Surfing

Encyclopedia : S : SU : SUR : Surfing

See World Wide Web for "surfing" the web; see also Windsurfing

Surfing outside Kaneohe Bay, Hawai'i.

Surfing is a surface water sport that involves the participant being carried by a breaking wave. There are different kinds of surfing, based on different methods used to ride the craft. The basic categories include stand-up surfing, kneeboarding, bodyboarding, surf-skiing and bodysurfing. Further sub-divisions reflect differences in surfboard design, such as long-boards versus short-boards. Tow-in surfing involves the use of motorised craft to tow the surfer onto the wave. It is associated with surfing huge waves that are extremely difficult, if not impossible to catch by paddling down the face.

Numerous species of animal appear to enjoy being carried by the force of a wave, including penguins and various marine mammals, such as dolphins and seals. The joy of riding a wave has been likened to sex, which perhaps explains the elation felt by enthusiasts when the "surf's up". Surfing is traditionally a male dominated sport, however more and more female surfers are taking to the water. Surfers of all persuasions share a passion for the shape of the wave, placing particular value in the tunnel formed by the wave when its top spills forward as a curtain of water. Riding inside this "tube" is a highly sought after experience, which is said to momentarily slow one's sense of time.

Surfing's unique relationship with nature afforded it a mythic quality, which set the stage for its commercial simulation.Pierce Julius Flynn, PJ. (1987) Waves of Semiosis: Surfing's iconic progression. The American Journal of Semiotics. Vol.5, Issue. 3/4. However, there remains a vital core to the culture, which is both local and global in scope. These "hard core" members of surf culture are united in their dedication to the sport's essential practice of riding waves. A disciplined surfer will check local surf conditions at dawn when the wind is calm, having already assessed the day's prospects based upon weather reports, swell predictions, and tide tables.

When surfing conditions are ideal, social commitments are often relegated to secondary priority. In this way, surfers defy the temporal order imposed by capitalist culture. Their subculture is founded on the aesthetic appeal of naturally occurring patterns and processes. The obvious contradiction between the surfing experience and its depiction to serve commercial interests highlights the contemporary western history of separation from the natural world, its utilitarian valuation and exploitation. Through direct involvement with nature, surfers appreciate the intrinsic value of the biosphere in a way that is gaining exposure through the recognition of ecosophies, such as deep ecology and ecophenomenology.

Surf conditions

Plunging wave or dumper forming a barrel

There are a number of factors that influence the shape and quality of breaking waves. These include the bathymetry of the surf break, the direction and size of the swell, the direction and strength of the wind and the ebb and flow of the tide.

Swell is generated when wind blows consistently over a large area of open water, called the wind's fetch. The size of a swell is determined by the strength of the wind, the length of its fetch and its duration. So, surf tends to be larger and more prevalent on coastlines exposed to large expanses of ocean traversed by intense low pressure systems.

Local wind conditions affect wave quality, since the rideable surface of a wave can become choppy in blustery conditions. Ideal surf conditions include a light to moderate strength "offshore" wind, since this blows into the front of the wave.

The factor which most determines wave shape is the topography of the seabed directly behind and immediately beneath the breaking wave. The contours of the reef or sand bank influence wave shape in two respects. Firstly, the steepness of the incline is proportional to the resulting upthrust. When a swell passes over an abrupt incline, the force of the upthrust causes the top of the wave to be thrown forward, forming a curtain of water which plunges to the wave trough below. Secondly, the alignment of the contours relative to the swell direction determines the duration of the breaking process. When a swell runs along a slope, it continues to peel for as long as that configuration lasts. When swell wraps into a bay or around an island, the breaking wave gradually diminishes in size, as the wave front becomes stretched by diffraction. However, it is more common to see waves cross into the shallower water and finally close out.

Based on the underwater topography of the surf break, the factor that most determines when to go surfing is the tide. Wave-shape and the whole pattern of the surf changes with the tide more or less hour to hour, while wind and swell remain constant for hours, even days.

You have to be sensitive to all these factors to get to know a surf break, and each break is different, since the underwater topography of one place is unlike any other. At beach breaks, even the sandbanks change shape from week to week. So, it takes commitment to get good waves (a skill dubbed "broceanography" by Californian surfers). That's why surfers have traditionally regarded surfing to be more of a lifestyle than a sport. Of course, you can sometimes be lucky and just turn up when the surf is pumping. But, it is more likely that you will be greeted with the dreaded: "You should have been here yesterday". Nowadays, however, surf forecasting is aided by advances in information technology, whereby mathematical modelling graphically depicts the size and direction of swells moving around the globe.

The regularity of swell varies across the globe and throughout the year. During winter, heavy swells are generated in the mid-latitudes, when the north and south polar fronts shift toward the Equator. The predominantly westerly winds generate swells that advance eastward. So, waves tend to be largest on west coasts during the winter months. However, an endless train of mid-latitude cyclones causes the isobars to become undulated, redirecting swells at regular intervals toward the tropics.

East coasts also receive heavy winter swells, when low pressure cells form in the sub-tropics, where their movement is inhibited by slow moving highs. These lows produce a shorter fetch than polar fronts, however they can still generate heavy swells, since their slower movement increases the duration of a particular wind direction. After all, the variables of fetch and duration both influence how long the wind acts over a wave as it travels, since a wave reaching the end of a fetch is effectively the same as the wind dying off.

During summer, heavy swells are generated when cyclones form in the tropics. Tropical cyclones form over warm seas, so their occurance is influenced by El Niño & La Niña cycles. Their movements are unpredictable. They can even move westward, which is unique for a large scale weather system. In 1979, Tropical Cyclone Kerry wandered for 3 weeks across the Coral Sea and into Queensland, before dissipating.

The quest for perfect surf has given rise to a field of tourism based on the surfing adventure. Yacht charters and surf camps offer surfers access to the high quality surf found in remote, tropical locations, where tradewinds ensure offshore conditions. The value of good surf has even prompted the construction of artificial reefs and sand bars to attract surf tourism. Of course, there is always the risk that one's holiday coincides with a "flat spell". Wave pools solve that problem, by controlling all the elements that go into creating perfect surf.

To learn more about surf meteorology, see [StormSurf's Tutorials].

The availability of free model data from the NOAA has allowed the creation of several surf forecasting websites. These automatically combine the above variables into a presentation of how good the surf will be.

• [The Science of Surfing Waves and Surfing Breaks]

Wave intensity classification

The geometry of tube shape can be represented as a ratio between length and width, such that a perfectly cyllindrical vortex has a length to width ratio of 1:1, while the classic almond shaped tube is nearer 3:1. When 'width' exceeds 'length', the tube is typically described as "square".

Surf breaks can be grouped according to their intensity. There are two variables to consider in determining the intensity of a surf break: the shape of the tube and the angle of the peel line. Tube shape indicates the degree of upthrust, which is roughly proportional to the volume of water being thrown over with the lip. The angle of the peel line reflects the speed of the tube. A fast, "down the line" tube has a peel line with a smaller angle than a slower, "bowly" tube.

Classification parameters

• Tube shape defined by length to width ratio
• *Square: <1:1
• *Round: 1-2:1
• *Almond: >2:1
• Tube speed defined by angle of peel line
• *Fast: 30°
• *Medium: 45°
• *Slow: 60°

Surfing maneuvers

Surfing begins with the surfer eyeing a rideable wave on the horizon and then matching its speed (by paddling or by tow-in). A common problem for beginners is not even being able to catch the wave in the first place, and one sign of a good surfer is being able to catch a difficult wave that other surfers can not.

Once the wave has started to carry the surfer forward, the surfer will then jumps to his or her feet in what is termed a "pop-up" and proceeds to ride down the face of the wave, generally staying just ahead of the breaking part (white water) of the wave (in a place often referred to as "the pocket" or "the curl"). This is a difficult process in total, where often everything happens nearly simultaneously, making it hard for the uninitiated to follow the steps.

Surfers' skills are tested not only in their ability to control their board in challenging conditions and/or catch and ride challenging waves, but also by their ability to execute various maneuvers such as turning and carving. Some of the common turns have become recognizable tricks such as the "cutback" (turning back toward the breaking part of the wave), the "floater" (riding on the top of the breaking curl of the wave), and "off the lip" (banking off the top of the wave). A newer addition to surfing has been the progression of the "air" where a surfer is able to propel oneself off the wave and re-enter.

"Tube riding" is when a surfer maneuvers into a position where the wave curls over the top of him or her, forming a "tube" (or "barrel"), with the rider inside the hollow cylindrical portion of the wave. This difficult and sometimes dangerous procedure is arguably the most coveted and sought after goal in surfing.

"Hanging Ten" and "Hanging Five" are moves specific to longboarding. Hanging Ten, refers to having both feet on the front end of the board with all ten of the surfer's toes off the edge. Hanging Five is having just one foot and five toes off.

Common Terms:

• Take off
• Drop in
• Bottom turn
• Cutback
• Fade
• Pump
• Stall
• Floater
• Hang-five/hang-ten
• Re-entry
• Switch-foot (goofy)
• Tube riding

Surfing equipment

A surfer in a wetsuit carrying his board.

Surfing can be done on various pieces of equipment, including surfboards, bodyboards, wave skis, kneeboards and surf mat. Surfboards were originally made of solid wood and were generally quite large and heavy (often up to 12 feet long and 100 pounds). Lighter balsa wood surfboards (first made in the late 1940s and early 1950s) were a significant improvement, not only in portability, but also in increasing maneuverability on the wave.

Most modern surfboards are made of polyurethane foam (with one or more wooden strips or "stringers"), fiberglass cloth, and polyester resin. An emerging surf technology is an epoxy surfboard, which are stronger and lighter than traditional fiberglass.

Equipment used in surfing includes a leash (to keep a surfer's board from washing to shore after a "wipeout", and to prevent it from hitting other surfers), surf wax and/or traction pads (to keep a surfers feet from slipping off the deck of the board), and "fins" (also known as "skegs") which can either be permanently attached ("glassed-on") or interchangeable. In warmer climates swimsuits, surf trunks or boardshorts are worn, and occasionally rash guards; in cold water surfers can opt to wear wetsuits, boots, hoods, and gloves to protect them against lower water temperatures

There are many different surfboard sizes, shapes, and designs in use today. Modern longboards, generally 9 to 10 feet in length, are remeniscent of the earliest surfboards, but now benefit from all the modern innovations of surfboard shaping and fin design.

The modern shortboard began its life in the late 1960s evolving up to today's common "thruster" style shortboard, a three fin design, usually around 6 feet in length.

Midsize boards, often called funboards are of a size somewhere in between a shortboard and longboard, with various shapes.

There are also various niche styles, such as the "Egg", a longboard-style short board, the "Fish", a short and wide board with a split tail and four fins, and the "Gun", a long and pointed board specifically designed for big waves.

Famous surf breaks

History

People were surfing in Hawaii by AD 400, but nobody knows when this practice started. Capt. James Cook, a British sea captain and explorer, was the first European to witness surfing in Hawaii in the late 1770s. When the missionaries from Scotland and Germany arrived in 1821, Hawaiian traditions and cultural practices were forbidden or discouraged, which included leisure sports like surfing and holua sledding. By the twentieth century, surfing, along with other traditional practices, had all but disappeared from widespread practice. Some Hawaiians continued to practice the sport and art of crafting boards from local woods. At the start of the twentieth century, Hawaiians living close to Waikiki began a revival of surfing, possibly in protest to the illegal overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom, and they re-established surfing as a sport. In 1908, the sport of surfing reached California, and it then began to spread to other parts of the United States and other countries. Duke Kahanamoku, "Ambassador of Aloha," Olympic medalist, and avid waterman, rightfully introduced surfing to the world, although authors like Jack London wrote about the sport after having attempted surfing on his visit to the islands.

• Surfing Museums
• *[Huntington Beach, California]
• *[Santa Cruz]
• *[Marton, England]
• *[Torquay, Victoria]
• Other resources
• *[San Diego State University]
• *[Legendary Surfers]
• *[Surfing's Golden Years]
• *[Surf Research]

Notable surfers

• Kelly Slater (USA) 7962 (World Champion: 1992,94,95,96,97,98,2005)
• Andy Irons (Haw) 7860 (World Champion: 2002,03,04)
• Mick Fanning (AusS) 6650
• Damien Hobgood (USA) 6148
• Phillip MacDonald (Aus) 6060
• Trent Munro (Aus) 5748
• Taj Burrow (Aus) 5512
• Nathan Hedge (Aus) 5426
• CJ Hobgood (USA) 5248 (World Champion: 2001)
• Bill MacWright (USA) 5433

• Midget Farrelly (Aus) (1964)
• Felipe Pomar (1965)
• Nat Young (Aus) (1966)
• Fred Hemmings (Haw) (1968)
• Rolf Aurness (USA) (1970)
• James Blears (1972)

• Peter Townend (Aus) (1976)
• Shaun Tomson (SA) (1977)
• Wayne Bartholomew (Aus) (1978)
• Mark Richards (Aus) (1979,80,81,82)

• Tom Carroll (Aus) (1983,84)
• Tom Curren (USA) (1985,86,90)
• Damien Hardman (Aus) (1987,91)
• Barton Lynch (Aus) (1988)
• Martin Potter (SA) (1989)
• Derek Ho (Haw) (1993)
• Mark Occhilupo (Aus) (1999)
• Sunny Garcia (Haw) (2000)

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References