Surfing

From Free net encyclopedia

See World Wide Web for "surfing" the web; see also Windsurfing

Image:Surfing in Hawaii.jpg Surfing (Hawaiian: he‘e nalu, "wave-sliding") is an increasingly popular recreational activity in which individuals paddle into a waves, jump to their feet, and are propelled across the water by the force of the wave. Surfing can be done on various pieces of equipment, including surfboards, bodyboards, wave skis, kneeboards and surf mats. Most modern surfboards are made of polyurethane foam (with one or more wooden strips or "stringers"), fiberglass cloth, and polyester resin. An emerging surf technology is an epoxy surfboard, which are stronger and lighter than traditional fiberglass. The sport has spread to most places where waves of sufficient size and shape appear, including Brazil, Costa Rica, France, Ireland, México, New Zealand, Norway, South Africa, and many island states including Barbados in the Caribbean and Tahiti in the Pacific. Long Island is also a very popular spot for surfing.

Equipment used in surfing includes a leash (to keep a surfer's board from washing to shore after a 'wipeout', and to prevent it from hitting other surfers), surf wax and/or traction pads (to keep a surfers feet from slipping off the deck of the board), and "fins" (also known as "skegs") which can either be permanently attached ("glassed-on") or interchangeable. In warmer climates swimsuits, surf trunks or boardshorts are worn; in cold water surfers can opt to wear wetsuits, titties, hoods, and gloves to protect them against lower water temperatures.

Surfing's appeal probably derives from an unusual confluence of elements: adrenaline, skill, and high paced maneuvering are set against a naturally unpredictable backdrop—an organic environment that is, by turns, graceful and serene, violent and formidable.

Surfing involves eyeing a rideable wave on the horizon and matching its speed by paddling. A common problem for beginners is not being able to catch the wave in the first place. Once the wave has started to push the surfer forward, the surfer must then jump to his or her feet and ride down the face of the wave. This involves a difficult process where everything happens simultaneously.

Surfers' skills are tested not only in their ability to control their board in challenging conditions, but by their ability to execute various maneuvers such as turning and carving. Some of the common turns have become recognizable tricks such as the 'cutback' (turning back toward the breaking part of the wave), the 'floater' (riding on the top of the breaking curl of the wave), and 'off the lip' (banking off the top of the wave). A newer addition to surfing has been the progressiong of the "air" where a surfer is able to propel himself off the wave and re-enter. The ultimate thing in surfing is "tuberiding." This is the holy grail of surfing, where the surfer maneuvers into a position where the wave curls over the top of them, forming a "tube" (or "barrel"), with the rider inside the cylindrical portion of the wave. This is most easily done in hollow, powerful waves. The sensation it produces is like nothing in this world and is constantly sought for the rest of a surfer's life.

Competitive surfing is a comparison sport. Riders, competing in pairs or small groups, are allocated a certain amount of time to ride waves and display their prowess and mastery of the craft. Competitors are then judged according to how competently the wave is ridden, including the level of difficulty, as well as frequency, of maneuvers. There is a professional surfing world surfing championship series held annually at surf beaches around the world.

Although competitive surfing has become an extremely popular and lucrative activity, both for its participants and its sponsors, the sport does not have its origins as a competitive pursuit. It is common to hear debate rage between purists of the sport, who still maintain the ideal of 'soul surfing', and surfers who engage in the competitive and, consequently, commercial side of the activity.

A non-competitive adventure activity involving riding the biggest waves possible (known as "rhino hunting") is also popular with some surfers. A practice popularised in the 1990s has seen big wave surfing revolutionised, as surfers use jetskis to tow them out to a position where they can catch previously unrideable waves (See also: tow-in surfing). These waves were previously unrideable due to the speed at which they travel. Some waves reach speeds of over 60 km/h; jetskis enable surfers to reach the speed of the wave thereby making them rideable. Jetskis not only allow surfers to ride these waves but allow them to survive 'wipeouts'. In many instances surfers would not survive the battering of the 'sets' (groups of waves together) without drowning. This spectacular activity is extremely popular with television crews, but because such waves rarely occur in heavily populated regions, and usually only a very long way out to sea on outer reefs, few spectators see such events directly.

Contents

[edit]

Understanding waves

Image:Wave kils.jpg Surfing conditions at a particular location or "break" that is known for surfing (see below) are almost never ideal. Wind blown consistently over a large area of fetch, or open water, generates waves. These waves use a drafting effect similar to race cars and cyclists to travel vast distances efficiently. To learn more about surf meteorology, see StormSurf's Tutorials. As waves near their ultimate destination (land), the bottom of the wave begins to run aground as the water becomes more shallow.

There are two primary factors that contribute to the general characteristics of waves at a particular break: (1) the "swell window" or the exposure of the location to wave-generating areas of fetch, and (2) the structure of the ocean floor (composition, shape).

The swell window determines the potential of a break to receive waves. In general, the western coast of any continent usually has better breaks since winds (and, therefore, waves) tend to travel from west to east. Coastlines that face east or south (in the Northern Hemisphere) or north (in the Southern Hemisphere) that are exposed to tropical storms and hurricanes can also be surfable on a consistent basis. When waves break along a section of coastline at an angle almost perpendicular to the land, these special locations, known as point breaks, can produce very long-lasting waves that can be surfed for several hundred meters. The two main types of waves for surfing apart from the pointbreak are the reef break (waves breaking over a coral reef or rockbed) and the beach break (waves breaking onto sand bars).

The structure of the ocean floor is the biggest factor that determines the broad characteristics of waves at a particular break. For instance, there are beach breaks (soft sand bottom) that generally form slower, mushy waves, though these waves can be just as steep and powerful as reef breaks. Reef breaks (coral reef or rock bottom) tend to generate faster, more powerful waves due to their abrupt bottom. While reef breaks are considered more dangerous than beach breaks, they are much more predictable than the shifty nature of beach breaks. Based on the structure of the ocean floor, a location may break better on a particular tide, say, an incoming high tide or a low-low tide.

Local wind conditions, water temperature, solar radiation, the crowd factor, hazardous aquatic life, water pollution, and aggression of local surfers are other factors that can have impact on the experience one might have surfing at a particular break.

The availability of free model data from the NOAA has allowed the creation of several Surf forecasting websites. These automatically combine the above variables into a presentation of how good the surf will be.

[edit]

Popular surfing areas

Image:Surfingggb02252006.jpg Image:Oahu North Shore surfing catching wave.jpg Image:Wellenreiter Eisbach.jpg Image:Boy learning to surf off Barra Brazil - 02.JPG Surfing is a global sport; one can find a surfer in almost every coastal nation in the world.

  • Barbados
    • The most easterly of the Caribbean territories (ie closest to Cape Verde, Africa etc), the island's location far out in the Atlantic Ocean allows waves to travel thousands of kilometers on the bottom of the sea to finally unload all the power they developed during the long oceanic journey over Barbados' coral reefs. These reefs extend to completely surround Barbados' coastline, providing unlimited surfing conditions all around at almost any given day of the year. If categorised according to power and size, the East Coast is the premier surfing spot; an area known as the 'Soup Bowl' is of international significance in the surfing world. This is where Kelly Slater impressively made his comeback onto the world tour of pro surfing in 2002. The rugged Northwest features consistent 'Duppys' and other breaks that can easily live up to Hawaiian standards.
  • Puerto Rico
    • The West Coast in the Island has A-frame breaks, with international surfers coming every season for the taste of huge waves. The North Coast has consisten overhead spectacular breaks prolonged months of the year. The Southern and Eastern part of the Island have good breaks that don't get ridden that often.
  • United States
    • Northern California is known to receive some of the most consistent surf in the continental United States. While it is more exposed to wind and poor weather conditions than Southern California, it often will have large surf while SoCal will be flat. At the same time, there are many protected areas, primarily in Santa Cruz, that receive large swells but are blocked from northwest winds. NorCal is home to one of the most revered and dangerous spots in the world, Mavericks.
    • Southern California, from San Diego Blacks Beach to above Santa Barbara, features outstanding beaches such as Windansea Beach, Tourmaline Park, Ponto, Lunada Bay, Malibu, Hermosa Beach, Huntington Beach, San Onofre, and Rincon (surfspot), and is where American surfing music and culture began to evolve. This stretch of coastline is remarkable for the sheer number of consistently pleasant and surfable breaks. Each summer Huntington Beach is host to the U.S. Open of Surfing.
    • Hawaii is probably the most famous surfing mecca that exists, every year thousands of surfers make the trip to pay respect to the birthplace of surfing. The North Shore of Oahu is home to perhaps the best stretch of surfing waves in the world, including Sunset Beach (Oahu), Waimea Bay, and the world's most renowned and revered wave, Banzai Pipeline (or simply Pipeline), so named for the yawning chasms it regularly hurls over the heads of awe-struck surfers. The North Shore is the center of commercial surfing each fall as it hosts a series of contests that end the professional season at Pipeline.
    • The eastern central coast of Florida, particularly Brevard County, is renowned as the "small wave surfing capital of the world," and is home to such surfing luminaries as Kelly Slater, Todd Holland, and Matt Kechele.
    • The Mid-Atlantic region includes popular spots such as North Carolina's Outer Banks, Long Island, Virginia Beach, Ocean City (Md.), and the Jersey Shore (the origin of Ron Jon Surf Shop).
    • Ruggles Ave. off the cliffwalk in Newport, Rhode Island boasts one of the best pointbreaks in the entire U.S. on a good swell.
    • There are decent breaks all up the east coast, notably on Cape Cod, the Outer Banks, New York, and New Jersey.
      • Although waves are lacking for the most part during summer months on the east coast; fall time brings hurricane swells and creates perfect conditions for East Coast Surfing.
    • Even areas along the Great Lakes get local windswells with fresh-water barrels.

The west coast of the Americas tends to have better surfing areas than the east coast. While the continental shelf of the west coast drops off quickly, on the east it extends a great distance, creating drag and making smaller and less powerful waves.

Anywhere else waves hit the shore. Many surfers are seen as territorial, hence the expression "locals only"; or as the rock group The Surf Punks put it, "my beach, my wave, my girl, so fuck you!".

The expression "Surf Nazi" appeared in the 1980s to describe territorial and authoritarian surfers.

Other surfers, however, known as "soul surfers", hold less aggressive views towards others. These surfers see surfing as more than a sport; it is an opportunity to harness the waves in and to relax and forget about their daily routines. This type of surfing has seen a rise in popularity recently.

Global warming, environmental damage, and increasing riparian development may continue to increase pressure on the sport. Global warming may produce bigger waves...or a return, through altering ocean currents, to a new ice age. Oil spills and toxic algae growth can threaten surfing regions. And, many wealthy homeowners have tried to prevent free access to beaches in violation of English and American common law traditions, in which "the strand" is not private property.

Some of these stresses may be overcome by building of artificial reefs for surfing. Several have been built in recent years (one is at Cables in western Australia), and there is widespread enthusiasm in the global surfing community for additional projects. However, environmental opposition and rigorous coastal permitting regulations is dampening prospects for building such reefs in some countries, such as the United States.

[edit]

Surfing movies

[edit]

Surf brands

[edit]

Famous and notable surfers


[edit]

See also

Template:Commons

[edit]

Forecasting Links

[edit]

External links

da:Surfing de:Wellenreiten es:Surf fr:Surf it:Surf he:גלישת גלים nl:Surfen ja:サーフィン pl:Surfing pt:Surf ru:Сёрфинг scn:Surfing zh:衝浪

Retrieved from "http://www.netipedia.com/index.php/Surfing"