CARLSBAD - Most people would have been thrilled to experience just one or two of the extraordinary adventures and accomplishments Frank Donahue racked up in 88 busy and colorful years.

Whether he was riding the waves off the coast of Southern California, working as a frogman for the U.S. Navy, running his own company or wrestling with sharks, Donahue seemed to take a no-holds-barred and full-speed-ahead approach to everything he did. The only times he seems to have sat still were when he was penning screenplays and television shows based his experiences.

"He was an adventurer, a man full of ideas - 'we could do this, we could that,'" nephew Tom Donahue said Thursday. "And he was a great storyteller; he loved to tell some of his adventures. But it wasn't like he was bragging."

Frank Donahue died April 17 at his home in Carlsbad-by-the-Sea Retirement Community. Long before that, he had made a name for himself as an early surfing legend, a noted waterman, underwater diver and photographer, screen and television writer, actor and more.

His love of the water started early. Born Aug. 8, 1918, in Santa Monica, Donahue spent the weekends and summers of his childhood and teen years at the city's pier, on a surfboard perched atop the waves, diving along the coast or aboard one of the commercial fishing boats that plied the water off Santa Monica. After graduating from the University of Hawaii, he attended law school for a year before joining the military during World War II.

One of the original frogmen, who preceded the Navy SEALS, Donahue helped train troop members to conduct secret amphibious operations. During that period, a Navy admiral made the mistake of expressing disdain for the frogmen's abilities and value within the young man's earshot.

"Frank just smiled and looked after him," Tom Donahue said, relating the tale as he'd heard it from frogmen who served with his uncle. "That night he and some friends got in the water and put some blasting caps around the admiral's launch. And when he started out the next morning, things got quite loud."

Frank Donahue nearly faced a disciplinary hearing over the incident, but ended up simply transferring to a submarine unit after he pointed out that the frogmen actually helped the admiral by exposing the vulnerability of his and other Navy boats. Donahue later wrote the screenplay for the movie "Frogman," based loosely on his experiences.

Stints in acting, stunt-doubling and other Hollywood professions also followed. Donahue created the TV show "Sea Hunt," though he had to sue its production company and United Artists before he received any credit or money for the accomplishment.

He also owned an airline and a marine construction company. Other Donahue adventures included working as an abalone and lobster diver, trapping sharks for movies, and a deep-sea diver for oil rigs, among other things.

Carlsbad Mayor Bud Lewis and Donahue shared a room briefly in 2004, when the mayor was recovering from back surgery in 2004.

"He was quite an interesting individual," Lewis said Thursday. "I was in there for two weeks, and I got to know him fairly well. … The guy was just incredible. He was a great sportsman and water sportsman."

- Contact staff writer Andrea Moss at (760) 739-6654 or amoss@nctimes.com.