani Medical Center's sex abuse treatment center.

Uemura, who has type 2 diabetes, wants to share stand-up paddling because of its health benefits, which he has personally experienced.

A few years ago, Uemura's doctor warned him that if he did not shape up, he would likely have to start insulin shots.

Once reluctant to even try it, Uemura started stand-up paddling after two friends urged him to give it a shot. He thanks friends at Tropical Blends and Surftech for giving him stand-up boards to get started.

After starting to paddle, Uemura shed 50 pounds, dropping from 267 pounds to 217 in just five months. His blood pressure went down, though he also modified his diet.

Uemura says after paddling, he used to head straight for his favorite plate lunch place, loading up on white rice and roast pork, his favorite. Now he eats plenty of fish and salad, tries to cook at home more and has cut back on alcohol, he said.

Uemura paddles every morning and is fluctuating between about 200 and 207 pounds.

Uemura begins lessons with the advice, “;If you look down, you fall down.”; Instead, he advises students to look ahead, or all around; anywhere but down.

He also teaches his students to give swimmers the right of way. If a swimmer is on the horizon, Uemura says he tells paddlers - who have the advantage of seeing the surface - to move out of that lane.

“;I always believe in keeping the peace and sharing the ocean,”; he said.