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Origin

It’s thought that surfing was accidentally discovered by Polynesian fisherman sometime before the late 1700's and possibly as far back as 3000 years ago. Around 1767, the first British mariners observed the functional use of boards to aid fishing, but also noted that the local people would go out to surf just for fun.
The arrival of European explorers to the south Pacific brought a decline in traditional ways of life. Surfing nearly became extinct. Had it not been for a few passionate and persistent locals, and later some curious tourists, then surfing may well have disappeared beneath the waves forever.
Today, it’s widely accepted that Hawaii was, and still is, the sport's epicentre. Around the turn of the twentieth century surfing had a revival. The art of board riding quickly migrated from the Hawaiian tropics to sunny California in the USA.
Later on, Duke Kahanamoku of Hawaii proved influential on a global scale. He was the first individual to introduce surfing to Australia, and by default boost the sports popularity in a monumental way.

Technological advances in the manufacture of surf boards and a greater understanding of the conditions required to enable good surf has led surfing's development. Nowadays it is estimated that the worldwide surfing population is between 17 and 23 million! The sport is one of few that incorporate a lifestyle, a culture, and an extreme adventure every time you go out on the water.

Get Started

Can’t resist the lure of the surf anymore huh? Well here are some handy hints to get you off the beach and into the surf.

Find a reputable surf school or a more experienced friend to get lessons from. A lesson will cost around £25. This includes the instructor, and equipment and usually lasts for half a day.

Hire your equipment until you know that you enjoy the sport. A wetsuit and a longboard is enough to get you started. This will cost around £20 - £30 per day.

Be realistic and choose a beach that is nothing like the one you saw in Point Break! Ideally, find a bay with waves between two and four feet, without rocks or coral and with not too many other surfers around. A warm day is also preferable to a howling winter’s storm.

Style

There are a number of surfing styles, here's a few of the more popular options.

Longboards are 8 – 14 feet long and have a single fin on the underside of the tail. Their large surface area on the water makes them easier to balance on for beginners. Longboards can be used in small or big surf.

Shortboard Surfing
Shortboards are 5 – 7 feet long and have between 2 and 5 fins under the tail. Shortboards move faster across the water, and have greater ability to do tricks and quick manoeuvres. They are difficult to enjoy in small surf. Developed in the late 1960s they are nowadays the most commonly used board type.

Tow In Surfing
Tow in surfing was developed in the mid 1990s. A motorised watercraft or helicopter is employed to tow the surfer in, to large, fast moving waves. Only experienced and confident surfers should attempt a tow in.

Lingo

Air – Going airborne above the waves
Aerial - Airborne manoeuvre
Bail - To abandon the board, jump off
Barrel – See 'Tube'
Beach breaks - Waves that form and break over sand and sand bars
Blown-out – Onshore winds that chop up the surf and render it un-rideable
Carving – A classic surf manoeuvre. Turning on a wave
Choppy - Very small waves on the waters surface
Clean – Wave faces are un-rippled
Cutback - A 180 degree turn
Ding – Board damage
Dropping in - Catching a wave that is already occupied
Duck dive - Pushing the board underwater, nose first, and diving under an oncoming wave instead of riding it
Goofy foot - Rider who surfs with their right foot as lead foot
Going off - Optimum conditions
Gouge - Sharp, fast turns
Gnarly – Awesome
Green room - Inside a full cover-up tube
Ground swells - Waves formed over vast distances, well formed and powerful
Gunned - Under-gunned or over-gunned refers to the size of your board in relation to wave conditions
Hang Five - Five toes on the board nose
Hang loose – Meaning 'well done'. This message can be sent by raising a hand with the thumb and pinky fingers up while the index, middle and ring fingers remain folded over the palm. Then twisting the wrist back and forth as if waving goodbye
Hang Ten - Ten toes on the nose
Leash – The line attaching the board to the rider via the ankle or calf
Line up - Just beyond the impact zone where you wait to catch waves
Mushy - Slow, sloppy waves of little power
Natural foot – Rider who surfs with their right foot at the back of the board
Pit – The place directly in front of the crest of the wave. Usually, if you get in the pit you lose speed and get pounded
Point breaks - Wave form in reaction to the land form
Pump - An up/down carving movement that generates speed along a wave
Rail - Side edge of a board
Reef breaks - Wave formed over an underwater reef or rock
Re-Entry – Riding to the wave lip, usually going airborne and vertical and then turning nose down and re-entering the wave
Stall - Slowing down by shifting weight to the tail of the board or putting a hand in the water
Shoulder - The unbroken part of the wave
Shred - Ability to execute rapid repeated turns
Shore break - Waves that break very close to the beach
Sick – Descriptive term meaning excellent!
Sideslip - When your board stops tracking forwards and moves sideways
Snake - Paddling around behind someone who is in position and stealing their wave
Stoked - Full of enthusiasm, on good form
Stuffed - Getting driven under water by a wave coming down on you
Surf – Descriptive term to describe wave conditions
Surf Wax - Natural and/or synthetic wax that is applied to the deck of the board to aid traction when wet
Swell – The energy and build of the waves
Switch foot - Having equal ability to surf regular foot or goofy foot
Tube - When the wave crest falls over the hollow barrel, it forms a pipe shaped wave
Tube-Ride - Where the surfer rides behind or inside the broken curl of the wave. Also known as "In the Barrel"
Wipe out - To fall off the board

Govern

The International Surfing Association
www.isasurf.org
The British Surfing Association – UK
www.britsurf.co.uk
Individual coastal countries have their own surfing associations

Packing

Surfboard/s
Surf wax
Ding repair kit
Spare fins and leash
Wetsuit, Rash vest, Board shorts, booties
Sunscreen
First Aid Kit
Towel
Warm and dry clothes

Safety

It’s all about having fun but like any other extreme sport there are a few key points that you should bear in mind before you get your feet wet.

Surfing is a risk sport. Safety should always be of paramount importance.

Consider your fitness level. If you can swim and are fairly coordinated, then you're the perfect candidate for a surf lesson.

Swimming against tides can be tiring. Surf with a buddy and keep an eye on each other.

Don't drink alcohol or eat a big meal before surfing.

Stay within the designated surfing areas when on patrolled beaches.

Follow the rules of priority whilst surfing. The surfer nearest to the breaking wave has priority to ride that wave. If someone is already on the wave, then you have to sit out till the next one.

Rips are strong, dangerous, under surface currents. Lifeguards are trained to spot the signs of a rip. If they mark off an area, then stay out.

Wear the right gear. Board shorts and rash vests in warm seas, wetsuits in colder waters, booties if it’s stony and sun block if it’s sunny.

Surfing Travel Guide

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