It isn't known when stand-up surfing actually
became a sport. During the 15th century, both the royalty and the people of the Sandwich Isles were big into the sport of what was known as "he'enalu" (old Hawaiian for wave-sliding). Some historical records of wave surfing appear in the late 1700s. At that time Europeans and Polynesians made contact in Tahiti. Captain James Cook described how a Tahitian caught waves with his outrigger canoe just for the fun of it. He stated "On walking one day about Matavai Point, where our tents were erected, I saw a man paddling in a small canoe so quickly and looking about him with such eagerness of each side. He then sat motionless and was carried along at the same swift rate as the wave, till it landed him upon the beach. Then he started out, emptied his canoe, and went in search of another swell. I could not help concluding that this man felt the most supreme pleasure while he was driven on so fast and so smoothly by the sea." |
Timeless A
|
Timeless B
|
Dispelling the myth that only Hawaiians could
balance while standing and riding waves, in the early 1900's, a number of Honolulu residents, both natives and others, re-discovered the waves at Waikiki, and gradually the interest was renewed. Soon, these 'surfers' were no longer satisfied with simply riding waves. By the 1930s, their ambitons surpassed their crued surfing equipment. Ever since then the surfboard was the focus - "pushing technology and design to provide boards that could match surfers' skills." Tom Blake was considered one of the pioneers of reinventing surfboards. Weighing half of what traditional boards did, his hollow Hawaiian board proved controversial in competitions, but was soon recognized as a success. Much experimenting by board builders followed, with new ideas in sizes, shapes, weights, and materials all tested. Blake soon added another innovation - a small fin on the board's bottom, underside which significantly helped in turning and cutting through the wave. World War Two research also led to discoveries of certain chemicals and materials to hold boards together. Waterproof glues soon developed to replace bolts running from rail to rail. Fiberglass, resin, and styro-foam also soon developed to immensely improve boards and the whole surfing experience. |
Once Upon A Wave - Surf Movie 1959-1962
|
The Earliest History Of Surfing
|