~ Surfing ~

"Surfing expresses ...

a pure yearning for visceral, physical contact with the

natural world."

- Matt Warshaw, Maverick's: The Story of Big-Wave Surfing

In celebration of "Aloha Friday" ... I bring to you the history of surfing ... and how it began from the beginning.

But first - we need to discuss the lingo of surfing!  You might not be familiar with this language, so here are just a few:

"Epic" = Awesome, killer waves!  Perfect sets - perfect day - weather - temperature - surroundings everything!

"The green room" = The color of the wall of the wave, when you're riding inside it, getting "barrelled."

"Barrel" = A barrel is where the wave is hollow when it is breaking. For some surfers it's the be all and end all of surfing. Is sometimes called a "tube."

On a good day, a surf report might read like this:
6-8 foot SW groundswell has top breaks in some overhead sets on Friday and we will see more of this swell into Saturday morning. Another SW/SSW swell is on tap for the weekend and the longer range charts are showing some more "epic" surf. (happy surfers)!! : )

On a bad day it will read like this:
1 foot - Nothing lining up for Friday and the weekend, besides a modest size ENE tradeswell on the Windward Side. (not so happy surfers)!!  : (

So ... now ...imagine your surfboard defining your place in society.
In Ancient Hawaii, it did.

Under the kapu system of laws, the ali’i was above all others. The ruling class surfed on one type of board, and the commoners used another. Even the type of wood used determined social classification.

THE COMMONER

Commoner surfboards came in three lengths and were mostly constructed of wood from the koa tree. The introductory board to wave riding, or he'e nalu, was the paipo. 2’- 6’ in length, the finless paipos were much like today’s bellyboards and mostly ridden by children.

Once accustomed to the rhythm of riding waves, surfers would move on to the alaia. Suitable for standup, an alaia ranged 6’ to 12’ in length and was the forerunner of today’s surfboard.

After mastering the art of surfing, commoners would advance to the kiko’o, a board 12’ to 14’ in length, and, as you can imagine, much more difficult to ride. To master one of these definitely demonstrated one’s proper place at the top of society.

THE ALI’I

The ruling class had its own board made of its own wood, the olo. 14’ to 18’ in length, not only was the olo a bigger board, but it was constructed of the more buoyant wood of the wili wili tree and further defined the class separation of kapu.

The ali’i even has their own breaks, and under kapu, any attempt by a commoner to paddle out among the elite was punishable by, among other things, death.

Surfboards were sacred, their construction ritualistic. Kahuna would search for just the right tree, sacrifice fish as an offering to the gods and stand guard over the specimen overnight under prayer.

Only after successful completion of the ritual, could the tree be felled, and once it was cut down, more sacred behavior was practiced by the kahuna.

Finer shaping was done with blocks of coral and stone..

First the board was rough-shaped with an adz. Then, the wood was shaped and planed with blocks of coral or stone. Once shaped, it was applied with a finish, such as the root of the ti plant or the stain from banana buds. The board was then treated with kukui oil to give it a glossy finish.

When the surfboard had met the kahuna’s approval, it underwent a final ritual of dedication, and only then was it offered to the sea.

Well, there you have it!  A good overview of the history of surfing ... Hawaiian style!
And ... a little entertainment right on the surfboard into the "tube" Enjoyyyyyy!! : )