It seems quite impossible to keep a blog about the world of water sports, not to mention the master activity without which nothing would have happened, the sport of Hawaiian kings : the Holy Surf 🌟 !
In 1778, the explorer James Cook arrived in Hawaii 🌎 and discovered almost naked people slipping on the waves on wooden planks (called Papa-he-nalu). The poor bastard didn't survive long after his discovery as he was killed by natives very soon after.
The oldest historical trace of this religion this sport dates back to the 14th century. It was in 1905, in Hawaii, that the first surfboard known to date was found in Queen 👑 Kaneamuna's tomb.
But in the 19th century, American settlers aren't open and forbid surfing, yes because frankly, standing on a wave half-naked, it isn't a good thing 😉. It will be necessary to wait until the beginning of the 20th century for a certain Duke Kahanamoku, Hawaiian swimmer, brings out the surf of the shade and exposes it to the general public. The Duke is still an icon of surf culture today and I will write an article just for him soon.
In the Hawaiian tribes, surfing allowed leaders to prove their bravery. While the Polynesians, practiced it in the form of challenges that allowed them to climb the social ladder (yes, surfing isn't only in Hawaii...). Not sure that if we did the same today the political landscape would remain the same 😋.
It's under the impulse of Duke Kahanamoku and his many demonstrations throughout California and that the surf will take its letters of nobility. The famous writer Jack London is also for many, since he wrote many papers that will put the surf in the United States and Australia.
The problem is that in the early 20th century, surfing isn't within everyone's reach. Moving his wooden board over 50 kilos is not necessarily obvious 💪. It will be necessary to wait until the 1930s for new materials to be used and to make the practice much more accessible. The post-war will see the arrival of fins and composite materials making boards even lighter, more manageable, and therefore within reach of all. Surfing was becoming the popular sport we know now.
Today, surfing has become an international sport practiced in all the countries of the world that have a piece of beach. It will even be in 2020 in Tokyo at the Olympic Games. Athletes like Kelly Slater or Laird Hamilton to name a few, will have participated in the explosion and the notoriety of this sport. I will come back in future articles on the important personalities of the surf world, and I promise you that there's something to do.🎬 The cinema also participated in the construction of the myth with films (more or less successful) based around the surf culture as Point Break in 1991, In God's Hands in 1998 or Surf's Up, animated movie released in 2007(and more...).
If you have never tried surfing, know that it becomes terribly addictive when you start. Many people will even say that it changes a life. The sensations experienced while slipping on a wave are incredible and provide intense emotions. So this summer during your holidays do not hesitate to learn, there are schools everywhere on the planet, you may well take a liking that you are from 7 to 77 years 👪 !