Discover the interesting history of surfing

Surfing is emotion, passion and adrenaline; this is what characterises surfing, where knowing how to use the power of the sea to your advantage and having the right technique is the key that will lead you to achieve impressive feats and feel the thrill of this sport.

But it is curious that one of the most popular sports on the planet is at the same time one of the oldest. The history of the South is full of events that on the one hand could have put an end to the sport, and on the other hand, a series of fortuitous events that gave it an impressive boost.The project has grown into what it is today.

The history of surfing

The history of surfing dates back to the 18th century, more specifically to the year 1778. In this year is the first time that others were observed practising something similar to what we know today as surfing. We highlight the latter, as it was the first record where others could be seen practising the sport in the modality that existed at that time. However, it is not known for certain when it actually began.

To better understand the above, we must go back to that year, when a British expedition led by the Captain James Cook and was bound for Tahiti to the United States, he happened to come across a series of islands that were unknown at the time, and which today we know as the islands Hawaii.

James Cook's expedition stopped at these islands in order to map them and make notes on their characteristics and the way of life of the people who lived there.

However, an unfortunate event occurred during the stay on the islands, as a heated argument arose with the natives over the theft of a boat. The argument did not stop there, and turned into a violent act in which Captain Cook lost his life when one of the natives' spears hit him.

For this reason, Lieutenant James King takes command of the expedition, and it is there that he writes the ship's log, evidently referring to the events that took place, and also noting the first known written reference to surfing.

The lieutenant explains in this note some of the common entertainments of the natives on the island. In the old text written by James, there is a fragment where he explains that one of the most common entertainments of the indigenous people of the islands is carried out in the water.

According to James King, the entertainment he refers to is carried out by the indigenous people when the sea is high and the waves break close to the shore. The island's inhabitants, especially men in their 20s and 30s, are the ones who are the most active on the island, enter the sea and lie down on an oval plank made of wood that is the same height and width, keeping their legs together at the top and using their arms to guide the board.

Once in the water, they wait for the bigger waves to arrive, at which point they all start paddling with their arms to stay on top of the wave, which propels them at breakneck speed. This sport practised by the islanders seeks to guide the board to stay in the right direction at the top of the wave as it changes direction.

James King goes on in his note to say that when the wave drives one of them close to the rocks just before they are caught by the breaker, they are congratulated by all. It is clear that the reason for this practice is purely for fun and entertainment, and has nothing to do with tests of skill, which gives the islanders great pleasure in this exercise.

It is striking that this is the first reference to the practice of surfing, which, as we have seen, was discovered as a result of a series of chance and unfortunate events.

Surfing almost disappeared at the beginning of the 19th century.

Decades passed and missionaries from Scotland and Germany arrived on the island in 1821, banning various traditions and practices such as surfing as immoral. By the early 19th century, the practice of surfing had almost entirely disappeared, with only a small group of Hawaiians continuing to practice the sport and making tables.

However, just when it seemed that the sport was going to disappear completely, in the following century, that is, the beginning of the 20th century, a small group of descendants of former Hawaiian kings decided to resume the practice of using wooden boards to ride waves, starting on Waikiki beach. One of the best of that group was named Duke Kahanamoku.

The father of modern surfing Duke Kahanamoku.

Duke Kahanamoku, today considered the father of modern surfing. Obviously, it is not because he invented surfing, but because he is considered the inventor of surfing as we know it today. Nicknamed the Great Kahuna, he reinvented a sport at a time when it had all but disappeared, making the sport famous and popular during his lifetime.

His sporting achievements were impressive, and although he stood out in his beginnings with swimming, breaking important records, it was he who popularised the sport of surfing, travelling to other parts of the world such as Australia, giving surfing exhibitions that until then had only been known in Hawaii.

One of his most important demonstrations, which represented a before and after in the history of surfing, was the one he gave at Sydney's Freshwater Beach, where he gave a real recital on 23 December 1914. The demonstration was so impressive that it is considered the most important day for surfing in Australia. It is also known that Duke promoted the expansion of the sport within Hawaii and beyond, having a strong presence in Australia and the United States.

Over the years, the development of the sport settled mainly in Hawaii, California, Australia and Peru where there were some surfers in these areas. However, in 1959, the movie Gidget was released, which made surfing a national craze in the United States.

It didn't take long for TV series, such as the B-Series or the Beach Boys to make surfing one of the most popular sports in California.

The history of surfing in Spain.

It was precisely from 1960 onwards, when surfing was popular in Hawaii, Australia and the United States, that the surfing trend began in Spain. Specifically, between 1963 and 1965, this sport began to be practised independently in different parts of the peninsula.

The practice of surfing in Spain started mainly in Asturias, Basque Country, Cádiz and CantabriaIt was in the Canary Islands, where it began to be practised, and a little later it became popular in the Canary Islands.

However, before 1963, there was already a person who dared to surf in our country. It was in 1957, when the American Peter Viertel, screenwriter of a film called "Fiesta", which was produced in Pamplona, decided to bring some of his boards to the country along with his film material. This was the first surfboard to be seen in Spain, and is officially the first person to practice the sport in the country.

Spanish surfers who promoted the sport.

Two young men from Gijón called Félix Cueto and Amador Rodríguez created a hand carved surfboard, as they had discovered surfing thanks to a cover of one of the most popular series such as Beach Boys. This cover showed a surfer riding a gigantic wave with incredible dexterity, an image they could not get out of their heads.

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The two friends tried to build their own board, but found that it was too heavy and they could only carry it between them. They experimented that summer without much success. But the following winter, Felix built another, much lighter board, based on the instructions in an American magazine known at the time as Popular Mechanics.

The efforts had their results, since the following summer, after many attempts and falling countless times, his partner Amador Rodríguez managed to surf the first wave while Félix jumped for joy from the beach. That moment was the beginning of surfing in Spain.

History of surfing / Cover photo: KANENORY (Pixabay)