Surfing facts
Quick facts Surfing is also a verb meaning "To browse the World Wide Web
"Surfing is a water sport done in the ocean or sea. The surfer uses their surfboard to catch a wave and ride in towards the shore.
Surfing was invented by the Polynesians at least 4000 years ago. It has become a popular sport among both men and women of all ages. With lifestyles and regimens freer than those of most sports, surfers comprise a unique culture. Though surfing is practiced in many other Pacific nations, its center remains Hawaii, where many rounds of the international surfing championships (the ASP) are held annually. Surfing is popular in Australia, the US, and Northern Europe.
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Read below to see 14 other amazing facts about surfing:
1.
Surfing is one of the oldest sports on Earth. Archaeologists recently discovered prehistoric stone carvings in Chan Chan, Peru that date back over 5,000 years ago and show people surfing.
2.
The world record for the longest ride is 3 hours 55 minutes by surfer Gary Saavedra in 2011 when he rode the wake of a speed boat.
3.
WWII pushed surfing to the next level… kind of. Due to the war new chemicals were made; Styrofoam, resin and fiberglass would later be used to make the boards we are accustomed to today.
4.
The first major surf contest was held all the way back in 1928 in California.
5.
Surfing is now a £20 Billion a year industry with over 25 million surfers worldwide.
6.
The biggest wave ever recorded was 1738ft! Yes you read that right, it was classed as a mega-tsunami and happened in Lituya Bay, Alaska in 1958. Well worth doing some further reading on that event.
7.
The single longest ride ever was a tidal bore wave in the Amazon River which was a leg burning 37 minutes, similar to the one below right here in the UK on the River Severn.
8.
The largest surf board collection belongs to Donald Dettloff who owns a staggering 647 boards! He has made a fence from them which surrounds his property in Hawaii.
9.
Speaking of Hollywood stars and surf injuries, the late Patrick Swayze broke four ribs whilst filming arguably the best Hollywood surf film, Point Break.
10.
The record for the amount of surfboards stacked on top of a car is an astonishing 282 which then drove 30 metres in California.
11.
50 year old Kurtis Loftus surfed for an arm aching 29 hours and 1 minute in Jacksonville Beach back in 2011 to set the record for longest surfing marathon.
12.
Surf legend Kelly Slater unsurprisingly holds the record for the most money earned through surfing in one year when he made $3million back in 2011.
13.
A new study has led researchers to conclude that surfing continues to be gaining in popularity because it embodies the antithesis of modern society, the pursuit of pure pleasure and the ideal of perpetual youth! Sounds about right to us!
14.
Back in 1959 Linda Benson become the first woman to surf the infamous Waimea Bay at the tender age of 15! She also became the first women to be a surf magazine cover star.
15.
Huntington Beach, CA, hosts the Annual City Surf Dog contest to raise money for animal welfare organizations. Dogs are judged based on their confidence riding a wave and how long they stay up.
(Thank you surfholidays.com)
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