A unique competition created in 1929 by Duke Kahanamoku and revived in recent years will make its way to the North Shore this weekend as six teams vie in the Peter Cole Invitational Surfboard Polo Tourney at Waimea Bay.

The competition combines water polo and surfing, and the legendary surfer/swimmer and his brothers would compete on wooden boards against other notable water sports men such as California surfer Tom Blake and Olympic swimmer Buster Crabbe. They played in the Waikiki Natatorium, but old photographs show they also played in the ocean off the Royal Hawaiian hotel.

In the 1920s, '30s and '40s competition was lively and taken to California where it was called paddle polo, said Peter Cole, for whom the tournament is named. Cole said he played when he was a lifeguard into the early '60s, but in Hawai'i the sport died out until 2003 when the Duke's Ho'olaule'a revived the sport at Kuhio Beach.

Today that event is called the Duke's OceanFest Water Sports Celebration and honors Duke Kahanamoku on his birthday in August.

Cole said the California competition was strong and players, most of them lifeguards, used stock paddleboards that you'd see at all the lifeguard stands. They played at the Los Angeles swim stadium where the 1932 Olympics were held, he said.

"The boards were heavy and we could whip them around and hit people in the head," Cole said. "Nowadays they play on these soft foam boards so it's a lot safer."

Cole, a legendary big-wave surfer and avid protector of surf areas, said he's not sure why the event was named for him but it was OK.

"Maybe it's because I'm old," said Cole, 77. "When you get old they name things after you."

Aukai Ferguson, tournament coordinator, said the competition is a way to honor Cole, who still surfs, for all he's done for surfing — including heading the Surfrider Foundation that works to preserve surf sites worldwide. He was a top collegiate swimmer and water polo player prior to becoming a pioneering big-wave rider, Ferguson said.

The event Sunday will benefit the Surfrider Foundation O'ahu Chapter and is a warmup for the Duke's Oceanfest in August, he said.

The six teams include four from the North Shore and two from Honolulu, he said. There are three coed teams and three male teams, but they all play one another and players are very competitive, making it more like a crash derby, Ferguson said.

"It's fairly rough-and-tumble but all good-spirited," he said.

With matches less than five yards from shore, spectators will have a good view from the sand, Ferguson said.

The best players are surfers who also play water polo, said Ralph Goto, administrator of the city's Ocean Safety and Lifeguard Services. Goto has organized the Duke Kahanamoku celebration for years and is supporting the Waimea event by donating the 10-foot soft boards that players will use.

The nationally ranked University of Hawai'i Wahine water polo team has played in the past, and surfers and lifeguards put together teams as well, Goto said, adding that the games use water polo rules.

"(The Wahine) are good but when they get on the board, it's an equalizer," Goto said. "Then we have people who are good surfers but they ain't no good with the ball."