Unbeknown to many – especially the “recreational surfer,” surfing has been around longer than most any other sport in history. Stories of Hawaiian men on boards in the water riding waves date as far back as the mid-to-late 1700’s.
One of the most notable early stories was that of English Lt. James King. Lt. King was the commander of the ship Discovery. In one of his journal entries he clearly writes about the sport of surfing. If the earliest recorded writing on the sport was pushing 250 years ago, then there is really no telling how long surfing has actually been around. The main reason for this is because there is no “certain” timeline regarding the history and movement of the Polynesians.
Many historians have labeled surfing as “the sport of kings.” Most early writings noted that the Polynesian Chiefs would demonstrate their power and mastery by their skill in the surf. Conversely, most commoners were judged by what they could or could not accomplish in the ocean. Surfing has always been an important part of Hawaiian culture. It is layered into everything Hawaii; including religion, society standard and myth of the islands. Think of it this way. Baseball is considered the national pastime in America. This is what Surfing was – and still is, to Hawaii.
By the time Captain Cook set foot in the Hawaiian Islands surfing was already wildly popular and rooted within the Hawaiian culture. So much so that there were many legendary surfing stories told by the Kahunas, as well as noted surfing incidents that the Kahunas regarded as very important. A Kahuna (expert) would even bless new surfboards with chants. They would use other chants to bring surf to the islands, as well as give courage to the men and women who were fearless enough to challenge the mighty waves.
Since the Hawaiians had no written language before the arrival of the haole (white skinned people), most of their legends and stories were integrated through song and chants. Many of these ancient songs and chants tell stories of love being won and lost within the waves. Surfing was as important as any other part of Hawaiian life back in those times.
Many notable Hawaiian Chiefs, including Kamehameha I were vey skilled surfers. The Ali’i (chief, royalty) were able to prove their power and strength by their abilities in the big waves. Once a Chief was on a wave, no commoner would dare drop in on the same wave for fear of extreme punishment. There were codes and standards in surfing back then that still ring true today!
Surfing remained a staple in the Hawaiian Islands, but as years passed it began to fade. By the late 1800’s surfing – along with most other Hawaiian customs, began to fade. This was due to the fact that the haole had tried to take control over everything Hawaiian. According to the haole nothing was off limits. Hawaiian Gods, culture, customs, land and lives were all things that the haoles were trying to either change or completely strip from the Hawaiians. At that point in history there were only about 40,000 Hawaiians left. Surfing was at this point put on a back burner, as the Hawaiians struggled for survival.
By the turn of the century surfing had almost entirely disappeared in the islands. While you could still catch surfers scattered around local beaches, it was a far cry from what once had been a national pastime. This however was about to change.
In 1907 a world-renowned author named Jack London came to Hawaii and met local surfer – and popular beach boy, George Freeth. Freeth was a 23-year old Irish/Hawaiian who was also a master waterman. London and Freeth formed a friendship that would ultimately help bring surfing back to popularity. They both had a love for surfing. London proceeded to write “A Royal Sport: Surfing in Waikiki.” The story was published several times in several different publications. Surfing was well on its way to becoming what it once was.
By 1912 surfing had regained a following. It had also regained some popularity, not only in Hawaii but also around the rest of the world. This was in part due to the writing and exploitations of London and Freeth. Now it was time for arguably the most famous surfer and waterman in history to come into play. Enter Duke Paoa Kahanamoku.
Duke Kahanamoku was already a famous surfer and swimmer when he began to gain even more popularity around the world. Duke is credited with developing the flutter kick in freestyle swimming. This motion replaced the scissor kick and is still used today. Of his many accomplishments, Duke was also a three-time world record holder in the 100-meter freestyle. He was blessed with talent and gifts beyond belief. In 1912 when Duke passed through Corona, California on his way to the Olympics he put on some surfing demonstrations. His demonstrations are now world famous and were the talk of the surfing world at that time.
Surfing continued to grow – albeit slowly, over the next 40-50 years. It has come such a long way from the early days of the Ali’i. While many may say surfing has changed, I believe it has stayed true to form. There are many styles of surfing now i.e. big wave riding, longboarding, etc, but the concept remains the same. The ”sport of kings” has now grown into an international phenomenon and has a following of millions.
In the days of the early Hawaiians surfing was used to show stature, grace and power. Life and love were lost and gained. It was a competition then and it remains a competition today. The only difference is that in today’s society we surf for money, the Hawaiians surfed for life and love.