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The History
of Surfing
by Les Drent
 From
the Journal of Captain King, Cook's Voyages, March 1779,
three months after the death of Captain Cook:
The surf, which breaks on the coast round the bay,
extends to the distance of about one hundred fifty yards
from the shore, within which space, the surges of the
sea, accumulating from the shallowness of the water,
are dashed against the beach with prodigious violence.
Whenever, from stormy weather, or any extraordinary
swell at sea, the impetuosity of the surf is increased
to its utmost heights, they choose that time for this
amusement: twenty or thirty of the natives, taking each
a long narrow board, rounded at the ends, set out together
from the shore. The first wave they meet, they plunge
under, and suffering it to roll over them, rise again
beyond it, and make the best of their way, by swimming,
out into the sea. The second wave is encountered in
the same manner with the first; the great difficulty
consisting in seizing the proper moment of diving under
it, which, if missed, the person is caught by the surf,
and driven back again with great violence; and all his
dexterity is then required to prevent himself from being
dashed against the rocks. As soon as they have gained,
by these repeated efforts, the smooth water beyond the
surf, they lay themselves at length on their board,
and prepare for their return. As the surf consists of
a number of waves, of which every third is remarked
to be always much larger than the others, and to flow
higher on the shore, the rest breaking in the intermediate
space, their first object is to place themselves on
the summit of the largest surge, by which they are driven
along with amazing rapidity toward the shore. If by
mistake they should place themselves on one of the smaller
waves, which breaks before they reach the land, or should
not be able to keep their plank in a proper direction
on the top of the swell, they are left exposed to the
fury of the next, and, to avoid it, are obliged again
to dive, and regain the place from which they set out.
Those who succeed in their object of reaching the shore,
have still the greatest danger to encounter. The coast
being guarded by a chain of rocks, with, here and there,
a small opening between them, they are obliged to steer
their board through one of these, or, in case of failure,
to quit it, before they reach the rocks, and, plunging
under the wave, make the best of their way back again.
This is reckoned very disgraceful, and is also attended
with the loss of the board, which I have often seen,
with great terror, dashed to pieces, at the very moment
the islander quitted it. The boldness and address, with
which we saw them perform these difficult and dangerous
manoeuvres, was altogether astonishing, and is scarcely
to be credited.
Captain King's journal entry is the first description
of he'e nalu, the Hawaiian word for surfing, ever recorded
by Western man. Since there was no written language
at this time in Hawaii, King's journal entry serves
as man's earliest written account of this Hawaiian sport.
Not only is the passage humorous, it also portrays how
foreign something like surfing must have appeared at
first sight to King and his men, especially when most
European sailors of the day could not swim. Other travelers
from the West who followed Captain Cook's arrival to
Hawaii had a difficult time comprehending what the Hawaiians
were actually doing in the surf. Early print-block engravings
that began appearing back in Europe show an often skewed
perception of the sport.
Hawaiian petroglyph
of a surfer. |
The ancient Hawaiians, however, left us more accurate
evidence of their sport. Petroglyphs of surfers, carved
into the lava-rock landscape, and chants that tell the
stories of great surfing feats, carried a symbolic lore
throughout the generations. Some of these chants date
as far back as 1500 A.D., which leads us to believe
that surfing may have begun long before this time in
the Polynesian culture. What we do know about the origin
of surfing in Hawaii is that it was part of the Kapu
system of laws, which held Hawaiian royalty above the
commoners in the kingdom. Chiefs used surfing and other
Hawaiian sports as competition to maintain their strength,
agility and command over their people.
The Kapu system also determined how, why and with what
materials surfboards were to be made. The type of wood
used in making a board depended on the future rider's
status in society. Class distinction in old Hawaii was
as apparent in the ownership of surfboards as it was
in all other aspects of the culture. If shaping the
board for the alii or ruling class, a lengthy surfboard
between 14 and 16 feet long was superiorly crafted using
premium wood. Hawaiians often made this larger board,
called an olo, with the light and more buoyant wood
from the wiliwili tree. Because of their size, these
boards could weigh up to 175 pounds. The other board,
called an alai, was normally intended for the commoners
and was made smaller, 10 to 12 feet, with a heavier
and denser wood, koa. After the craftsmen selected the
wood to be used, they prayed and placed a ceremonial
fish, kumu, in a hole near the tree's roots. Only after
this ritual was completed could the tree be cut down.
They then hauled the tree away and chipped and shaped
it to size with a bone or stone adze. When they achieved
the general shape and size of the board, they took it
to the halau, or canoe house, near the beach for the
finishing touches. With pohaku puna (granulated coral)
or oahi (rough stone), craftsmen would remove the adze
marks on the board's surface. After the board had been
sufficiently planed, they applied a black finish to
its surface with the root of the ti plant, hili (pounded
bark) or the stain from banana buds. Sometimes they
acquired the dark stain by rubbing the soot from burned
kukui nuts into the wood. Once this black stain had
dried, the board's surface was treated with kukui oil,
giving it a glossy finish. When the surfboard was finished,
its creators dedicated it before its first voyage into
the sea. After each use, it was habitually treated with
coconut oil and wrapped in tapa cloth to preserve and
protect the wood. Through all this laboring detail,
the surfboard became a valuable and revered part of
Hawaiian culture.
Surfing rituals and the sport itself continued in the
Kapu system until missionaries from New England began
arriving in 1820. The missionaries believed surfing
and other Hawaiian sports to be hedonistic acts and
a waste of time. They adamantly preached against the
sports' existence in Hawaii. By 1890, surfing in Hawaii
was nearly extinct, with the sport practiced in only
a few places. The rapidly growing agricultural empire
coming into place, coupled with the immigration of foreigners,
also contributed to the decline of surfing, along with
many other sacred aspects of the Polynesian culture.
If not for the dedication of a few Hawaiian kings like
David Kalakau, an advocate of all Hawaiian sports, surfing
may not have survived to see the 20th century.
In 1905, a teenager named Duke Kahanamoku and his friends
began to gather under a hau (lowland) tree at Waikiki
beach. Duke and his friends, who spent their days surfing,
later created their own surfing club, Hui Nalu, or "The
Club of the Waves." By this time, the missionaries'
influence over the island had begun to decline, freeing
up an avenue for the reintroduction of surfing in Hawaii.
Duke and his friends later became known as the famous
"Beach Boys of Waikiki" and are credited with
the rebirth of surfing in Hawaii. Another individual
who played an important part in the revitalization of
surfing in Hawaii was also the first to bring the sport
to California. In 1907, California land developer Henry
Huntington asked Irish Hawaiian George Freeth to give
a surfing demonstration at the opening of the Redondo-Los
Angeles railroad at Redondo beach. Freeth was also the
first person to create a shorter surfboard by cutting
the large 16-foot design in half. His introduction of
surfing to the spectators on the beaches of California
ignited a revolution in both surfboard design and wave-riding
techniques. The California shores soon became grounds
for surfing expansion and innovation. Over the following
years, the freedom to experiment in size, weight and
shape, along with the introduction of fins and styrofoam,
became popular topics for surfers looking to equip themselves
for the larger and more challenging surf in places such
as the perilous North Shore of Oahu during the winter
months. The gentle waves found at Waikiki beach were
perfect for the promotion of surfing, but it was the
lure of giant waves that prompted the real dares for
surfers looking to put it all on the line.
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By 1955, the attraction of the North Shore's swells
had brought on a migration of surfers from California
in search of the ultimate ride down some of the world's
biggest waves. Perhaps the most famous of these big
wave breaks can be found at Oahu's Walmea Bay. When
the winter swells hit at Waimea it is not uncommon to
see waves climb to nearly 25 feet in height. Surfer
Greg Ambrose, in his book Surfer's Guide to Hawaii,
writes this about Waimea: "When surfing Waimea
it is essential to have the proper crazed attitude that
implies a certain reckless disregard for personal safety.
If you paddle out thinking you are going to get hurt,
you will. If you think you can't make the drop, you
won't. If you begin to wonder what in the world you're
doing out among those menacing waves, it's time to be
thankful you're still alive and head for the beach."
It was this kind of thrill seeking and addiction to
big wave riding that revolutionized the sport of surfing.
"Readers
may submit editorial comments to any of our stories
by sending an email to les@lbdcoffee.com.
We would be happy to attach your comments and feedback
to anything we publish online. Thank you for your interest."
Readers
Respond:
Thanks for the great site. In your piece you kind of
skipped over this point:
Hawaii.
By 1890, surfing in Hawaii was nearly extinct, with
the sport practiced in only a few places. The rapidly
growing agricultural empire coming into place, coupled
with the immigration of foreigners, also contributed
to the decline of surfing, along with many other sacred
aspects of the Polynesian culture. If not for the dedication
of a few Hawaiian kings like David Kalakau, an advocate
of all Hawaiian sports, surfing may not have survived
to see the 20th century.
In
1905, a teenager named Duke Kahanamoku and his friends
began to gather under a hau (lowland) tree at Waikiki
beach. Duke and his friends, who spent their days surfing,
later created their own surfing club, Hui Nalu, or "The
Club of the Waves."
Thanks
a lot for your time, David K.
Story
appeared originally in Coffee Times print magazine and
appears online for archival purposes only. Any use or
reprinting of these stories without the expressed written
consent of the author is prohibited.
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