Surfing is a kind of water sports where the
surfer is carried along by a breaking wave towards
the shore. Apart from surfboards body boards,
kneeboards, surf skis and kayaks can be also used to
surf. Various sports involving surfing are sea
kayaking, paddle boarding, kite surfing and
windsurfing. The first two do not require waves and
winds, while the other two does. Surfing has become
more of a profession by turning into a multi-billion
dollar industry.
Initially the sport began when people used to lie
down on hard wood boards and surf in Hawaii.
Lieutenant James King who wrote journals on Captain
Cook and completed them after his death set the
first record. The surfboards were made out of huge
and heavy wood, which were difficult to maneuver.
They were substituted by lighter balsa wood
surfboards in 1940s and were relatively easy to
maneuver by the surfer. The boards were later made
out of polyurethane foam, polyester resin and
fiberglass cloth with multiple layers of wooden
strips. The latest technology in surfboards now is
the epoxy or carbon fiber surfboard. To surf in
colder regions, its advisable to wear wetsuits,
boots, gloves and hood to protect from cold-water
temperatures, which can sometimes lead to
hypothermia. There are different styles of boards
like egg or the long board style short board, fish
or short and wide board with a split tail and gun
with a long pointed board meant for big waves.
Swell is important for surfing. When the wind blows
over a huge area of water, called the wind's fetch,
the water wave rises, called the swell. The stronger
the wind is the more the swell. Surfers can find the
perfect spot where there is a low pressure system
being experienced by a large coastline. A moderate
strength offshore wind can form a perfect wave
without small breaks. The topography of the seabed
beneath the wave also affects the wave formed.
The sign of a good surfer is that he is able to
catch the wave before other surfers can. Beginners
find it difficult to catch the wave at all. Once the
wave is caught, the surfer can stand on the
surfboard and stay in front of the curl of the wave,
also known as the white water. The wave carries the
surfer and takes him in a forward direction. A
skilled surfer is able to take total charge of a
challenging situation and at the same time maneuver
like curving or turning. Some tricks practiced by
experienced surfers are floater, cutback, air and
off the lip. The most difficult trick is the surf
inside the tube formed by the closed curl of the
wave.
Surfing has dangers like any other water sport, the
major being drowning. The surfer must at all times
keep his feet strapped to the surfboard to avoid any
mishap during a wipeout. In some cases, the surfers
can loose their consciousness and the surfboard can
be entangles in a rip current, so it is advisable to
not to surf alone. The nose or fins of the surfboard
cause nearly sixty six percent of injuries to
surfers. The water can infect the cuts caused by
them. There can be possibility of colliding with
objects under water like corals and rocks, which can
sometimes even lead to death. Sea animals, like
shark, jellyfish and stingrays, should be watched
out for.
Surf forecasting is done to aid surfers and help
them enjoy their experience. It involves information
technology involving mathematical modeling to
represent the wave in a graphical manner. This gives
an idea about the direction and size of the swells
in the oceans around the world. There are many surf
forecasting websites where a surfer can get all the
necessary information before going out to surf where
artificial reefs are constructed with all the
factors under control. Wave pools also have been
built to attract tourist, but the count is less
because of the huge cost involved.
