Surf

Surfing is a surface water sport in which one surfer (or two in tandem surfing) uses a board to ride the front section or face of a moving wave., which normally leads the surfer towards the shore. Waves suitable for surfing are found mainly on ocean shorelines. However, they can also be found in standing waves in the open sea, lakes and rivers in the form of bores or wave pools.

Surfing

Surf sports

Joel e Yriel on the earthens competing on behalf of Andrés mouth girl next to his team

Compiting on the Earthlings

Surfing

History of surfing

Synchronized surf in wooden boards

There is evidence of the presence of surfing for more than 500 years in the islands of Polynesia. The English explorer James Cook arrived in Hawaii in 1778, where he was introduced to Bodysurfing (similar to this sport but without a board) and Bodyboarding.

But it is in northern Peru where the first evidence of people practicing this sport is found. These are found in one of the huacos (pre-Inca ceramics) where a man is shown on something similar to a piece of wood sliding on the waves. This places the origins of this sport in South America, although they would be the Polynesians who, centuries later, would take their taste for surfing to places like Hawaii.

Some time after Cook's arrival, indigenous Hawaiian cultures were suppressed and surfing declined. It was in the middle of the 20th century that surfing picked up, as the arrival of tourists and the US military in Hawaii along with The fame of the Hawaiian Olympian Duke Kahanamoku, surfing began to become popular on the coasts of California and Australia, later spreading to other countries.

Huaco chimú representing a totora horse.

At that time, the boards were carved from solid wood, which made surfing easier given the simplicity of their manufacture. Little by little it evolved until it became a complete sport, creating acrobatics, movements, various designs and materials that allowed surfing to become popular, making it multidisciplinary and versatile.

From the 1960s, surfing became popular on many continents. In recent years, the destinations most requested by travelers who practice it are Australia and Southeast Asia. It is also very important in Latin America, especially Peru, Chile, Mexico or Brazil, where there are a large number of beaches suitable for this sport.

Currently competitive surfing is based on:

• The current of Australian style evolution (wide and energetic movements).
• The influences of the movements of the monopatinaje and the table on snow.

Variants

Within "board surfing", or surfing itself, there are 3 basic categories depending on the size and type of board:

• Intermediate table (ingl. Funboard): They measure between 2.10 and 2.75 m. They represent the starting point before using short or long boards, as they are perfect for acquiring the skills that every surfer wants. They are polyvalent and easy to use in any situation, merging the characteristics of the short tables (maniobrability) and long (stable and floatability) being useful for dating waves grade 3 and 4 without any difficulty.
• Short table (ingl. Shortboard): Large between 1.50 and 2.10 meters, allow maneuverability but lose floatability and stability compared to the medium and long tables, so it is not recommended for small or medium waves but yes for large grade 4 waves.
• Long table (ingl. Longboard): In length equal to or greater than 2.75 m. They represent the classic style of the 50s and 60s which gives rise to the current surf. Being of good size they serve to surf waves from very small to the most fearsome easily (grade 2, 3 and 4). This is why, together with the intermediaries, they are considered an all-terrain.

Categories are also defined regarding the type of waves:

• Surf to refer generically to the variety of widely known styles and patterns being commonly practiced in medium or small waves.
• Big waves surf when the surfer practices especially and/or repeatedly on waves over 2 meters high (the wave is measured by the tube size, not by what measures the wall of the wave).

Variant kitesurfing on the Atlantic coast, in Mar de Ajó.

Surfing techniques

As in all sports, it has basic, intermediate and advanced movements:

• The duck (ingl. Duck diving): It is done by sinking the tip of the board in the water by helping you with the back foot or knee to prevent the force of the waves from returning you to the shore when you are rowing to get to where the waves break.
• Stop (ingl.Take Off): it is the first manoeuvre that surfers do: it is the time when they stop rowing lying on the board and pass to the position upright, ready to slide on the wave. It takes off on the wave, more by its power than by the wind.
• Caerse (ingl. Wipe out): is when you lose control of the table and you cannot avoid gravity. It should be expected that if the bottom is rocky it can be very dangerous.
• Mount the wave (ingl. Bottom Turn): This manoeuvre consists of the first spin after stopping. Once we take momentum on the wave descent it is necessary to turn to escape from the part of the wave that is breaking. In the lower part of the wave the power of the current stops pushing us, and it is necessary to manoeuvre with the inertia of the descent so that we can go back up. If we didn't, we would head straight to the shore, we couldn't go through the wall of the wave and the foam would reach us quickly.
• 180o (ingl. Reentry): it consists of climbing up to the crest of the wave and making a rough twist of 180 degrees, releasing it.
• 360o: starts as a 180o, but continues to rotate in the same direction 360 degrees.
• Tube: consists of slipping through the inside of the tube that creates the wave when breaking. This is considered the reigning manoeuvre of Surf for its difficulty and spectacularity. It's the wave every surfer dreams of riding. A place where you can experience this kind of waves is in Teahupo'o, Tahiti.
• Saca-Espumas or Floater: consists of sailing on the foam of a breaker.
• Aircraft (ingl. Air): it is so called every manoeuvre that carries a takeoff of the water and is therefore made in the air. There are different aerials that are distinguished by the ways of holding the board with the hands in the air — ahead, behind, with both hands at once...—) or the movement that the surfer makes in the air (one of the most spectacular is the "Aereo-360" in which the surfer performs a 360 degree rotation in the air).
• Court (ingl. Off the lip): in this manoeuvre we face the wall of the wave that is about to break, we bounce against it and take part of the board out of the wave.
• Dude. (ingl. Backside): it is to slide the tail of the surfboard on the top of the wave.
• Hélice (ingl. Kick flip): It is a very difficult manoeuvre, which is to get the board of a lateral twist under your feet while you jump.
• Return (ingl. Cut Back): It is that having slipped through the wall of the wave moving away from the breaking, making a turn of almost 180o to get back to this.
• Esnap (ingl. Snap): it is a kind of Return (Cut-back) performed abruptly and with a much lower area in the spin.

LongBoard Maneuvers

• "5 fingers" (ingl. Hang Five): It is about walking on the board until one of the feet is in the front of the table (named Nose).
• "Jesus Christ" (ingl. Hang ten): Place the two feet at the tip of the board. It requires a lot of skill and speed of the wave because if not, the surfer would sink the board and fall into the water.
• Giro (ingl. Drop Knee): This is the classic Longboard spin. It's like a Return (cut back) But with the back leg flexed until the knee sprays the board.

Feet position

• Goofy: is that person who puts the right foot in front of the board.
• Regular: is that person who puts the left foot in front.

Waves

Elements of the wave

The difficulty of this sport lies both in the speed and in the size and shape of the waves. The appropriate waves to be navigated in the surf style are those that evolve and break, developing the wall and the foam progressively to the right or to the left. If the waves break on a rocky surface and are shallow, they will be more suitable for bodyboarding. To identify the appropriate conditions for surfing, the description of various elements or parts of the wave is used:

• Pared: is the part of the wave that, when rising, raises a water surface on the horizontal line, in various angles or even vertical. It is the part of the wave on which the surfer sails.
• Lib: is the part of wall and foam that falls immediately on the stage of the beginning of the wall and the section on which it ends.
• Brazo: is the volume of water that has a wall, that is the length of the surfable part.
• Hueco: parts of the wall and arm that acquires a concave presence, in which you can project great speed on the body of the surfer by passing with the board on them.
• Tube: space of the hole that is wrapped under the fall of a curly lip as a result of the advance and breakage of the wave.
• Cresta: top of the wave.

Types of waves

Several types of wave are named after their shape:

• Orillera: It breaks very close to the shore and is dangerous by collisions against the bottom.
• Hueca: is the adjective that receives waves whose shape rises creating a cylinder section, where the configuration of force vectors allows a more energetic navigation on the table.
• Tubera: the hollow wave that breaks down on itself in such a way that it defines a complete cylindrical space, within which you can continue to control the navigation on the board under the lip of water falling from the top of the wall of the wave.
• Fofa: in Spain, the waves that do not break hollows are called, or those that are almost all foam.
• Barra: it is that wave that breaks down long sections of the wave at the same time, closing the wall abruptly, which makes them waves not suitable for surfing.

They are classified according to their size (in the majority surf):

• Less than 1.50-2 m of wall height are considered small, "comfortable" waves, that is to say of common height.
• Up to 2 meters are considered medium or "normal" waves.
• From 2 meters of wall is considered big wave. Then the proportion adjectives define a different scale, whose higher heights have been exceeded in several dozen feet. For a few years we have spoken of giant waves surf (such as The Billabong XXL).

For the measurement of waves, the Douglas Scale is used internationally in navigation.

The size of the waves in surfing is measured depending on the culture where we are:

• Behind, in the classic Hawaiian style as it is done in the Canary Islands;
• For the front: from sea to the highest point of the crest, as is usually done in the rest of Spain;
• Comparing it with the parts of the human body (shoulder wave, waist wave, wave of man and a half). On the north coast of the Iberian peninsula, the word "meter" is usually used for a measure similar to a man erected and enclosed, i.e. the average height of a surfer in action on the wave.

The behavior of waves varies greatly depending on the bottom on which they break:

• On the sand. They are generally less violent waves, since the forms of sand banks are often uncontested, constantly moulded by the action of tides, currents and waves; consequently they offer less resistance to sea blows and waves. Sand banks are not completely stable and sand waves are changing every year.
• On rock reefs (stones). They are the most stable, when the conditions of the sea bring good waves, next to those of coral.
• On coral reefs. They are famous for being the best waves, as the constant action of the hard sponge animals and the corals that live under these breakers shapes an obstacle that fits in an almost magical way to the wave movement. They are often huecas and strong, highly appreciated for surfing.

The suitability of one or the other fund depends on each place:

• For the kind of tides, currents and sea blows it receives.
• Deep down: coral and rock reefs are the most dangerous.
• In the sand banks, by the type of coastal orography, the proximity of rocks that favor or not the formation of banks, the presence in bay, the currents, etc.
• By the proximity of the reef to the shore or the cliffs of the coast.

World Champions

Logo 2020

Stephanie Gilmore, 2018 champion

Tyler Wright, champion 2016 and 2017

Carissa Moore, Champion 2015.

Gabriel Medina, Champion 2014.

Joel Parkinson, Champion 2012

Year	Champions	Country	Campeonas	Country
ISF tour
1964	Midget Farrelly		Phyllis O'Donnell
1965	Felipe Pomar		(not celebrated)
1966	Nat Young		(not celebrated)
1968	Fred Hemmings		(not celebrated)
1970	Rolf Aurness		Sharon Webber
1972	James Blears		(not celebrated)
ISA tour
1976	Peter Townend		(not celebrated)
1977	Shaun Tomson		Margo Oberg
1978	Wayne Bartholomew		Lynn Boyer
1979	Mark Richards		Lynne Boyer
1980	Mark Richards		Margo Oberg
1981	Mark Richards		Margo Oberg
1982	Mark Richards		Debbie Beacham
ASP tour
1983	Tom Carroll		Kim Mearig
1984	Tom Carroll		Freida Zamba
1985	Tom Curren		Freida Zamba
1986	Tom Curren		Freida Zamba
1987	Damien Hardman		Wendy Botha
1988	Barton Lynch		Freida Zamba
1989	Martin Potter		Wendy Botha
1990	Tom Curren		Pam Burridge
1991	Damien Hardman		Wendy Botha
1992	Kelly Slater		Wendy Botha
1993	Derek Ho		Pauline Menczer
1994	Kelly Slater		Lisa Anderson
1995	Kelly Slater		Lisa Andersen
1996	Kelly Slater		Lisa Andersen
1997	Kelly Slater		Lisa Andersen
1998	Kelly Slater		Layne Beachley
1999	Mark Occhilupo		Layne Beachley
2000	Sunny García		Layne Beachley
2001	C. J. Hobgood		Layne Beachley
2002	Andy Irons		Layne Beachley
2003	Andy Irons		Layne Beachley
2004	Andy Irons		Sofia Mulánovich
2005	Kelly Slater		Chelsea Georgeson
2006	Kelly Slater		Layne Beachley
2007	Mick Fanning		Stephanie Gilmore
2008	Kelly Slater		Stephanie Gilmore
2009	Mick Fanning		Stephanie Gilmore
2010	Kelly Slater		Stephanie Gilmore
2011	Kelly Slater		Carissa Moore
2012	Joel Parkinson		Stephanie Gilmore
2013	Mick Fanning		Carissa Moore
2014	Gabriel Medina		Stephanie Gilmore
2015	John John Florence		Carissa Moore
2016	John John Florence		Tyler Wright
2017	John John Florence		Tyler Wright
2018	Gabriel Medina		Stephanie Gilmore
2019	Italo Ferreira		Carissa Moore

Surfing in Latin America

Surf culture in Mexico, photo of Gustavoarroyophotos.

Surfing is a very recurring sport in Latin America, and especially in countries like Peru, Puerto Rico, Brazil and Costa Rica, El Salvador, followed by Argentina, Uruguay, Venezuela, Chile and to a lesser extent: Ecuador, Mexico, Panama, etc. Peru hosted the Second Surfing Championship (ISF) in 1965, which emphasized the well-known Peruvian beach of Punta Rocas. The Peruvian Felipe Pomar was champion of this.

In Peru it is a widely practiced sport, thanks to its good waves along the entire national coastline. The main representative of Peruvian surfing is world champion Sofía Mulanovich. The Peruvian surfing team, on the other hand, has won multiple awards, including several world championships in different categories.

In Mexico there is a variety of spots spread over different areas where they offer incredible waves of all kinds, the most prominent are in Oaxaca, Ensenada, Punta Mita, Mazatlán Sayulita, Baja California, Michoacán and Pascuales Colima.

In Puerto Rico, surfing is practiced on the coasts of Rincón and Aguadilla, also on the island of Culebra. The formation of the waves (especially in the Rincón area) is quite similar to the waves in Hawaii.

In Venezuela, it is practiced mainly on the coasts of the Caribbean Sea, whose natural conditions are very favorable (great diversity of beaches, good waves and pleasant weather almost all year round), especially on the island of Margarita and the states Vargas, Aragua and Sucre.

In Argentina, surfing goes from being a private sport to being massively known, especially in the summer season, where the most popular Argentine beaches for surfing are Mar del Plata, Miramar, Necochea and El Cóndor Spa, Descent from Picoto and the Espigón. Balneario el Cóndor is only 30 km from the city of Viedma, capital of Río Negro. Bajada de Picoto is located about 2 km from El Cóndor spa. El Espigón is a beach located in the province of Río Negro, 45 km from the city of Viedma. Activities such as fishing along with surfing and bodyboarding are carried out on this beach. The size of the waves is not constant but they can exceed three meters on days of great swell. Surfing began on these coasts more than 15 years ago, but there are never more than twenty boards in the sea, because these sports are beginning to become more popular among the inhabitants of the Viedma-Patagones region, and very rarely Surfers from other places come to enjoy the waves.

Mar del Plata, Miramar and Necochea are the areas that receive the most waves from the south swells. The starting point of this area with good waves is Cabo Corriente in Mar del Plata, a geographical location, and one of the most exposed points on the coast, at that point the breakers point to the east, from there to the south the beaches rotate even in Necochea point practically to the South. Between these 2 points there are approximately 150 km, so looking for a break with the right wind is a trip that can be done in the day. In winter, after a southeast, the waves can reach 2.5 meters in face.

In Chile, due to the low sea temperature, surfing is practiced mainly from the VIII region to the north, as well as on Easter Island. A good option for surfers in central Chile is the town of Pichilemu, where surfing has recently become a very popular sport. However, this sport -increasingly massive within the country- is practiced mostly in the north of Chile, consolidating Arica as a great venue thanks to its climatic conditions. For example, the "Arica Big Buey International Surfing Championship" and the WCT "Rip Curl Pro Search Arica Chile". The best months for surfing in Chile are winter, since the storms that are frequent in the south of the country produce big waves that hit the north of the coast a few days later.

Surfing in Europe

Gran Canaria Santa Pro Junior 2012

Estatua de surfistas located in La Coruña, Galicia

Beach and town of Salinas, surfing capital of Asturias

In Spain surfing began between 1963 and 1965 in different parts of the peninsula, almost at the same time and spontaneously, without any contact with each other: Asturias (1963), Cádiz (1964), Guipúzcoa (1964), Vizcaya (1964), Cantabria (1965) and in the Canary Islands (1968).

In Malaga, a pioneer in the Spanish Mediterranean, surfing began in 1970 through the figure of Pepe Almoguera, in the fishermen's neighborhood of Pedregalejo, when he made his own board. Since then, other young people from the neighborhood have joined them, such as Francisco Soria, Javier Gabernet, Rafael García, Carlos Sauco, Pepi Almoguera, the brothers Toño and Paco Gutiérrez Espejo, Joaquín Fernández-de las Alas, and several others who formed in 1974 the first active surf club in the Spanish Mediterranean: the Málaga Surfing Club.

In Las Palmas de Gran Canaria the practice of this sport began around 1968 and it was on this island where the first Surf Club in the entire archipelago was created, in 1973, Club Guanarteme. In Las Palmas de Gran Canaria you can surf all year round, but from November to the end of March the waves can reach up to 4.5 meters high. The beaches or Spots for surfing are as follows: Playa de Las Canteras, specifically the Spot of La Cícer and the unique wave of Lloret in the Canary Islands; Alcaravaneras beach; The Confital; San Cristobal beach; and La Laja Beach. The Airberlin Magazin magazine published an extensive report in September 2012 in which it described Las Palmas de Gran Canaria as the Hawaii of the Atlantic

In Asturias there is a great surfing tradition, the Principality's beaches have optimal conditions for practicing this sport, with notable towns such as Tapia de Casariego, Navia, Salinas, Gijón, Villaviciosa, Ribadesella or Llanes. Specifically, in Salinas there is a summer festival dedicated to surfing with great international renown.

Cantabria, internationally renowned are Liencres, Somo, Loredo, Los Locos, El Brusco, Santa Marina, Ajo, San Vicente de la Barquera, Langre, Berria, Sardinero, Noja and Laredo. The Cantabrian coast is divided into 11 zones with 36 surf spots. All of them are spots with great attraction for the European population. However, perhaps the Somo and Loredo beaches are the most visited due to their proximity to Santander and easy accessibility.

In the Basque Country, surfing culture is deeply rooted, its beaches are the perfect setting and the possibilities are many and varied, depending on the level. We highlight four large areas: Sopelana area, Mundaka area, Zarautz area; and San Sebastian area.

In Galicia, Pantín beach, located 20 km from Ferrol, is the flagship beach for practicing this sport. Doniños Beach (Ferrol), Río Sieira (Porto do Son), Montalvo Beach and Lanzada Beach (Sangenjo), Razo Beach (Carballo) and Patos Beach (Nigrán) also stand out.

Surfing in Caparica, Portugal.

The beach of the Costa de Caparica, in Almada, Portugal.

Surfing in Portugal is known for the quality of its waves. Thanks to its location, the coasts of Portugal enjoy powerful waves during most of the year. The coast is full of beaches, hidden bays and surf spots. The best tides come to Nazaré and Peniche, north of Lisbon, one of the most consistent waves in Europe and famous for its tube "Supertubos". Other popular areas for surfing in Portugal are Ericeira, between Lisbon and Peniche, and the Costa de Caparica, between Almada and the Arrábida Natural Park. On October 29, 2020, the German surfer Sebastian Steudtner surfed a wave of 26.21 meters on the North beach, in Nazaré, being recognized in 2022 by Guinness World Records as the world record for the highest wave surfed.

France is one of the mythical surfing destinations in Europe. This sport can be practiced on beaches such as Lacanau, Hossegor, Anglet, Biarritz and Guéthary, famous on the southwest coast of France, between Bordeaux and the Spanish border. Exceptional waves, an established surfing tradition, a warm sea in summer and the famous "Art de vivre" French.

In the United Kingdom, Cornwall is a surfing paradise located at the tip of the far west of England and Newquay its capital, the heart of the surf area. The two most popular beaches for surfing are Croyde Bay in North Devon and Fistral Beach in Cornwall. The UK is divided into four wave zones: The South Coast, South West, East and Scotland.^{[citation needed]}

Surfing in Ireland is practically centered in the town of Bundoran, the Irish surfing capital, in County Donegal, on the northwest coast of the island. Considered the Surfing Capital of Ireland, it is located on the south coast of Donegal Bay and has become a world famous surf spot for the quality of its waves, and the venue for many international surfing competitions.

Current trend

In the XXI century, surfing has greatly increased its rate of progression, day by day new techniques are explored: aerial, maneuvers in general, variants of surfing (stand up paddle), high-altitude waves, competitions. Due to its great popularity, it was included in the program of the Olympic Games from Tokyo 2020.

Physical activity and sports

Physical condition : adapting to a foreign and moving environment such as the sea makes the physical effort intense and burns many calories. Surfing reduces adipose tissue (in women on the hips and men in the belly) and increases our aerobic capacity. It also improves aspects such as resistance, flexibility, coordination, balance and respiratory depth.

Cardiac activity: surfing benefits the functioning of the heart due to the improvement of blood flow, the good state of blood lipids and blood pressure, strengthening the nervous system, relaxing us and helping mental well-being.

Muscular activity: practicing Surf you strengthen all your muscles, especially in the middle area of the body, since most of the muscles you use while maneuvering on the board are found there. But of course your legs, arms and back will also be strengthened while you paddle and surf. The increase in muscle mass and strength will also help prevent injuries. Especially in the arms.

Social activity: through surfing you will meet many other fans of this sport. The ties between surfers are great and it's a huge community all over the world. You will be able to make new friends with a common passion, travel and meet new waves and new cultures.