surfing

There has always been a great love in humans to conquer nature and the world around them. In surfing you not only feel like you get to own your own piece of the world, but you become one with the wave, the water, and the board. Surfing was first observed in Tahiti as early as 1767 by a British Royal Navy vessel aptly named Dolphin. Her crew and those that later observed the islanders sport were amazed by the way men could ride on planks of wood and master themselves ashore on wave power alone. It was later James King who wrote about the art of surfing on his voyage to Hawaii under the command of Captain James Cook of the HMS Endeavour. Lieutenant King returned years later to the islands and wrote and extensive account of his travel, this quote is from his log book of the HMS Discovery, 1778:

“But a diversion the most common is upon the water, where there is a very great sea, and surf breaking on the shore. The men sometimes 20 or 30 go without the swell of the surf, & lay themselves flat upon an oval piece of plank about their size and breadth, they keep their legs close on top of it, & their arms are us’d to guide the plank, they wait the time of the greatest swell that sets on shore, & altogether push forward with their arms to keep on it’s top, it sends them in with a most astonishing velocity, & the great art is to guide the plank so as always to keep it in a proper direction on the top of the swell…”

As modernity came to surfing the genre has only slightly changed in the form of the board, e.g. surfboards, longboards, paddle boards, and more. Most are made from polyurethane foam and resin, while even newer models are being made from carbon fiber and flex composites that make it easier to  maneuver the board in the water. Though as materials have changed and there are now surfing competitions, the spirit of getting the perfect wave has little changed. For water lovers and hardcore surfers alike there are many locations the globe over to visit and begin your love for the sport. Check out CNN's top 50 spots to surf, if you are planning your next seaside adventure.