Surf Riding – The wildest and fastest

SURF riding-the sport of riding a wave on a pointed board about 12 feet long is perhaps the wildest and fastest of water sports. Speeds of up to 40 miles an hour can be reached as the board follows the crests of 20-foot waves, with the rider using a technique somewhat similar to skiing to keep his balance and control the board.

In the past twenty years surfing has become an international water sport. As a tourist attraction, it was reborn in Hawaii during the 1920′s and became more popular after World War II. Historically, it was a sport unique to the Hawaiian Islands. Hundreds of years ago the sport was restricted to the noble families of the Islands. Using heavy boards of native woods that weighed about 150 pounds, the young men of the ruling families engaged in spirited surfing competition with high stakes involved.

According to island legends, canoes, livestock, and even tracts of land were wagered on a single ride through the surf. When the sport was revived in Hawaii, it spread rapidly to Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Peru and the Mediterranean. In the United States the first surfers appeared on the West Coast, where the California beaches provided the necessary rolling surf. Another factor that spurred the growth of surfing in California was the vacation “commuting” between that state and the Hawaiian Islands. In the last few years there has been some surfing in the East, although the possible surfing areas are limited. One of the favored areas in the East is Hatteras Island, North Carolina, where coastal reefs provide combers which have the desired characteristics.

For ideal surfing, the sportsman is dependent upon geography and the winds to provide the setting for his pastime. The California Coast provides larger waves, built up by the steady onshore trade winds that blow day after day and the south-flowing California current. Also, at many points on the California Coast and in some areas in Oregon, there are long, submerged reefs several hundred yards from shore that create the necessary combers for long rides into the beach. Reefs off points of land send in waves at an angle that peel off as they hit the shore, building up speed and power.

Tags: water sports

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