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Early cave paintings in the 12th century indicate the start of surfing among ancient Polynesians. While surly the existence of the sport could be traced back even further, cave paintings of wave riders mark the start of the sport in early times. Body surfing is marked as the earliest form of surfing amongst humans. -
https://www.bodhisurfyoga.com/history-of-surfing
https://hicsurf.com/collections/surf-leashes?srsltid=AfmBOoqRJC3z2ShC0i3jIh9zBpQ5v7sMsYZIsQXGVhpfDASo3OVevMgQ
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bethany_Hamilton
https://kplo.medium.com/the-secret-history-of-the-endless-summer-the-most-influential-surf-movie-ever-8efa8743014d
https://www.cbc.ca/sports/olympics/summer/surfing/sanoa-dempfle-olin-olympic-debut-paris-five-questions-1.7276312
https://www.surfertoday.com/surfing/what-is-the-millennium-wave -
Surfing was brought to Hawaii by the Polynesians and became a significant aspect of their culture. Everyone was able to surf; women, men, children, and even kings. The only regulation around the sport was specific spots where people could surf. When Hawaii was colonized by Christians, however surfing was not so popular for a very long time. -
Duke Kahanamoku, a famous swimmer is known to be one of the best surfers Hawaii has ever seen. After his win in 1912 in the Olympics swimming, his advanced techniques were attributed to skills he learned in surfing. he then traveled all around the world to introduce surfing in regions where possible. -
Technological advancements in surfing, made the impossible, possible. With the invention of the hollow surfboard, three fin systems, and fiberglass boards, surfing, saw the biggest and fastest growing advancements in all of history. This all came just in time for the immense popularization of the sport in both Australia and California. -
Jack O’Neil, the inventor of the wetsuit made surfing in colder climate possible. Living in California, Jack O’Neill made huge advancements in the accessibility for surfers year-round and in many climates. The O’Neill surf brand still exists to this day. -
In 1959 Hawaii became a part of the US making it the 50th state. Surfing was highly promoted to increase and encourage tourism to Oahu, Hawaii. This overall increased popularity in the sport significantly. -
The first ever surf movie endless summer was released in 1966. This movie caused a huge rise in popularity of surfing in the media which also led to more attraction in real life. The virality of the sport in the media led to significantly more participants as time went on. -
Another huge and very important, technological advancement in surfing was the invention of the leash. The leash keeps a writer attached to their board even when they wipe out. This invention also influenced accessibility largely. -
as time went on, the boards got shorter. This solidified surfing in its place as being a modern competitive sport. Having a shorter board made more advanced tricks possible as longer boards are more suited for strictly riding abilities. -
In 2000, Laird Hamilton rode the Millennium wave marking the first big wave surf and the start of a huge new aspect of the sport. In big wave surfing, tow boats are often used to allow for the surfers to get on waves faster than they could paddle due to the immense wave sizes. -
In 2003 American surfer, Bethany Hamilton was attacked by a 14 foot tiger shark at the age of 13. At such a young age, she was just getting her career started which led to her immense determination to get back into surfing which she was able to do even missing an arm. Later the book and the movie “Soul Surfer” was produced, which gained great popularity, but also awareness to potential risks in surfing. -
After a proposal in 2015 for surfing to be included in the 2020 Olympic Games, it was announced in 2016 that they would be included in these games in Tokyo. The international Olympic committee choosing to include surfing in the games was a huge accomplishment for the sport, pioneers, and modern participants.