Surfing

Surfing is a sport that involves using a board with a foam core to ride ocean waves. It first developed thousands of years ago in western Polynesia. Surfing then spread to Hawaii, where it became central to ancient Hawaiian culture. Finally, the sport spread to California and the rest of the world.

Surfing is a popular pastime in coastal areas all over the world. Many surfers compete in the World Surf League, striving to earn sponsorships and win major events. Professional surfers execute a number of skillful maneuvers, including rapid turns, jumps, and flips.

Origins and History

Surfing is one of the oldest continually practiced sports on Earth. Anthropologists believed that people in western Polynesia first began to ride waves on long pieces of wood more than three thousand years ago. The practice began when fishermen realized that riding long pieces of wood was a convenient means of transporting larger catches back to shore. Over time, this practice evolved from a simple means of transportation into a recreational activity.

At some point during surfing's evolution, before the first contact between Europeans and western Polynesians, early surfers transitioned from laying down on their boards to standing up. At this point, the activity began to resemble modern surfing. Riding waves while standing was used exclusively for recreation. The ancient Hawaiians called the sport he'enalu, which can be roughly translated to "wave sliding."

Surfing had a special place in ancient Hawaiian society. The first western Polynesians to migrate to Hawaii were probably already skilled in surfing. On Hawaii, the sport evolved into an activity very similar to its modern form. Skill at sport surfing was an important marker of social status to ancient Hawaiians.

Ancient Hawaiians primarily utilized four types of surfboards. The paipo was a short bodyboard ridden while lying down. Children primarily used it. The alaia was a mid-sized board that measured roughly 8 feet (2.4 meters). The kiko'o was a very long board, usually measuring between 12 and 18 feet (3.6 and 5.5 meters). The longest board, the olo, was reserved for royalty. Olo surfboards could measure up to 24 feet (7.3 meters) in length. Only an extremely skilled surfer could use this type of board.

The highest social class of Hawaiian surfers had their own private beach. Anyone else caught surfing there could be severely punished. They were also allowed to write their own religious prayers and rituals to use over new boards.

The introduction of European culture to the islands drastically changed Hawaiian culture. By the end of the eighteenth century, Hawaiian surfing was nearly extinct. A group of teenagers later known as the Waikiki beach boys revived the sport in the early 20th century. Soon afterwards, the sport spread to California and Australia, where it quickly grew in popularity. Surfing became easier to learn as surfboard technology advanced. Manufacturers created boards that were easier to ride, making the sport more appealing to Americans. By the late 1970s, surfing had grown so popular in Australia and coastal areas of the United States that a unique culture became associated with it. Over time, surf culture became so popular that it spread to noncoastal areas.

Rules and Regulations

Surfing involves using a specialized board, called a surfboard, to ride a wave. Surfers lay prone on their boards, paddling out into the ocean to wait for a suitable wave. When the right wave arrives, surfers orient themselves toward shore and rise to stand on their boards. While standing, surfers ride their boards back toward shore. Surfers aim to accomplish this without being thrown from their boards.

The surfboard is the only essential piece of surfing equipment. The ancient Hawaiians surfed on simple wooden planks. For increased stability and responsiveness, modern surfboards are carefully carved from dense foam and finished with a specially prepared fiberglass coat.

The top layer of a surfboard is called the deck. Surfers lay on the deck to paddle and stand on it when riding waves. The deck is routinely treated with wax to maintain its grip. In some cases, surfers attach additional traction pads to the deck. The deck usually widens in the middle, narrowing toward the front of the board. This portion of the board is called the nose. When surfing, the nose is always pointed forward. The opposite side of the deck, which tapers to a significantly wider point than the nose, is called the tail. The sides of the deck, the edge of the board, are called the rails. Finally, the strip of strengthening material that runs the length of the board is called the stringer.

Like their ancient Hawaiian predecessors, modern surfboards come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Shortboards are fast, maneuverable boards that measure between 5 and 7 feet (1.5 and 2.1 meters) in length. Fish boards are faster than shortboards and easy to balance, but they turn more slowly than shortboards. Longboards are much longer, slower, and more stable than other types of boards. They are also significantly easier ride than shortboards and fish boards. Several other hybrid types of boards also exist.

Recreational surfing has no rules. The general aim of the sport is to ride the wave without falling off the surfboard. Professional surfing features judges awarding points, similar to many Olympic routines. Surfers are scored on the variety of maneuvers, their speed and power, their degree of difficulty, and any innovations included in their moves.

Strategy and Tactics

Surfers use a number of tactics and techniques to complete their rides. Many surfers use rip tides to pull them away from shore. This tactic can be dangerous for an inexperienced surfer but requires much less effort than paddling past the waves. When surfers have to paddle past breaking waves, they employ a tactic called the duck dive. This maneuver allows the surfer to dive under the surface of the water, dodging the wave. To conduct a duck dive, the surfer grabs both rails of the surfboard, leans forward, and pushes the nose of the surfboard underneath the wave. The board and the surfer dive underwater. To level the surfboard underwater, the surfer presses down on the tail of the board with his or her legs. Soon afterwards, the surfboard's natural buoyancy will bring the surfer back to the surface.

After catching a wave, surfers use a variety of tricks and maneuvers. Beginners must first master the bottom turn. This maneuver allows the surfer to travel along the length of the wave, riding parallel to the shore. The bottom turn is the basis of many other tricks, and it is considered one of the most important surfing techniques. They may also learn how to carve, which refers to changing the direction of the surfboard during a ride.

Intermediate surfers may learn tricks like the 360, which involves forcing the surfboard to do a full rotation while riding the wave. They may also learn to noseride, which refers to balancing on the nose of the surfboard. Professional surfers can ride through the tube of a wave, jump their board into the air, or perform a number of vertical and horizontal flips.

Professional Leagues and Series

In the early 1970s, professional surfing was still in its infancy. While a number of professional surfing events existed around the world, each event was held independently. There was no world ranking system, and the organizers of each event were responsible for running and promoting it.

During the late 1970s, Hawaiian surfers Randy Rarick and Fred Hemmings created International Professional Surfers (IPS). IPS organized the world's first global professional surfer ranking system. Through collaboration with a number of large events, IPS created a professional surfing tour.

Under the leadership of professional surfer Ian Cairns, the IPS evolved into the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP). The ASP gave prominent events a share of ownership in its organization, giving event organizers greater control over professional surfing. It also pushed major surfing events away from populated areas and toward remote locations.

At the start of the 2015 season, the ASP rebranded itself as the World Surf League (WSL). As the WSL, the organization focused on creating centralized worldwide tours for professional surfers. These include the Qualifying Series, the World Champion Tours, the World Longboard Championships, and other tournaments. In 2016, the International Olympic Committee voted to include surfing as an event at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan.

Popularity

In the twenty-first century, the surfing industry was growing rapidly. According to the Economist, the number of active surfers in the world rose from roughly 26 million in 2001 to 35 million in 2011. Additionally, the surfing industry employs more than 90,000 individuals around the world. Because surfing requires waves, it is often popular in coastal areas. However, many surfers are willing to travel long distances to find the perfect location for their hobby. Surfing is most popular in coastal areas of the United States and in Hawaii, South Africa, Australia, and Costa Rica.

Bibliography

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