Rebecca Beatty Professor Presnell English 1102 14 April 2014 Riding the Waves: Surfing In Hawaii Since I was

a little girl, around the age of eight I have always wanted to learn how to surf and be able to surf in Hawaii one day. I am nineteen years old and still have not done both, but I still have plenty of time. Im not really sure why I became so obsessed with surfing but I cannot get over it. It could be because of their outfits they wear, that they are out on the beach all day, or the places that surfing takes place at is beautiful. Whatever the reason is I am memorized by surfing in Hawaii and what to know more about both before I go surfing in Hawaii. Hawaii and Hawaiian History Hawaii is known for their surfing over the years but what most people do not know is that surfing almost disappeared from Hawaii in the nineteenth century. According to The Development and Diffusion of Modern Hawaiian Surfing, there was a rapid decline and a rare sight of surfing in the Hawaiian Islands. However, surfing did not disappear. The Development and Diffusion of Modern Hawaiian Surfing states, The sport had virtually been forgotten in the Hawaiian Islands, except for a few places on Oahu, Maui, and possibly Kauai. Surfing had even disappeared from the Kona coast of Hawaii where it had formerly been so popular (Finny 316). Many say the reason for this decline was because of the population decline. Even though surfing was becoming a rare site in Hawaii it started to development in other areas around the world.

Hawaii Islands Whenever I hear the word Hawaii I think of a massive Island where everyone there is surfing, a beautiful vacation spot, and beaches everywhere. According to Hawaii Tourism Authority Hawaii is often called Big Island, and is almost twice as big as the other Hawaiian Islands combined. Hawaii is also the birthplace of modern surfing, states Hawaii Authority Hawaii. Surfing started in Hawaii and then brought the outbreak of surfing around the world. Around the Island Hawaii there are 5 other major islands in Hawaii: Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, Lanai, and Maui. The Kauai Island is known for, during the summer months the waves tends to break along the south end of the island, which gives the surfers surfing spots. The Oahu Island is one of the best islands for surfing in Hawaii and the world. This island has more surfing spots then any other Hawaiian Island. On the Molokai Island there are surf spots on both sides of the island that residents still ride. Hawaiian Suring includes that, there are several surfing spots around the Lanai Island but the most popular spot is at the southeastern and Hulopoe Beach. Maui Island is most famous surf site was Uo, a spot off the town of Lahaina, shares Hawaiian Surfing. The reef that creates the wave at this spot makes it good for beginners on the inside and challenging for the experience surfers on the outside. The island that I would want to visit and surf at is the Oahu Island because it has the most surf spots in Hawaii and one of the best surfing spots around the world.

World Diffusion of Modern Hawaiian Surfing and Surf wear Two of the reason why I like surfing so much are because of the places surfing moved too and the surfers surf wear. Even though surfing started in Hawaii it has spread to many areas around the world. To major areas surfing first spread to was California and Australia. When I think of surfers and what they wear I think of all these colorful bathing suits, summer clothes, and Woodstock type of clothing. Before the swimwear and surfer clothes that they have now, Hawaiians use to wear a kapa. A kapa is bark cloth that was made from the inner fibers of certain plants like wauke or paper mulberry, shares Hawaiian Suring. They cloth was made that when it was exposed to water it would not fall apart. Competitive Surfing Injuries When I think of the surfing I think of it as a risky sport and injuries are easy to occur. The Studies of recreational surfing have shown that the majority of acute injuries are lacerations, contusions, and sprains, most commonly to the head and lower extremities. Most injuries are caused by contact with the surfboard and, to a lesser extent, the ocean floor (Nathanson, Bird, Dao, and Tam-Sing 114). Surfers hitting their own surfboard are where most of their injuries happen. The study from Competitive Surfing Injuries shares, that from 32 contests there was a total of 15,675 surfer heats which are the times the surfer goes out and surfs the waves, and twelve of these events had long boards and about 95% of the heats used short boards. Competitive Surfing Injuries shares that from theses contest 116 injuries were recorded, but 89 of the injuries happened during the surfing heats, while the others were in their practice sessions. According to Competitive Surfing Injuries, Bivariate analyses revealed that the wave size, bottom

type, and heat length, independently, were significantly associated with the occurrence of an injury during a surfing heat (Nathanson, Bird, Dao, and Tam-Sing 115). The top injuries to occur were sprains and strains, and then came lacerations, contusions, and fractures shares Competitive Surfing Injuries. The mechanism of these injuries all came from different reasons. Competitive Surfing Injuries states that, Impact with the surfboard caused 29% of all injuries, 24% by contact with the ocean floor, 16%by the surfers own body motion, and 12% by the hydraulic force of a wave. Less common mechanisms of injury included jellyfish stings, collisions with other surfers, and a collision with a personal water craft (Andrew Nathanson, Shark Bird, Leland Dao, and Kelly Tam-Sing p. 115). I would have thought that the impact of wave crushing down of the surfer would cause one of the highest injuries but I was wrong. Although, surfing is a competitive sport that is rough on the body but there are fewer injuries than people think.

Surfing has gone through a course over the past years but without the struggle it went through surfing might not be as big as it is today. Surfing is not only in Hawaii but also now all over the world. Before writing this paper I thought I knew a good amount about surfing but I was totally off. I did not realize all the different aspects that took place into surfing. There are many spots you can surf at but each spot is different and offers the surfer a different type of ride on the wave. The board you use to surf has a huge affect on

how you will ride and if so what injury might occur from using a short or long board. The outfits surfers wear need to fit tight because when falling off you do not want you bathing suit falling off too. You also want to wear clothing that will protect you from creatures in the water like jellyfish. The biggest of all is being able to surf. You need balance, strength, and determine to stand up on the board then ride the wave. You also need a since of vision of how to ride the wave and knowing which wave to pick or let pass by. Then after all that and riding the wave you need to know how to get out of the wave and finish without injury yourself or others. Surfing is not an easy sport and takes a lot of practice to get it down but once you have everything master surfing is just an everyday thing, like it is to many Hawaiians. The reason why surfing matters so much to me is because I have never been but am dying to go surfing. Another reason is that my dream job is to be able to open a surf shop one day because I love watching the sport, being outside, and I want to own my own business. This is why surfing means so much to me and why I wanted to learn more about it and the Hawaii, the place it all started at. I am better off for knowing about surfing because one day I want to visit Hawaii and surf, and now I know about the major Hawaiian Islands and the best spot surfing spot for me. I am also better off knowing about surfing because if I do end up opening up my own surf shop one day I know have a little bit of a background in surfing. I cannot wait for the day I will be able to surf!

Works Cited Clark, John R. K. Hawaiian Surfing: Traditions from the Past. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 2011. Internet resource. Finny, Ben R. The Development and Diffusion of Modern Hawaiian Surfing. The Journal of the Polynesian Society. 69.4 (1960): 315-331. Print. Lanagan, David. "Surfing in the Third Millennium: Commodifying the Visual Argot." The Australian Journal of Anthropology. 13.3 (2002): 283-291. Print. Nathanson, Andrew, Philip Haynes, and Daniel Galanis. "Surfing Injuries." The American Journal of Emergency Medicine. 20.3 (2002): 155-160. Print. Nathanson, Andrew, Shark Bird, Leland Dao, and Kelly Tam-Sing. "Competitive Surfing Injuries." The American Journal of Sports Medicine. 35.1 (2007): 113-117. Print.