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The History of Surfing

The History of Surfing: From the Ancient World to Today
In Ancient Hawaii, surfboarding was far more than a sport. It was truly an art that was integrated directly into Hawaiian culture. He'e Nalu was the term used for it at the time, and it may be best translated as something close to wave sliding.

Surfing was so important that a Kahuna might be called to lead a prayer to bring better waves to an otherwise calm ocean. The upper classes of Ancient Hawaiian society were known to often engage in He'e Nalu.

European Contact
Western eyes first saw surfboarding in 1767. By 1821, missionaries from Germany and Scotland were arriving in the Pacific and discouraged traditional Polynesian behaviour.

These were dark days in the history of surfing, since the sport almost disappeared by the time the 20th century rolled around. Compared to the skilled craftsmen of the past, there were only small pockets of Hawaiians who were able to continue making boards.

The Revival of Surfboarding: Duke Kahanamoku
History of Surfing

Before it spread out of the Pacific people in the vicinity of Waikiki started to bring back the sport.

However, it was Duke Kahanamoku that brought it into the international eye. The so-called Ambassador of Aloha was an Olympic medallist, and perhaps one of the most important individuals in the history of surfing.

Having demonstrated the sport of surfing in New South Wales, Kahanamoku helped surfing to spread to Australia by 1915.

Even after retiring from Olympic competition as a swimmer he continued to travel to swimming events internationally. By bringing surfing with him, he allowed the sport to gain a great deal of recognition across the globe.

Before his death, Duke Kahanamoku was there to award the winners of the surfing competition held in his honour for its first three years.

Aftermath
Surfing is a well-respected board sport on all corners of the earth. That doesn’t mean that it hass’t regained popularity once more in the South Seas islands that gave birth to it. In fact, the late King of Tonga, Taufa’ahau Tupo IV KBE, was known for his avid love of surfing.

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