Essay About Surfing

1664 Words7 Pages

Surfing is a sport and way of life with a rich history, a beautifully complex technique, and a price point to match its survival throughout centuries of its staying alive, and its incredible community to uphold its public name.
Though the world of today does not know of the original creation of surfing, historians like Peter Westwick and Peter Neushul believe that modern surfing first started when Polynesians came to Hawaii in the 15th century. Polynesian were experts of water who most likely applied their knowledge of the great blue ocean to create a new sport for their youth. Around 300 years after the arrival of the Polynesians, British explorer Captain James Cook arrived to Hawaii. Before getting killed by an islander, Captain Cook wrote a detailed record on the many Native traditions in Hawaii, one of course, being surfing. He recounts tales of men women and children who would open …show more content…

Surfing was considered a practice that showcased the skill and strength of a person. Oftentimes, having a candidate surf was the way a community would decide if that particular person was right for leadership. But surfing was not only a way of determining if one was fit for an esteemed position, it was also considered a social function. At any type of event, one was sure to witness the figures of men, women, and/ or children riding the great waves out of pure joy and the zest of the moment. Although surfing seemed to only be a public showcase skill and joy, we know from research that it was so much more. Surfing was also practiced privately to reduce frustration and anger, to simply relax and connect to the elements of the beautiful world they lived in. Surfing has so many functions from decision making all the way to just being a leisure activity. Just by looking at surfing's rich history one knows there is a bigger future for this now famous