Where is surfing practiced

However, for now, there is no confirmation that Ignacio Arana surfed there. Arana left Honolulu in , and four years later, as it shows the Spanish newspaper La Libertad 9. The Arana case was an exception, a surfing oasis in the European history, since there is no evidence anyone used any of his surfboards and it is certain that no one initiated the surfing way of life in Spain despite his surfboards until half a century later.

In the s, in England, it was quite usual to see people in the summer using small planks in order to play prone with the white water bellyboarding at the beach, but this was not surfing. The first image of actual surfing stand-up in Britain is connected with a private film by Lewis Rosenberg from Rosenberg shaped a surfboard on his own from balsa wood, inspired by a documentary about Australia, where surfing images appeared.

He travelled from London to Newquay to practice. There is additional evidence of surfing in with a photo of Pip Staffieri standing-up on a surfboard Mansfield, , Staffieri also shaped a surfboard inspired from the edition of the Encyclopaedia Britannica about Hawaii. These two activities were sporadic and without continuity. The first surfing clubs were established in two different places in the U. On the continent, the starting point admitted by almost everyone is the summer of in Biarritz, France , when Peter Viertel scriptwriter introduced illegally from Spain one surfboard brought from California to Pamplona by Dick Zanuck to the filming of the movie Sun also Rises.

The first surfing club was founded three years later in , and that very year was also founded the first surfboard mark in Europe, the prestigious Barland-Rott Gardinier, In Portugal we have found an isolated attempt at surfing in the s by Nuno Fernandes in Figueira da Foz, where he built a surfboard based on a model from an American magazine. He used it, but he did not go on surfing. Pedro Martins de Lima is considered the pioneer of surfing in Portugal, having introduced surfing in , in Estoril, when he brought a surfboard from Biarritz.

He actually discovered surfing in the s, on the Azores Islands, in an American magazine found on a U. Naval base 6. He practised bellyboarding for more than a decade, with a small wooden plank and fins, until when he bought that surfboard in France and become surfer until today Molina-Torn, It is understood by foreign influence the same as is provided by mass-media movies, serials, music, magazines, and so on , and the same who provided the foreigners in person 7.

Surfing began at almost the same time in several pioneer centres along the long Spanish coast, and without a knowledge of one other during the first months, even years, of the genesis of surfing in Spain. He wrote them a letter in order to obtain a surfboard how to buy it, transport it and pay for it , but he did not receive any answer. He practised bellyboarding over a 20 years period and even made dozens of little planks for other people. He thinks that the issue came from the US naval base of Rota, located in the province of Cadiz since That image was crucial to shape the first two rustic surfboards in Cadiz circa 8.

The pioneers were a small group of adolescents who lived in front of the beach playa de Cortadura. This record was released in March in U. Cueto obtained it from his sister stewardess for a Spanish airline , who brought it for him from the U. He shaped two surfboards. After this starting point, other people began to surf in Asturias inspired by them. Even prior to this he recalls seeing some images of natives surfing in the background in an Errol Flynn movie Captain Blood.

His brothers started surfing with him in San Sebastian, and inspired other people to surf. Javier Arteche, his brother, became the first winner in a competition in Spain, in , in Zarautz Before surfing he practised bellyboarding and familiarised himself with the sea and waves.

He was also a good swimmer since he was a member of the team of the city of Santander. He saw a documentary in Kostka cinema Santander in approximately , where he saw surfing images of Waikiki and was impressed by them, thinking that he could do the same surfing in the Sardinero , the main beach of Santander.

Somewhat later, he found by chance an issue of the French nautical magazine Bauteaux , where he found an advertisement for Barland-Rott surfboards in France. The Canary Islands were visited from the beginning of the s by American and Australian surfers, and later on by French and British as well.

After interviewing three pioneers of Gran Canaria and other witnesses who practised surfing in the s but did not continue with surfing , and after gathering information from secondary sources, the starting point for surfing by the natives is uncertain There are testimonies that before certain locals practiced it under the direct influence of foreigners who gave the surfboards to the local surfers The starting point, however, for a group of local surfers who began to organise themselves and who surfed over the long term, was around All of them began under the influence of foreigners who came to the beach.

The locals were amused by the new sport and would wait on the shore until the foreigners finished surfing to ask to borrow the surfboards. At some point before the foreigners left the islands, they lent or sold the surfboards to the locals. In Tapia de Casariego Asturias the surf activity began in due to the Gulley brothers from Australia, who spent that summer there, with their caravan and had long stays there over several years.

There is currently a statue in the village in memory of these two brothers and in honour of surfing. In Spain is still less known that Peter Viertel in the beginning and mid s , spent his holidays in San Vicente de la Barquera Cantabria and surfed there.

In Malaga Mediterranean , Pepe Almoguera was the pioneer, starting in at the age of He lived in the fishing neighbourhood of Pedregalejo, right next to the sea, so was consequently familiar with various sea sports. Surfing, however, was still unknown to him, until he discovered it after watching an American film in cinema Albeniz, where he saw certain images of people surfing in California. The important thing is that after the film he wanted to immediately try surfing and asked about it in all the sport shops of Malaga.

No one, however, knew about a surfboard. He consequently had no other choice but to design a surfboard by himself, with the help of others in the Nereo shipyard, near his house where his father worked as carpenter. All of them founded in the first surfing club of the Spanish Mediterranean, the Malaga Surfing Club There were numerous encounters in the s and s.

Some of them were extremely relevant. The press of Cantabria wrote in October that eight foreign surfers six British, one Australian and one from South Africa were travelling around Europe and stopped in Santander.

The press included a photo of an encounter between local surfers and the foreigners Diario Alerta , 22 October , p. For Zalo Campa, a witness to that moment in the s he will become President of the Spanish Surfing Federation , it was very important for all local surfers because they talked about surfing abroad, and also improved their style by observing how the foreigners surfed The cinema was full of local surfers who watched their first surf movie ever, images from California and Australia, and not only enjoyed it a great deal, but also learned a new style and ways to ride the waves In , the SNS the first Spanish federative organization of surfing signed up John Manning, an English surfer, with the aim of improving the surfing style, how to judge in championships and how to improve the art of designing surfboards Guillermo Morillo bought a surfboard from a Mexican in Cadiz, in , who was in the harbour and needed money to pay the ticket for the boat to Morocco.

With this surfboard Morillo began to surf, although his improvement was extremely slow. Two years later, in , he made the acquaintance of an Australian who spent several days in Cadiz waiting for the ship to the Canary Islands. He put him up in his house for several days until the boat weighed anchor under the condition that he would teach him to improve his poor level of surfing Morillo, McQuilkin brought new surfboards from the U.

Similarly, several years before, the three sons of a French worker of the Harbour of Cadiz Harold, Michel and Brun used to go to Cadiz every summer and bring their surfboards from Biarritz. In Malaga, as we saw before, surfing began in when Pepe Almoguera designed two surfboards with the help of others.

He surfed alone for two years, in a primitive style without feedback from the rest of the world. The turning point for the development of surfing in Malaga came about, however, in the spring of , when a Californian suddenly appeared and spent several days in Pedregalejo Malaga.

Pepe was impressed when he saw him surfing and observed new ways of riding waves. He in fact finally understood how to surf properly. The Californian talked to Pepe in more detail explaining how surfing worked in the U. He gave Pepe an issue of Surfer Magazine, where he found some addresses in the U. He wrote to the U. This unexpected encounter between Pepe Almoguera and the Californian was crucial for the development of surfing in Malaga, since it reinforced the wishes and desire of this young pioneer to go further, to create a little surf industry he established the production of Acacias surfboards , which was essential to increase the number of surfers.

Two years later, in , Pepe Almoguera established with other young people cited before , the first active surfing club in the history of the Spanish Mediterranean: Malaga Surfing Club. Malaga, despite being in the Mediterranean Sea, with less waves than on the Atlantic Ocean, was on the way to Morocco, a popular international place for waves in the s. This was another variable which explains why Malaga and why Pedregalejo specifically was the first surfing core of the Spanish Mediterranean, because it provided the local surfers with the opportunity to receive regular feedback on surfing and maintain sufficient intense wave feelings in a place with a lack of regular waves such as the Mediterranean Sea.

Moreover, for them, the Atlantic Ocean was closer than in any other part of the Mediterranean coast, and in approximately two hours at that time , they could be surfing.

The camp site consequently became a kind of supermarket for the surfer pioneers at a time when there were no surf-shops in Malaga and mostly in all of Spain. Due to a breakdown he had to remain there longer. Many foreign surfers visited the Canary Islands the Atlantic Ocean starting in the s due to the suitableness of the weather and the quality of the waves. Sometimes they gave the surfboards to the locals, while others lent their surfboards until they came back the following summer.

Others sold their surfboards to the locals, or even some foreign surfboards were stolen by the locals. Other foreign surfers were professional shapers, such as for example Joel Roux, who sold a number of surfboards to the locals in s He met three surfers at the beach, who were surfing together: Carlos Dogny, a rich Peruvian and the founder of the first surfing club in Peru and France; Michel Barland and Villalonga son of exiled Spaniards from the Civil War.

He even tried to surf with one of those surfboards, but finally decided not to buy a surfboard, since he thought no one else would surf with him in Vizcaya. More famous discoverers like Mark Twain or Jack London - both considerable travel book authors - reported on the sport in the waves and aroused high interest in the population. The history of surfing carried on and more and more tourists had a try at the new sport.

Over time, the first surf clubs came up and the beach boys became lifeguards to secure the beaches. The most famous Surfer was Duke Kahanamoku who was born in In , he competed in the Olympic Games in Stockholm and won the meter freestyle contest , not least because of the crawl technique that he copied from surfing. After his success, he traveled around the world and introduced surfing in all regions where the conditions made it possible e.

Shortboards allow for greater maneuverability. Shortboarders practice a variety of different turns. Expert surfers can turn in mid-air. Big-wave surf ing is just what it sounds like: surfing very, very big waves.

Most surfers ride waves between 3 and 6 meters feet high. Big waves can be four times that high, more than 25 meters 82 feet tall. These waves usually only form in the open ocean, so big-wave surfers cannot be found on lakes or rivers. When big-wave surfers catch a wave, they drop the towline, the boat or watercraft pulls away, and the surfers brave the mountain of water on their own.

Big waves can be formed by underwater topography. The spectacular waves at Mavericks, near Half Moon Bay, California, are the result of an unusual formation on the Pacific Ocean seabed.

Bathymetric map s completed in revealed that the area leading up to Mavericks is an upward slope or ramp. The waves coming up the ramp have more time to form and can draw on the calmer waters from trough s on either side of the ramp.

The result is waves that regularly reach 9. Big wave surfers from all over the world travel to Northern California to surf Mavericks. Wakesurf ing is like water skiing on a surfboard. Wake s are the wave trails left by boats or other heavy objects traveling quickly through the water.

Surfers on very short boards trail behind boats and surf in the wakes they create. In the Gulf of Mexico near Galveston, Texas, huge ships called oil tanker s are a common sight. Tankers deliver petroleum to and from facilities at the port at Galveston. Wakesurfers take advantage of these tankers. The wakes are moderate in size—rarely more than 1. Bodysurf ing is the art and science of riding down a breaking wave without a board.

Bodysurfers often wear specialized swim fin s, or plastic flippers attached to their feet. They can use similar devices on their hands. Bodysurfers use their torso , or upper body, as the board. Approaching a wave, bodysurfers throw one arm straight above the water and use their other arm and legs to steer and stay buoyant in the water. Because the human body is not as large or buoyant as a surfboard, bodysurfers ride slower waves closer to shore.

This does not, however, make bodysurfing easier or less dangerous than other forms of surfing. Surfing Safety All forms of surfing require the athlete to be an excellent swimmer. Boards can be broken or lost, and surfers need to be able to swim back to shore. Waves and currents are extremely strong, and drowning is a risk of the sport.

Drown ing can occur by being pulled under the water and by being dragged out to sea. Although surfboards are buoyant, they cannot be relied upon as flotation devices. Every surfer in every type of surfing will eventually experience a wipeout. A wipeout is the act of falling off a surfboard while riding a wave. Wipeouts are more common where waves are larger, stronger or more unpredictable.

Waves can throw surfers to the seabed or back to the open ocean. Waves can also toss surfers onto underwater rocks or reefs. This is what makes point breaks and reef breaks dangerous. In big-wave surfing, wipeouts are even more dangerous. The tremendous force of the waves can force a surfer as much as 15 meters 51 feet underwater. Worse, the churning waves can block light and make it difficult for the surfer to tell which way is up. Big-wave surfers need to react quickly to wipeouts.

Even experienced big-wave surfers are at risk. Mark Foo, an American surfer from Hawaii, died at Mavericks in He wiped out in what was, for him, a moderate-size wave 6 meters, or 20 feet. After wiping out, his leash caught on the rocks below the surf, and Foo drowned. Foo was an outstanding athlete who helped popularize the sport of big-wave surfing, and his death was a shock to the community.

Sea life can also pose a danger to surfers. Kelp is large seaweed that can grow 9 meters 30 feet tall. Kelp forests grow from the ocean floor, and their tops rest on the ocean surface. Kelp poses many dangers to surfers. It can slow waves, tangle surfers, provide habitat for predator s such as shark s, and obscure the view of the ocean floor. Surfers who cannot accurately judge the depth and topography of the ocean floor are in danger.

This is why many surfers prefer to surf in fairly clear water. Animals in the surf can put surfers in danger. Bull sharks, tiger sharks, and great white sharks are probably the biggest risk. Surfers paddling on their boards can look like seal s or sea turtle s when viewed from below. Seals and turtles are both prey for sharks. Exploratory bites from sharks can injure or kill surfers.

One of the most famous shark victims in surfing is Bethany Hamilton, an American surfer from Hawaii. She was attacked by a tiger shark in and lost her left arm. She returned to surfing as soon as she could.

Surfing History Hamilton is a professional surfer, meaning she competes with other surfers for money and prizes. Professional surfing is a 20th century invention, although the sport is probably a thousand years old. Surfing was first described by European explorer s of the South Pacific. Polynesia ns of the 18th century surfed the same spots—Hawaii, Fiji, Tahiti—that modern surfers enjoy. Just like today, both men and women participated in surfing. Unlike today, they surfed without wearing any clothes.

The earliest surfboards were about the same length as modern surfboards, but much thinner. They were probably used by surfers who paddled or rode on their bellies. Early surfboards used for standing up were much heavier than modern surfboards. This took place at Virginia Beach, and this has been one of the main surfing centers in the country ever since. Surfing also caught on in a big way on the West Coast of the United States.

Innovations in board design and more public exposure led to an explosion of surfing culture in a few different places. Hawaii, Australia, and California emerged as surfing heaven for those who wanted to pursue the sport and the lifestyle that came with it.

Surfing culture really took off in the s when movies and surf music like the Beach Boys garnered international attention. Southern California beach culture and the surfing lifestyle caught the eye of many people. Competitions developed and a professional surfing community started to take hold.