History Of Surfing

Surfing is a cultural phenomenon that is seen in every corner of the globe. While much of surfing history is associated with America, simply because America was the source of things like surf music and beach music and surf style, there exists a community of surfers in nearly every country on the globe. It can be tempted to trace the roots of surfing back to California in the 60s, which was the scene of shows of like Gidget and the birthplace of the Beach Boys, but that period was simply a rejuvenation of surfing as a pastime. In actuality, the roots of surfing go back much longer than that.

When Did Surfing Begin?

This question is the most complicated one in the history of surfing, because no one really knows the answer. Literary references to surfing date back to the 1700s, and it was around that same time that mentions of surfing begin to pop up in nonfiction and biographical accounts as well. A man by the name of Jackson Crane is credited as being the first person to reports seeing surfers – he saw them in Hawaii when he was part of the crew of Captain Cook.

It is in Hawaii that many suspect that surfing has its roots. Many people believe that surfing was actually a part of the tribal tradition in Hawaii; they believe that tribesmen competed in surfing matches to gain dominance, with the person who rode the biggest wave earning the title of chief of the tribe. When settlers came to the Hawaiian Islands from Germany and Scotland, the puritanical European settlers frowned on many of the tribal practices and managed to outlaw surfing almost entirely. This also had an impact of on the history of surfboards; Hawaiians stopped making surfboards at this point.

In the early parts of the 20th century, Hawaiians began to surf again in protest of European rule, and this time, the practice caught on and spread across Hawaiian borders and became a sport. Practice of the sport of surfing moved first from Hawaii to California, and then from California across the US. Europeans also brought surfing back to their countries. Now, you will find surfing in many corners of the globe.

To learn more about surf board facts and history, surfing websites are a good place to start. These sites often tell the story from the point of view of surfers and can give you a better appreciate for the sports.