Surf History

The restricted bibliography on surf points its sprouting in the Polynesian Islands, through the native peoples, in virtue of its proper culture of subsistence.. Constantly they had that to shoot itself to the sea with its boats to fish, and when they came back, they slid on the waves to arrive faster at the firm land. In accordance with Gutemberg (1989) this ritual finished if becoming a habit it enters the civilizations of that region.

Later however, in the islands of the Hawaii, surf started to be practised by the old hawaians kings done with plates wooden, extracted of local trees (Pink, 1996). The natives had a religious ritual for the manufacture of its plates. A chosen time the tree, the ritual one was initiated. It was placed the foot of the trunk a red fish called kumu and the tree was cut. In the roots a hole became where, with a conjunct, he was embedded kumu. After that he was given to beginning to the modeling work or shape (form of the plate); the tools, chips of rocks and pieces of chorale were used until arriving at the desired form. With granulated chorale (pokaku ouna) and a type of well hard rock (oahi) was initiated the finishing work to eliminate all the marks of the previous phase and to try to smooth the surface the possible maximum. With the smooth surface, the roots of a called tree were applied hili, to give a black color. Other substances were used to waterproof the wood as form to wax it.

In the way of the hawaian native population surf was linked on to the cultural roots. When carrying through definitive religious manifestations, the natives left offerings next to the base to the coconut palms to grow one another coconut palm.

This ritual was part of a hawaian cultural manifestation aborígian, expressing gratefulness for foods supplied for the coconut palms and leves of the foot of coconut in the construction of the roofs of the dwellings and to propitiate surf.

It was a festive ritual, where the heads thanked Gods the abundances of the sea, the waves and the pleasures to play in its waters. Some indications point 1500 years behind as being the period where the Polynesians went down the waves with made plates of surf of madeirite boards (compensated of the English ships). As in the Hawaii, surf in Polynesia was associated with the religious, cultural roots and in some way, social.

The cultural roots of surf, through the ritualism, imposed to the natives one definitive hierarchy of practical. To the kings and its offsprings were allowed to surf in the foot position. The plates biggest were called of lala. They had seven feet of size and more were perfected, therefore they were part of all a confection ritual and alone they could be used by the royalty. The lesser plates or alaia, plates badly finished, rejected by the heads, were destined to the natives or subjects who were next to the real family.

The remain of the tribe had restrictions for practical its. Already at that time aborígenes pertaining to the real family carried through mortal competitions, fights and other combats because of surf.

Until the beginning of the century, the majority of the hawaianos practised surf as activity of leisure. This habit passed to be faced in other way when then the champion olímpic of swimming, the hawaiano Duke Kahanamoku, started to divulge the sport in other countries for where it passed, when it exerted its function.

In many countries surf started to be practised regularly, and for return of years 20 they had started to appear the first championships in California. Bob Simons created the first fiber plate in 1949. In 1950 middle, the plates had passed to be commercialized and in the decade of 60 surf became competitive and professionalizing. From there the evolution of the plants of plates, clothes and other equipment destined to surf had been constant. In 1975, surf was being recognized world-wide as a on sport directamente to the nature, thus earning a considerable number of practitioners in some places where the conditions of the sea were propitious. IPS was created then an entity in order to develop surf professional - (International Profissional Surfers), carrying through championships for the main points of practical of surf. Currently who organizes and carries through the world-wide circuit of surf is the ASP (Association of Surfing Professionals).

This sport that attracts thousand of adepts all year, already counts on some specialized jobs, as the conditions of surf, transmitted for the radios daily. The service, besides supplying the directions of the wind and the undulation (swell), the size of the waves and the temperature of the water, indicates which the beach most adequate to the practical one in that day. Exactly if the surfer will have lost the schedules of the bulletin of the waves, it has available, at any time of the day, the known phone service as "it dials-surf", that it supplies the same data already mentioned and the visibility the diving in the coast.

Shapers (manufacturers) of today also uses the computer to perfect its work and to give one better finishing in shape of the plates. Moreover, the new craze is to confer the date of the conditions of surf saw InterNet, where, through a map, the surfer is knowing the direction and the size of the waves in any place of the world.

 

Bodyboard History

Bodyboard is a relatively new sport with only 27 years, which "were invented" and developed, for certain part, for the great surfer Tone Moorey. This sport has a short while funny appearance therefore, one day when Tom Morey was surfing in Waimea Bay and suddenly caught r a wave, with a certainty "to power", repaired that its plate of surf had been broken in 2 parts. Tom Morey was seen confused to leave the water. Then, it decided to grasp ones of the broken parts of the plate and to row for land.

This man being very inventive in the previous years, contributing for the development technician of surf with some inventions. Then, he was for its house and to reflect in that he had happened to it in the beach in this day, and arrived the also different conclusion of that he could usufruct more of the waves in an amused way .

Then into this day Tom Morey using to advantage one of the parts of its plate of surf (that one met left), he transformed it in a BODYBOARD plate, set of an iron to gum and some periodicals.

Of this form, Tom Morey started to invent diverse radical maneuvers, which had started to get passionate the heart of some people. Thus the Bodyboard had a fast growth in Hawaii, and in very little time it spread for the remaining portion of the world. The Bodyboard was in begins a sport of women therefore, the plate in the which Tom Morey assigned it of Boogie Boarder, was better to the body of the women, but exactly thus it continued to be made by men, which invented innumerable maneuvers.

Close to years 80, it had a great development of the Bodyboard therefore started to have new materials and accessories for the plates. Also if it started to carry through championships in Hawaii and, in other great powers as in Brazil, Australia, U.S.A. Mike Stewart, 9 times champion world-wide, it was, it is, and he will always be the sanctioned man more of the world-wide Bodyboard, being sage of the great secrets of the sea.

Later, it appears a new generation, complete radical, full of new maneuvers and with an enormous will of surf great and dangerous waves. This generation comes over all of Australia, California (U.S.A.), Brazil, Africa of the South and in Portugal. Thus the Bodyboard had an enormous growth, being known world-wide.

The Bodyboard thus passed to be a serious and professional sport but above of everything, a sport to have fun and to usufruct the wonder of the nature that is the waves.