Paddling the surfboards

Paddling

The growth of surf riding and the dearth of good surfing areas in the United States has led to the use of surfboards for a variety of water sports. In the Los Angeles, California, region, the game of “Paddle Polo” was developed in the 1930’s and became a popular pool activity and spectator sport with interclub competition among a number of teams. The game is played on a water-polo area of 60 by 90 feet, with rules similar to regular water polo, using a special double-end paddle board.

Paddling the surfboards around the edges of coves during the time that waves were not large enough for surfing, led to the use of the boards as surface speed craft for swimmers. In time-tests held a number of years ago in Southern California, some spectacular times were recorded. A mile was covered in 10 minutes 16.7 seconds; 880 yards in 5 minutes 32.3 seconds; a quarter of a mile in 2 minutes 46 seconds; and 100 yards in 30.7 seconds.

Some water sports enthusiasts have combined skin diving with the use of a surfboard, diving for abalone down 12 to 20 feet, stacking the abalone on the boards, and then taking them ashore for an abalone fry.

In Australia the surfboard is an important vehicle for rescue work in the water, being the standard equipment for lifeguards at many down-under beaches. In the United States, the American Red Cross has been urging its use in a similar manner. The American Red Cross Life Saving and Water Safety Manual states: “The surfboard as a piece of rescue apparatus has been for hundreds of years a unique development belonging almost wholly to the islanders of the South Pacific, notably in the Hawaiian islands. Since the advent of the new type hollow surfboard and with the use of balsa wood on the mainland of the United States, and because of its unrestricted usefulness in all waters, whether coastal or inland, it has become a rescue device of universal appeal and interest. As such it is taking its place as an extraordinarily effective piece of rescue equipment.”

With the winter season providing better surf riding in some areas, a number of surfers have adopted the “wet” suits of the skin divers and indulge their sport year round. However, the degree of activity required in surfing usually provides enough body heat to make the sport comfortable for most persons in water temperatures down to about 50 degrees Fahrenheit.

The search for a more comfortable way of life has led surfers to try sails on the board as easier than paddling by hand and foot. Surfboards have been fitted with a short-masted leg-of-mutton sail with a long rudder controlled by the feet or with a tiller or cross member. Keel or center-boards provide stability. The increasingly popular “Sailfish” and “Sunfish” sailing craft are basically surfboards rigged for sailing.

Tags: water sports

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