Surfing (heʻe nalu)
Surf (heʻe nalu)
- Date
- before 1778 (tradición polinesia) · confidence low
- Place
- Waikīkī, Honolulu, Hawaii, United States
- Credited to
- Polynesians of Hawaii and Tahiti
- Field
- Tools
⚠️ Disputed: the sources disagree.
What it is
Riding waves standing on wooden boards (olo and alaia), with rituals, songs and social rules. Hawaiians practised it with skill when it was described by Cook's crews in 1778-1779.
There is no inventor or date. Polynesia is cited as the cradle, but forms of wave riding are found elsewhere (Peruvian caballitos de totora, Ghana, the western Pacific). The first written description is by James King (1779).
What it led to
- a global sport since its spread by Duke Kahanamoku from 1910
- an industry of boards, clothing and tourism
- an Olympic sport since Tokyo 2020