Surfing: A History.

Surfing originated from the Ancient civilizations of Hawaii and Polynesia. Their idea of surfing extended well beyond a recreational hobby or extreme sport. It was considered an art and was deeply embedded into their cultures. It was viewed and practiced similarly to a religious ritual, almost as if they were worshiping the mysterious, beautiful, and destructive nature of the ocean by surfing.

Upon the imperialist nations of the Western world invaded these cultures, the practice of surfing was banned and systematically repressed out of their cultures, but the practice survived. Ironically, the practice eventually found its way and infected American culture at the beginning of the 20th century. Surfing was introduced to America by  George Freeth in 1907 at the opening of the Los Angeles-Redondo-Huntington railroad. He was brought in to entertain the crowds and the practice quickly caught on like wild fire. Surfing has been an extremely popular subculture since its introduction to this current day. It was and will always be more than just a hobby, but a culture, philosophy, and legitimate way of life.

Other article on the subject: http://topics.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/05/30/surfing-a-history/

Introduction to surfboard fins.

Informative Video Re: Surf Board Ding Repair.

 

Surfing all over the world. A few of the greatest surf spots

Location : Gold Coast, Australia.

Its no secret that Australia has some of the best beaches and waves that any surfer could ask for. Gold Coast City is located in the southeast corner of Queensland and is renowned for its sunny subtropical climate.



Location: Mentawai Islands, Indonesia

The Mentawai islands are a chain of about 70 individual islands off the coast of Sumatra in Indonesia. There are four main islands (Siberut, Sipora, North Pagi, and South Pagi) that block most swells from reaching the mainland on Sumatra. These main islands are the most notable for the best waves in the country. Access is only by ferries or boat.

 

Location : Jeffreys Bay, South Africa

Jeffreys Bay is located in eastern cape province of South Africa, an hour drive outside port elizabeth. This is one of the most famous surfing destination during the months of June, July, August (winter months). Jeffreys Bay is also renowned for its blue flag beaches and for hosting the annual Billabong Pro WCT surfing event at Supertubes during July.






Location: Fuerteventura, Spain

Fuerteventura is the second largest of the canary islands and 90km for the coast of Africa. The island has the best surf amonst the chain of islands. It is a highly populated surf location due to the warm climate which is cooled by the atlantic and gives warmth in the early morning and late afternoons.Fuerteventura is one of the best places in Europe for heavy, uncrowded waves. The best time for a surf trip to Fuerteventura is from autumn to spring although waves can be had all year round.

 



Location : Costa Rica


Costa Rica has been known as the surfer's ultimate paradise. Located in central america, it is bordered by nicaragua, panama, pacific ocean and the carribean sea.. It is known as the place for "hardcore" surfers who want to challenge themselves as well as experience the best surf. Waves are consistent year round and also have many great surf spots. Both coastlines produces great waves with the major swell season starting from April and ending in October.

                     

Weather forecasts

When it comes to surfing, weather plays a huge role in how the waves will break. if it tends to be late in the day and the wind starts to pick up, that tends to ruin the surf. with all the wind blowing much of the surf is blown out meaning that the shape of the wave has lost its form and is now barely ride able. along with wind comes the tide. Usually in the early morning or late afternoon once the wind dies down is the best time to surf. Now along with winds also come the storms from the ocean, these storms that happen way out at sea are what cause the waves that we surf on. So in along run wind isn't really all that bad. there is also tide that plays a huge role in surfing as well. In the morning the tide is usually low but can be on the rise to a high tide. Now depending where you surf will determine how the waves are affected by the tide. Now the tide is based on the gravitational forces of the earth and the moon that keep the planet balance in which we live on. There is both a high tide and a low tide at every beach.
http://www.surfline.com/surf-forecasts
 or check out this site for the forecast, waves, tides, etc for Southern California to make sure the conditions are up to your liking.
http://surf.solspot.com/content/category/short-range-forecast

Different Boards?

Before they make their way down to the beach, surfers always want to know what board to take from their quiver. whether it be a longboad for those sloppy days or a shortboard for those fast hollow days. if your that surfer who is lucky enough to have a quiver of boards, its probably best if you check the wave conditions before leaving your house. A key aspect to choosing the right surfboard for the day would have to depend on how the waves are shaped. A longboard is considered 9' or bigger and is suited more for the gentle waves, where as a shortboard is suited more for a bigger and powerful wave. Boards also come with many different tails which increase performance for that specific board. the rear end of the board is called the tail; and tails come in many different shapes such as a thumb tail, swallow tail, bat wing, retro swallow and many more. Many of these can be seen at the link below, check it out.

http://www.surfing-waves.com/board/tail_shape.htm

Aspect to surfing

When it comes to surfing, most people think all you need is a board and some wave and you are good to go but in fact that is not the case. There are many aspects that play a part in surfing such as boards, wind, tide, waves, as well as beach and reef break. These are just a few aspects of surfing that play a huge role in every wave.
http://www.explainthatstuff.com/surfingscience.html