Tuesday, January 24, 2012


When you love the beach, the ocean and its big waves, you're probably in love with Surfing too. 

Surfing is one of the top favorite and intricate sports and hobby nowadays not only for  people in Hawaii but for all people around the globe. It can be a form of recreational activity, a hobby or a sport. Whatever is your purpose of engaging into surfing, for sure, you'll never get bored with it.

But although a lot of sport enthusiasts know several stuff about surfing, I bet most of them do not know its long history, so here's a blog that will show you the world of surfing from time immemorial up to the present!

This blog will generally talk about the origins of surfing, where it came from and how it became part of people's lives, especially the Hawaiians.

The History of Surfing: From Polynesia to Hawaii



The First European Visit to the islands of Hawaii

 The first ever European visit to the islands of Hawaii was in 1778, lead by Captain James Cook with his crew on their third expedition to the Pacific. Cook made a stop at the Big Island ofHawaii  which led him to be killed by Hawaiians after he made a careless attempt to kidnap their high chief. Captain James Cook is known today as the famous European Explorer who discovered the islands of Hawaii.


After his death, his leadership was replaced by First Lieutenant James King who was given the responsibility to complete the narrative portions of his journals. Lt. King devoted his life to the expedition which led him to witness the first people who engaged in surfing. In his journal, he described in full detail how these people (Hawaiians) consider surfing as an integral part of their tradition, religion and myths of the islands. And this became the first written account on surfing.
In two full pages of his journal, he described surf riding as practiced by the people at Kealakekua Bay on the Kona coast of the Big Island. He described it as the “Sport of Kings”, an ancient Hawaiian tradition that involves lying down or standing on long, hardwood surfboards and riding on big waves in the ocean with an amazing velocity. 

In 1779, Surfing wasn’t just a sport or a mere recreational activity to Hawaiians; it is more of an art  which is deeply rooted in their tradition. Hawaiians call it he’e nalu which means wave sliding. Mastery of the skills made common people in Hawaii famous with the way they handle themselves in the ocean. Several chiefs of the Big Island are highly regarded for their surfing abilities. During these times, the chiefs or ali’i have designated reefs and beach where they surfed. On the other hand, there were also reefs and beaches where commoners can surf.  Commoners generally rode the ocean waves on surfboards that reach 12 feet high, while the ali’I rode them on boards that were as long as 24 feet.
When Captain Cook reached Hawaii, surfing was already deeply rooted in the Hawaiian tradition and legends. There were places named after legendary surfing incidents, there were special chants made by the master surfers (“kahuna”) to baptize new surfboards, and to encourage men and women who challenged the big ocean waves. There were also legendary stories told about the lives risked, heroic ocean deeds by chiefs and commoners, love pairs made and broken because of surfing. 

Surfing: Brought by Polynesians to Hawaii

 Along with the earliest recorded account on surfing, several archaeological evidences were found suggesting that surfing was first practiced by Polynesians before it became a part of the Hawaiians’ culture, thus, they brought the art of surfing to the Islands of Hawaii. Although archaeologists do not have the exact timeline on Polynesian’s migration to Hawaii, it was believed to happen around the Fourth Century A.D.   According to archaeologists, Polynesians were forced to migrate into the Big Island due to a boost in population and the hope of finding a better place for survival. They made the risky journey from the coasts of Tahiti and Marquesas to Hawaii by riding on their paipo(surf)  boards. The velocity of big ocean waves and their deep love and knowledge of the ocean made their journey successful. When Polynesians arrived in Hawaii, they also brought their customs along with them, including the practice of surfing. It was believed that the art/skill of surfing upright was brought by Polynesians but perfected in Hawaii. Since then, surfing has become an integral part of the Hawaiians’ culture.
  

Just Surfing

Along with the discovery of surfing and the Islands of Hawaii by Captain James Cook, people from different parts of the world explored Hawaii and brought with them the influence of surfing into their homelands. Hawaiian travelers have also never failed to introduced surfing to several regions of the world. 

To interest you more, watch these videos and documentaries all about your favorite water sport, surfing and its history.
Nowadays, surfing is an amazing sport which can never be boring. A lot of people probably want to engage in this sport/hobby, especially those living near the coasts. Watch this video and learn how to ride in big ocean waves in just one day! 

Who says surfing is only for Men? A lot of women nowadays are into surfing. For young girls who want to learn surfing, watch this.