Portal:Surfing
Portal maintenance status: (October 2018)
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Introduction
Surfing is a surface water sport in which the wave rider, referred to as a surfer, rides on the forward or deep face of a moving wave, which usually carries the surfer towards the shore. Waves suitable for surfing are primarily found in the ocean, but can also be found in lakes or rivers in the form of a standing wave or tidal bore. However, surfers can also utilize artificial waves such as those from boat wakes and the waves created in artificial wave pools. The term surfing refers to the act of riding a wave, regardless of whether the wave is ridden with a board or without a board, and regardless of the stance used. The native peoples of the Pacific, for instance, surfed waves on alaia, paipo, and other such craft, and did so on their belly and knees. The modern-day definition of surfing, however, most often refers to a surfer riding a wave standing up on a surfboard; this is also referred to as stand-up surfing.
Selected general articles
- Formerly the Bells Beach Surf Classic, The Rip Curl Pro is a WSL (formerly ASP) World Tour surfing competition held in and around Torquay, Victoria. The event is based at Bells Beach, Victoria, Australia. The event winner is awarded the prestigious 'Bell' trophy.
The song "Hells Bells" by AC/DC is played every morning before the first competition. Read more... - The Stubbies was a surf competition held annually, in about March, at Burleigh Heads, Queensland from 1977 to 1988. The event was named after its sponsor the Stubbies clothing brand and was one of the three major Australian surfing competitions of its day (the other two being the Bells Beach Classic and Surfabout). Read more...
- Bells Beach, Victoria surfers
Australia is renowned as one of the world's premier surfing destinations. Surfing underpins an important part of the Australian coastal fabric. It forms part of a lifestyle in which millions participate and which millions more have an interest. Australian surfboard-makers have driven innovation in surfboard design and production since the mid-1960s. The country has launched corporate giants such as Billabong, Rip Curl and Quiksilver.
No surfing is possible in many part of northern Australia due to coral reefs subduing waves. Modern surfboard design has been shaped by both Australian and Californian developments. For many years the sport was closely associated with the surf life saving movement in Australia. Read more...
Surfline is a company and website based in Huntington Beach, California that specializes in surf forecasting and surf reports, live webcasting, photography, videography, as well as editorial coverage of the sport of surfing.
Surfline.com is now ranked 1,180 in the US and 5,784 in the world in terms of popularity compared to other websites and is now the largest provider of streaming HD coastal cams. Since 2003 it has taken on buoyweather.com and fishtrack.com (2012), on average the family of websites receives 175,000 visitors per day. The site includes streaming video, surf reports and forecasts.
Surfline.com offers streaming cameras at 150 surf breaks, and is one of the larger surf cam websites. Surfline currently has approximately 50 employees. Read more...- Formerly the Bells Beach Surf Classic, The Rip Curl Pro is a WSL (formerly ASP) World Tour surfing competition held in and around Torquay, Victoria. The event is based at Bells Beach, Victoria, Australia. The event winner is awarded the prestigious 'Bell' trophy.
The song "Hells Bells" by AC/DC is played every morning before the first competition. Read more...
River surfing is the sport of surfing either standing waves or tidal bores in rivers. Claims for its origins include a 1955 ride of 1.5 miles along the tidal bore of the River Severn.
River surfing on standing waves has been documented as far back as the early-1970s in Munich, Germany, today offering the world's largest urban surfing spot. Read more...- Surfer's ear is the common name for an exostosis or abnormal bone growth within the ear canal. Surfer's ear is not the same as swimmer's ear, although infection can result as a side effect.
Irritation from cold wind and water exposure causes the bone surrounding the ear canal to develop lumps of new bony growth which constrict the ear canal. Where the ear canal is actually blocked by this condition, water and wax can become trapped and give rise to infection. The condition is so named due to its prevalence among cold water surfers. Warm water surfers are also at risk for exostosis due to the evaporative cooling caused by wind and the presence of water in the ear canal. Read more... - The International Surfing Association (ISA) is the world governing authority for surfing, SUP racing, SUP surfing, bodyboarding, and all other wave riding activities. The ISA is recognized by the International Olympic Committee. Read more...
- Skimboarding (or skimming) is a boardsport in which a skimboard (much like a surfboard but smaller and without fins) is used to glide across the water's surface to meet an incoming breaking wave, and ride it back to shore. Wave-riding skimboarders perform a variety of surface and air maneuvers, at various stages of their ride, out to, and back with, the wave. Some of these are known as "wraps," "big spins," "360 shove-its" and "180s." Unlike surfing, skimboarding begins on the beach by dropping the board onto the thin wash of previous waves. Skimboarders use their momentum to skim out to breaking waves, which they then catch back into shore in a manner similar to surfing. Another aspect of skimboarding is "flatland," which involves performing tricks derived from skateboarding such as ollies and shove-its on the wash of waves without catching shore breaks. Skimboarding originated in Southern California when Laguna Beach lifeguards wanted to surf the local shore breaks that were too fast and shallow for surfboards. Skimboarding has developed since then to ride waves much like surfing, performing aerial maneuvers and pulling into the barrel of the wave. Professionals have even started getting towed by waverunners into much larger waves. Professional Skimboarder, Brad Domke, displayed the new technique in this video. Read more...
A shark attack is an attack on a human by a shark. Every year, around 80 unprovoked attacks are reported worldwide. Despite their relative rarity, many people fear shark attacks after occasional serial attacks, such as the Jersey Shore shark attacks of 1916, and horror fiction and films such as the Jaws series. Out of more than 489 shark species, only three are responsible for a double-digit number of fatal, unprovoked attacks on humans: the great white, tiger, and bull. The oceanic whitetip has probably killed many more castaways, but these are not recorded in the statistics. Read more...- Surfboard wax (also known as surfwax) is a formulation of natural and/or synthetic wax for application to the deck of a surfboard, bodyboard, or skimboard, to keep the surfer from slipping off the board when paddling out or riding a wave. It is also used to increase grip on the paddle of a surf kayak or dragon boat.
Surfboard wax is generally composed of a mixture of paraffin, beeswax or other hard waxes; petroleum jelly can also be added to create a softer wax. Often exotic scents like coconut or bubblegum are added to give the wax an attractive scent. There are also natural alternatives available containing only organic substances like beeswax, vegetable oils (such as coconut or hemp oil), pine resin, tree pulp and natural essential oils. Many different commercial brands and varieties of surfboard wax optimized for different climates and water temperatures may be found at a surf shop. Read more...
The outdoor wave pool in Margaret Island in Budapest, 1939.
A wave pool is a swimming pool in which there are artificially generated, reasonably large waves, similar to those of the ocean. Wave pools are often a major feature of water parks.
The world's largest artificial waves, measuring up to 3 metres (9.8 ft) in height, can be found at Siam Park in the Canary Islands. Conversely, the world's largest wave pool by area is located in Bangkok's Siam Park City. Read more...- La Libertad «Liberty» is a municipality in the La Libertad Department of El Salvador. It had a population of 35,997 inhabitants in 2007 according to the official census of that year. It is one of the main tourist attractions in the country. Read more...
Quiksilver Pro France at Hossegor
Quiksilver Pro France is an event on the Samsung Galaxy WSL Championship Tour. The event is held every year at Seignosse, Capbreton and Hossegor in France at the end of September and in the beginning of October. Read more...- The World Surf League (WSL) is the governing body for professional surfers and is dedicated to showcasing the world’s best talent in a variety of progressive formats. The World Surf League was previously known as the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) from 1983 to 2014. The organization was founded in 1976 by Fred Hemmings and Randy Rarick.
In 2013, the ASP was acquired by ZoSea, backed by Paul Speaker, Terry Hardy, and Dirk Ziff. At the start of the 2015 season, the ASP changed its name to the World Surf League (WSL). Sophie Goldschmidt was appointed as WSL CEO on July 19, 2017. Paul Speaker had stepped down as CEO on January 11, 2017, and Dirk Ziff acted as the interim WSL CEO until Goldschmidt's appointment. Read more...
The Santa Cruz Surfing Museum is a museum which was established in May 1986 to document the history of surfing. With collections dating back to the earliest years of surfing on mainland United States, the museum houses a historical account of surfing in Santa Cruz, California. Read more...- The Australian Open of Surfing is an annual surf, skate and music event held on Manly Beach, Sydney, Australia. It is ASP-sanctioned surf contests for men and women surf athletes from around the world. It is owned by IMG
The inaugural nine-day event was held from the 11 to 19 February 2012. The Open was cancelled in 2018. Read more... - The World Surf League (WSL) is the governing body for professional surfers and is dedicated to showcasing the world’s best talent in a variety of progressive formats. The World Surf League was previously known as the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) from 1983 to 2014. The organization was founded in 1976 by Fred Hemmings and Randy Rarick.
In 2013, the ASP was acquired by ZoSea, backed by Paul Speaker, Terry Hardy, and Dirk Ziff. At the start of the 2015 season, the ASP changed its name to the World Surf League (WSL). Sophie Goldschmidt was appointed as WSL CEO on July 19, 2017. Paul Speaker had stepped down as CEO on January 11, 2017, and Dirk Ziff acted as the interim WSL CEO until Goldschmidt's appointment. Read more...
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Bodyboarding is a water sport in which the surfer rides a bodyboard on the crest, face, and curl of a wave which is carrying the surfer towards the shore. Bodyboarding is also referred to as Boogieboarding due to the invention of the "Boogie Board" by Tom Morey. The average bodyboarding consists of a short, rectangular piece of hydrodynamic foam. Bodyboarders typically use swim fins for additional propulsion and control while riding a breaking wave. Read more...
Bellyboarding is a surface water sport in which the surfer rides a bodyboard on the crest, face, and curl of a wave which is carrying the surfer towards the shore. Read more...- Billabong Pro Teahupoo is a professional surfing competition of the ASP World Tour held at the break Teahupo'o in Taiarapu, Tahiti. The Billabong Pro Teahupoo was first founded in 1999, and ever since has been recognized as "one of the world's heaviest big wave competitions". This is because Teahupoo is the only known natural wave break in the world that breaks below sea level. It is also "renowned for being the deadliest competition associated with surfing to this present date". The Billabong Pro Teahupoo has not claimed any human lives since the founding of the surfing event in 1999, but the wave has claimed lives over the years. Read more...
- For travelers from all over the world, Peru offers waves for everyone: beginners, intermediate, and advanced longboard riders alike surfers. Máncora, the largest left hand point break in the world, located in the northern coast of Peru, deserves special mention. In addition to this, the greatest left-handed wave in the world is to be found at Chicama, which is over 4 km long.
Swells are generated far south and most of the spots get consistent offshore winds. The large number of surf spots make it easy to find uncrowded waves. Read more...
Surfer at Mavericks, one of the world's premier big wave surfing locations. (Surfer: Andrew Davis)
Big wave surfing is a discipline within surfing in which experienced surfers paddle into or are towed onto waves which are at least 20 feet (6.2 m) high, on surf boards known as "guns" or towboards. Sizes of the board needed to successfully surf these waves vary by the size of the wave as well as the technique the surfer uses to reach the wave. A larger, longer board allows a rider to paddle fast enough to catch the wave and has the advantage of being more stable, but it also limits maneuverability and surfing speed.
In 1992, big wave surfers such as Laird Hamilton and Darrick Doerner introduced a cross over sport called tow-in surfing. While many riders still participate in both sports, they remain very distinct activities. This type of surfing involves being towed into massive waves by jet ski, allowing for the speed needed to successfully ride. Tow in surfing also revolutionized board size, allowing surfers to trade in their unwieldy 12 ft. boards in favor of light, 7 ft boards that allowed for more speed and easier maneuverability in waves over 30 ft. By the end of the 1990s, tow in surfing allowed surfers to ride waves exceeding 50 ft. Read more...
In fluid dynamics, wind waves, or wind-generated waves, are surface waves that occur on the free surface of bodies of water (like oceans, seas, lakes, rivers, canals, puddles or ponds). They result from the wind blowing over an area of fluid surface. Waves in the oceans can travel thousands of miles before reaching land. Wind waves on Earth range in size from small ripples, to waves over 100 ft (30 m) high.
When directly generated and affected by local winds, a wind wave system is called a wind sea. After the wind ceases to blow, wind waves are called swells. More generally, a swell consists of wind-generated waves that are not significantly affected by the local wind at that time. They have been generated elsewhere or some time ago. Wind waves in the ocean are called ocean surface waves. Read more...- The Billabong Pipeline Masters is an event in surfing held annually at Banzai Pipeline in Oahu, Hawaii. It was established in 1970 and attracts the top 45 surfers from The World Surf League (WSL) as well as 16 surfers who compete in walk-on trials. The surfers compete for a share of US$525,000 prize money. The event is the final leg of the Triple Crown of Surfing and the final event on the WSL Championship Tour. Read more...
Stand up paddle surfing and stand up paddle boarding (SUP) is an offshoot of surfing that originated in Hawaii. Unlike traditional surfing where the rider sits until a wave comes, stand up paddle boarders stand on their boards and use a paddle to propel themselves through the water. The sport was documented in a 2013 report that identified it as the outdoor sporting activity with the most first-time participants in the United States that year. Variations include flat water paddling for outdoor recreation, fitness, or sightseeing, racing on lakes, large rivers and canals, surfing on ocean waves, paddling in river rapids (whitewater SUP), Paddle board yoga and even fishing.
Stand up paddlers wear a variety of wet suits and other clothing, depending on water and air temperature since most of their time is spent standing on the board. Read more...- The U.S. Open of Surfing is a week-long surfing competition held annually during the summer in Huntington Beach, California. Generally held on the south side of the Huntington Beach Pier, the U.S. Open is part of the qualification process for the World Surf League and is a WSL QS 10,000 event. It is the largest surfing competition in the world. It has been owned by IMG since 2000.
As part of the event, notable people in the world of surfing are added to the Surfing Walk of Fame and to the Surfers' Hall of Fame, both directly across from the pier. Read more...
Kiteboarding is an action sport combining aspects of wakeboarding, snowboarding, windsurfing, surfing, paragliding, skateboarding and sailing into one extreme sport. A kiteboarder harnesses the power of the wind with a large controllable power kite to be propelled across the water, land, or snow. On water, a kiteboard, similar to a wakeboard or a small surfboard, with or without footstraps or bindings, is used. Kitesurfing is a style of kiteboarding specific to wave riding, which uses standard surfboards or boards shaped specifically for the purpose. On land, a mountain board or foot steered buggy is used while skis or snowboards can be used in snow,
There are different styles of kiteboarding, including freestyle, freeride, speed, course racing, wakestyle, big air, park, and surfing. Read more...- The National Scholastic Surfing Association (NSSA) is a surfing association in the United States. It is a member organization of Surfing America, the National Governing Body of Surfing in the United States. Founded in 1978 by Tom Gibbons, John Rothrock, Chuck Allen, Laird Hayes, Holly Allen and Rob Hill, the association was formed with the purpose of uniting amateur surfers from around the country under one competitive association tied to the education system. Since much of the membership consists of students, one of the prerequisites in joining the association is the maintenance of good grades, service to community and an interest in the sport of surfing.
On February 4, 1978, a group of surf coaches met in Huntington Beach to form a new surfing association for amateur high school and college surfers. Read more... - The Moonshine Conspiracy is a collective of surfers and artists who share a certain retro sensibility. The Conspiracy was begun in 1998 by Emmett Malloy, his cousins the Malloy brothers (surfers Chris Malloy, Keith, and Dan); and former pro-surfer and musician Jack Johnson in Ventura, California. Moonshine released four films. They made a total of six.
Later, they developed a record label company, The Moonshine Conspiracy Records, to release soundtracks for Woodshed Films (owned by Jack Johnson and others). After releasing Johnson's On and On through Universal Records, the label was renamed as Brushfire Records. It was named in part after Johnson's Enjoy Records album debut. Read more... - The O'Neill Sebastian Inlet Pro (or SI Pro), currently presented by Ron Jon Surf Shop, has kicked off the international professional surfing calendar for the past five years. It is a 4 Star WQS event held at Space Coast in Florida and is, according to Go211, the "largest single sporting event in East Central Florida", the 2008 competition attracting 24 000 spectators.
The event also includes the Red Bull Tow-At, where ten invitees are pulled into surf at high speed by a Sea-Doo watercraft in an attempt to pull spectacular moves and win a craft for themselves. Read more...
Surfing in Scotland is a minor sport. The water around Scotland is fairly cold, requiring a full wetsuit, although it is warmed by the Gulf Stream.
In 2008, the actor Billy Boyd fronted VisitScotland's Perfect Day Campaign, and talked particularly of his love of surfing in Scotland, particularly in Machrihanish near the town of Campbelltown in Kintyre in the west coast of Scotland and Pease Bay and Coldingham Bay on Scotland's East coast. In an interview about the campaign with The Scotsman on 28 July, he said "I don't really do much promotional stuff but felt that with this one I could be honest...I'm very proud of where I come from and I get very excited if a friend comes over and I can show them around." Read more...
Dr Ben Gordon from SurfAid International conducting health checks on Hinako Islands after the 2004 tsunami.
SurfAid International (often called just SurfAid) is an international charitable organization working in the Mentawai Islands of Indonesia. It was founded by Dr. Dave Jenkins of New Zealand in 2000. In 1999 he was on a surfing trip in the area and saw the health problems of the local people. SurfAid's early efforts were focused on providing health education to the people and mosquito nets to prevent the spread of malaria.
SurfAid came to international attention after the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake when it provided medical aid to its victims. It was able to reach people on small islands, who were among the hardest hit, because it used small boats and its people were familiar with the area. SurfAid received financial aid from the government of Australia and from individual and corporate donors. Its main office is in Padang, Indonesia and it has branch offices in the United States, New Zealand and Australia. Read more...- The Vans Triple Crown of Surfing is a Hawaiian specialty series of professional surfing events that take place on the North Shore of Oahu - a coastline world famous in the surfing world for its powerful winter swells that can reach 50 feet in height. The three unique venues each with its own set of challenges for the surfer. They are also the last three major events of the professional surfing season; the Pipeline Masters being the final event of the World Surf League Championship Tour.
The events are:- The Hawaiian Pro at Haleiwa Ali'i Beach Park (Nov. 12 - Nov. 24)
- The World Cup of Surfing at Sunset Beach (Nov. 25 - Dec. 6)
- The Pipeline Masters at Ehukai Beach Park (in Pūpūkea, and home to the Banzai Pipeline) (Dec. 8 - Dec. 20).
A pterygium is a pinkish, triangular tissue growth on the cornea of the eye. It typically starts on the cornea near the nose. It may slowly grow but rarely grows so large that the pupil is covered. Often both eyes are involved.
The cause is unclear. It appears to be partly related to long term exposure to UV light and dust. Genetic factors also appear to be involved. It is a benign growth. Other conditions that can look similar include a pinguecula, tumor, or Terrien's marginal corneal degeneration. Read more...
Teahupoʻo (Polynesian pronunciation: [/te.ahupoʔo/]) is a village on the south-east coast of the island of Tahiti, French Polynesia, southern Pacific Ocean.
It is known for the surf break and heavy, glassy waves offshore, often reaching 2 to 3 m (6.6 to 9.8 ft), and sometimes up to 7 meters (23 feet). It is the site of the annual Billabong Pro Tahiti surf competition, part of the World Championship Tour (WCT) of the Association of Surfing Professionals World Tour surfing circuit and used to be one stop in the World Tour of the International Bodyboarding Association.
Bodyboarding pioneers Mike Stewart and Ben Severson were the first to surf Teahupo'o in 1986 and it soon became an underground spot for thrill-seeking bodyboarders. Few professional surfers rode Teahupo'o during the early 1990s and it was only in 1998, at the Gotcha Tahiti Pro, that Teahupo'o became widely recognized as having some of the heaviest waves in the world. On August 17, 2000 Laird Hamilton is credited with surfing the "heaviest wave" ever ridden, documented in the film Riding Giants. In 2003 the late Malik Joyeux successfully rode one of the largest waves ever ridden.
On October 31, 2008 surfer Ian Walsh towed the biggest Teahupoʻo wave of the season. Video footage of this ride was later used in a Red Bull energy drink ad campaign seen around the world. Read more...
Founded in 2007, the New York Surf Film Festival held its inaugural event September 26–28, 2008 at Tribeca Cinemas with 25 films screened from all over the world, including a special 30th Anniversary screening of Warner Brothers' Big Wednesday directed by John Milius & co-written with Denny Aaberg. Read more...
Did you know...
- ... that international windsurfing champion Lena Erdil is the daughter of a Turkish father and a German mother, who met each other while windsurfing?
- ... that in windsurfing, performing a waterstart in a light wind is considered to be an expert-level skill?
- ... that professional surfer Kala Alexander is vice president of an organization that gives children with cystic fibrosis surfing lessons?
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Selected images
Surfing on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
A surfer exiting a closeout
Longboards at Waikiki beach
The geometry of tube shape can be represented as a ratio between length and width. A perfectly cylindrical vortex has a ratio of 1:1, while the* Tube shape defined by length to width ratio** Square: <1:1** Round: 1-2:1** Almond: >2:1* Tube speed defined by angle of peel line** Fast: 30°** Medium: 45°** Slow: 60°
The Shaka sign
Synchronized surfing, Manly Beach, New South Wales, Australia, 1938–46
A surfer at Mavericks
Waxing a surfboard
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