Surf culture
That initial culture directly influenced modern surfing, which began to flourish and evolve in the early 20th century, with its popularity peaking during the 1950s and 1960s (principally in Hawaii, Australia, and California).
Surfers' desire for the best possible waves to ride with their surfboards make them dependent on conditions that may change rapidly, given the unpredictable nature of weather events and their effect on the surface of the ocean.
[5] The prevailing narrative of surfing (heʻe nalu; literally, wave sliding)[6] history places its origins in the South Pacific, where the practice became ritualized over the course of centuries.
Traditional Hawaiian society was organized by a system of prohibitions called kapu (taboos)[9] that determined all aspects of the islander's lives—political, social, and religious.
[13][14] In the early 1900s, Alexander Hume Ford and Jack London actively tried to marginalize Native Hawaiians in their own cultural sphere and exploit surfing as a means to attract tourists.
Although George Freeth and other Hawaiians had taught Ford and London how to surf, they went on to found the segregated Outrigger Canoe Club (chartered in 1911),[15] and proclaimed it "an organization for the haole".
[13][16] The worldwide diffusion of surfing from Hawaiʻi also began in the early 20th century, when Freeth and Kahanamoku gave demonstrations in the United States, Australia, and New Zealand.
The study of waves was called ka nalu and the memory of notable surfing feats was preserved in chants and songs (meles) passed down since the 15th century.
As a consequence of this action, temples and the resident images of the gods were destroyed; although many idols were hidden away when the kapu was broken, they were later sought out and burned, often at the instigation of Congregationalist American missionaries.
He met Liholiho on the field of battle at Kuamo'o on the island of Hawaiʻi, where the king's forces, led by Kalanimoku, defeated the last upholders of the ancient religion.
[21] Since ancient times among the Native Hawaiians, the appointed kahuna (priest) laid an offering of fish, said prayers, and performed other religious rites by a tree before it was felled to make a surfboard.
Queen Kaʻahumanu, the most powerful wife of Kamehameha, favored a surf break known today as Castles, an outer reef at Waikiki on the south shore of Oʻahu that was forbidden (kapu) to everyone except royalty (aliʻi).
Standing 6 feet tall and weighing over three hundred pounds,[34] Ka'ahumanu had the physical strength and the skill to paddle an olo board and catch the large waves that break at Castles on a south swell and ride them.
[37] Professional female surfers have also noted that they face pay inequality when compared to their male counterparts—women do not win prize monies equal to those won by men in contests.
Jeff Williams, who is the co-president of the Los Angeles Black Surfer's Collective (a similar organization to CSP), summarized the need for these programs by stating that "anytime you try to talk about diversity in surfing, it all boils down to access",[44] meaning that the financial and cultural hurdles of getting in the water are what keep some individuals from minority communities from being able to participate in the sport.
This spectacular activity is extremely popular with television crews, but because such waves rarely occur in heavily populated regions, and usually only a very long way out to sea on outer reefs, few spectators see such events directly.
[50] Nowadays, however, surf forecasting is aided by advances in information technology, whereby mathematical modeling graphically depicts the size and direction of swells moving around the globe.
Surfers have veered from even this beaten path, and foregone the traditional goals of first world culture in the hunt for a continual 'stoke', harmony with life, their surfing, and the ocean.
They gained international fame and attention in 2007 with the release of Bra Boys: Blood Is Thicker than Water, a documentary about the bonds and struggles of the many gang members.
[64] The documentary, written and directed by the gang members themselves, showed the raw gritty side of a surf life previously glamorized by Hollywood.
This refers to a feeling of enthusiasm or exhilaration towards the waves breaking, or as John Engle wrote, "This is, of course, what surfers themselves have long labeled the stoke, in its most heightened form the plenitude when time stands still and intense physical presentness means out of body otherness.
[citation needed] A newer wave of surf music has started in the acoustic riffs of artists such as Jack Johnson and Donavon Frankenreiter, who are both former professional surfers.
Many surf-related brand names originated as cottage industry, supplying local surfers with boardshorts, wetsuits, surfboards or leashes, as well as other hardware.
From the 1980s, Kuta Lines used traditional ikat weaving and dyeing techniques, adapted to a heavier, fleecy fabric for cool climate surfing.
[79] Some other clothing brands include O'Neill, Rip Curl, Quiksilver, Town & Country, Ocean Pacific, Billabong, Oakley, DaKine, Reef, Roxy, Volcom, Element, Hurley, Von Zipper, Golden Breed and RVCA.
Companies began to create board shorts specifically for women's bodies, thus giving them an option besides the bikini to wear while surfing in competitions.
Riders, competing in pairs or small groups, are allocated a certain amount of time to ride waves and display their prowess and mastery of the craft.
It is common to hear debate rage between purists of the sport, who still maintain the ideal of "soul surfing", and surfers who engage in the competitive and, consequently, commercial side of the activity.
Later came windsurfing (also known as sailboarding), bodyboarding, wakeboarding, wakesurfing, skimboarding, snowboarding, riverboarding, kiteboarding, sandboarding, mountainboarding, carveboarding all now competitive sports.
The 1980s cult classics North Shore and Fast Times at Ridgemont High serve as mainstream introductions to teenage, light-hearted, superficial surf life.
