Surfing is an ancient and old practice. These days, it’s a sport people do for fun but, when it first started, it was a work-related necessity. In the area of Polynesia, native fishermen and sailors began to realise that catching waves on boards was a quicker way to get to shore from their fishing boats. As time passed, the fishermen began to enjoy catching the waves, or surfing, so much and became more interested in it as an actual sport.
It was around the 15th century when natives of the islands in the Pacific began taking part in surfing competitions and sporting events. It became a trendy pastime among the royalty of the islands and, as time went on, so did its popularity amongst the rest of the population.
In the 1700s, James Cook sailed the Pacific and made some observations on surfing. He mentioned seeing a native enjoying riding the surf, just for fun, during his visit to Tahiti. Europeans only started learning about surfing around that time and it still took centuries to become a world-wide pastime.
Eventually, the Polynesians settled in Hawaii, and brought surfing with them. The Hawaiians added a new element to the burgeoning world of surfing by making it a ritual. The Hawaiians also became the most skilled at creating and using surfboards by growing the best trees. When Hawaii was colonised, surfing almost died out though and it remained relatively dormant for many years.
It was only in the 20th century that interest in surfing returned. White Americans as well as natives began to take up surfing, eventually spawning the ‘beach boys’ subculture which is still commonplace today.
Surfing technology has, of course, improved and, by moving out from Hawaii to reach other parts of the world, the sport became much trendier. Movies and music have been inspired by surfing, books have been written for enthusiasts, and more people than even flock to shores around the world to catch some waves.