squall
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| Fri Apr 04, 2008 6:52 am Surfing history |
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The First Lieutenant of the Discovery and the person to complete the narrative of James Cook’s journals was given to Lieutenant James King, the source of the first European record of Surfing.
But even then, Surfing was already an integral part of the Hawaiian culture. Locals rode waves lying down, sitting down, or standing on long boards made of hardwood. The way they rode waves using a wooden board originated from Western Polynesia. The fishermen discovered that they could ride waves to bring their catch to the shore. In the course of time, Surfing turned from an effective form of transportation into a pastime enjoyed by a lot of people.
There is no exact evidence as to how Surfing in upright position became a sport. In the 15th century, wave sliding or “he’enalu” was practiced by kings, queens, and locals of Sandwich Isles. Polynesians who first settled in Hawaii were most likely skilled in basic Surfing. They rode the waves of Hawaii for a few hundred years, and soon after, the well-known Hawaiian form of the sport came into being.
But in 1900, Surfing disappeared because the number of locals who surf decreased. It went back to its beginning, with only a few skilled people who practiced the sport. A myth that Hawaiians were the only people who can surf circulated. Despite this, in the early 1900s, some Honolulu locals re-discovered the joys of catching waves and the interest in Surfing eventually came back.
In the 1930s, Surfing was gradually reinvented. It was no longer simple wave riding. People came up with Surfing Boards in all sorts of sizes, shapes, weights, and materials, resulting to the Golden Age of Surfing in the 1950s. Surfing had gone from an elite and sacred island activity to a multi-million dollar industry.
Looking at Surfing today, it continues to evolve and grow as a sport. Adding to its evolution is the advancement in board design and improvement of wave riding techniques and maneuvers. People can now surf just about anywhere there are waves, making Surfing available to everybody from all over the world.
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surfing wipedout |
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