Surfing in Hawai'i: 1778-1930

Images of America: Hawaii

by Timothy Tovar DeLaVega

When the early European explorers traversed the globe, their journals held numerous accounts of Hawaiians enjoying surfing. Since Europeans of that era were not accustomed to swimming in their own cold waters, it must have seemed like a dream to watch naked native Hawaiians riding the waves of a turbulent sea. Nowhere in the ancient world was surfing as ingrained into the culture as on the islands of Hawai'i. He'e nalu (wave sliding) was the national sport and enjoyed by all. When a swell was up, whole villages were deserted as everyone fled to the beach to test their surfing skills. Legends of famous surf riders were retold in mele (song/chant), and fortunes could be decided on the outcome of a surfing contest. From these shores, modern surfing was born, along with the iconic romantic images of bronzed surfers, grass shacks, and hula.

130 pages, Hardcover

First published June 13, 2011

Reviews

[Sharon Stine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating history. No idea that surfing as we know it today began in Waikiki (historically much earlier in the Pacific islands but coming from Calif with brothers and husband who surfed I enjoyed the.

[surfurbian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great pictorial narrative of surfing of surfing for the time period. Interesting to read of the reintroduction of the long board by Duke Kahanamoku. Guess there was a longboard revolution before there was a shortboard revolution. Also very interesting to read of the resistance to the hollow boards introduction by Tom Blake. It seems that change in the sport (shortboards, thrusters, longboardings comeback, and now SUP) has always been met with some resistance and this little book sheds some light on that phenomena.