Montgomery Kaluhiokalani

Montgomery Ernest Thomas Kaluhiokalani, known as Buttons, was a surfer from Hawaii, born in Honolulu on March 30, 1958, who died on November 2, 2013, of complications from lung cancer at the age of 55. He was an innovator of modern surfing maneuvers, known for switch foot surfing and for performing the first backside 360 in a major surf film, and Surfer magazine called him one of the most influential surfers of all time. Active from the 1970s, he came second in the Boys' Division of the 1973 United States Surfing Championship, competed at the Pipeline Masters and Sunset World Cup at 21, won the 1979 Malibu Pro and the 1981 Peru International, and was third in the 1981 Pipeline Masters. After overcoming drug problems he started a surf school on Oahu's North Shore and gave lessons to disabled surfers.