Soul Surfer

 the book "Soul Surfer" was an interesting book. it showed the life of a female surfer that had a terrible accident but still continued to surf. she was victim to a shark attack in the fall of 2003. people thought that she would never surf again but ten weeks after the accident she got back on her board. she went back to her home state of Hawaii and entered a surf competition. there she proved that she was a determined surfer and would continue to surf no matter what happened. if your interested in surfing or just a good book to read, i invite you to read "Soul Surfer".

The Three S's

With sports, there are three that are most similar- surfing, snowboarding and skateboarding. These sports go hand in hand with one another for the fact of the motions and the flow is very similar. For a matter of fact those who surf skateboard and snowboard and vise versa. another way you could look at it is as a triangle. surfing in the summer, snowboarding in the fall and winter, and skateboarding in the spring.

Different Types of Tails on Surfboards

• Pintails – Pintails are designed to provide maximum control and surface hold on the wave. They have minimal surface area and come to a point at the end with little curvature. This decreased surface area decreases the lift on the tail and allows the point to dig into the face of the wave, causing the board to “track” or maintain direction. Pintails are used almost exclusively on big wave gun surfboards, where control is the most important element. Pintails are not so maneuverable, but when you’re speeding down the face of a 20′ Waimea bomb it is more important that the board go straight and not suddenly start snaking all over the place.
• Roundpin Tail – This surfboard tail design is a more versatile version of the pintail with a bit more width and curve. It is the halfway point between round tails and pintails, ideal for medium sized surf, anywhere from shoulder to almost double overhead. Softer curve coming to either a point or a rounded point. This tail design provides a moderate reduction in surface area to maintain control, however it is not as extreme as the pintail. Roundpin tails have less release and create smoother, more drawn out turns. This tail can be found on a variety of boards from shortboards and hybrids to longboards.
• Round Tail – This is a smoother continuation of the board’s contour, coming to a rounded end. The increased surface area helps give the board a bit more lift in the rear and allows for a looser, more turnable board. These are popular on shortboards where maneuverability is key. A round tail will provide more release off the top of a wave than a squash or swallow tail, however it makes square turns off the bottom or mid face a bit more difficult without a corner to work with, such as exists on a squash or swallow tail. Round tails help direct the water around the end of the board and provide more stability in hollow, fast surf.
• Squash Tail – Very responsive, the squash surfboard tail design provides all the surface and planing area of a round tail, contributing to speed and lift and helping to maintain speed in slower spots. The rounded corners provide a bit more bite and control than the round tail, and the square end allows the board to release. The corners allow for more pivotal, abrupt turns off the bottom or on the face, but will provide less release off the top. This tail design relies on the tri-fin setup to maintain control. The squash is the most popular tail for a shortboard.
• Swallow Tail – The swallow tail is related to the squash tail in that it provides more surface area from rail to rail, allowing for planing speed and lift. The tail of the board curves down to two points as in a squash, but the area between those points is decreased by a vee cutout resulting in two soft points. The decreased area between the corners and more pronounced points give the board more “bite” and control in critical maneuvers, as well as when going into and out of turns. The two points on the swallow tail act sort of like dual miniature round point tails, but without the pronounced “tracking” that a pin or rounded pin provides. The swallow tail is generally good for small waves, but it also is good for surfers who want a board that’s going to stick during deep carves. Fish type surfboards tend to have a pronounced swallowtail, compensating for the wider, straighter outline which is more difficult to maneuver.
• Bat Tail – (sometimes called a star tail) This is rare surfboard tail design. It’s a version of the swallow tail and essentially performs the same way. Helps keep the tail wider so the rails can run straigher down the length of the board. The bat tail is essentially just a cosmetic difference, as it is extremely difficult to percieve any difference between the Bat, Diamond and Swallow. Some say that the center point of the bat tail adds a bit more stability.
• Diamond Tail – The diamond tail is a lesser used tail design now that the squash tail has become more popular. The original intent of the diamond tail was to soften up the square tail but keep some of its speed.

 

Different Types of Surfboards

• short-board- The short-board surfboard design reinvented high performance surfing in the 1970s and continues to allow surfers to push the boundaries of the sport. The shortboard is usually found at a length of under seven feet long.  It will have a greater amount of rocker which allows it to surf in critical sections of the wave. It is most commonly seen with sharp noses, thins rails, and either three or four fins.
• long-board- This is the oldest and most traditional of modern surfboard designs. Longboards typically range from 8 feet to 12 feet long, at least 2.5 inches thick and twenty inches wide.  This extra volume allows them to paddle incredibly well and catch waves with ease. A beginner should start on a long-board shape to learn wave selection, paddling technique, and turning basics. Expert long-boarders are known for their smooth style, surfing in a very fluid manner.
• fun-board- A fun-board is a larger surfboards with a lot of volume but not quite that of a long-board. They typically range in from 6 feet to 8 feet long. The fun-board is a perfect for surfers who want to transition to a smaller board while still maintaining additional paddling power and stability. The fun-board can come in a variety of tail shapes, nose shapes, and foils.
• fish- The fish design gained popularity in the 1970s and has origins in the knee-board. It is typically found shorter and wider than the short-board and because of this it works very well in small mushy surf. A fish is a relatively flat surfboard with only a bit of rocker, allowing it to paddle very well and carry speed through flat sections of a wave.
• gun- This is the surfboard that you take out when the waves are huge. A typical gun ranges in length from 6’6” to 10’.  The extra length allows a surfer to gain enough speed while paddling to catch the huge and fast moving waves. It is designed for big drops and handling very high speeds with good control.  A gun will have a great deal of rocker and will most likely have three of four fins.
• hybrid- A hybrid surfboard design mixes a few design elements from different board types. One common example mixes the characteristics and performance of a short-board with the stability and tail design of a fish. This is a great board for medium size days or even just a heavier surfer who wants to surf a smaller board.
• other- the last type of board is the paddle board. the paddle board is one that you stand up on the whole time and use a paddle to move. the paddle is very similar to the one used in a canoe. using a paddle board uses more strength from your arms and core than your legs. paddle boards are generally 9’6”-11’4” and the paddle is 6’-8’ to make sure that you can still get the paddle into the water so you can move.

the best way to see different types of boards is by going to this link- https://www.youtube.com/user/CompareSurfboards

Surf Music

There are three different genres of surf music: surf pop, surf rock, and instrumental.

Surf rock:

• wedding cake island, midnight oil
• Reef
• Paddle out by Sublime
• the Ziggens
• The Bambi Molesters

Surf pop:

• Middle Man by Jack Johnson
• Surfer Girl by The Beach Boys
• Surf City by Jan and Dean
• Surfer Joe by The Surfaris
• Fun, Fun, Fun by The Beach Boys

Instrumental:

• Dick Dale
• Walk Don’t Run by The Ventures
• Apache by The Shadows
• Bombora by The Atlantics
• Wipeout by The Surfaris
• The Blue Stingrays

Surfer Lingo

Beach bunny- young women that spend their free time at the beach

Dude- guy

Dudette- girl

Radical- extreme maneuvers done by surfers

Gnarly- challenging

Tubular- cool or awesome

Leash- a strong cord that goes around your ankle and connects to the board

Boardshorts- swim trunks

Wetsuit- used by surfers and divers; full body swimsuit

Shaka Sign- hang loose; done by making a fist and pointing out your thumb and pinky finger (shown in the link) http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/42/Gesture_raised_fist_with_thumb_and_pinky_lifted.jpg

Big Wave Culture

A non-competitive activity known as “rhino hunting” is where you try to ride the biggest wave possible, is very popular with some surfers. A practice popularized in the 1990’s known as big wave surfing has been revolutionized so that surfers are towed out into the ocean by a personal watercraft so they can catch some of the unrideable waves. these wave can gain speeds of up to 60 km/h. Using personal watercraft helps surfers reach the same speed as the waves that they are trying to catch and they also help surfers survive wipe-outs (a wipe-out is when a surfer falls off of their surfboard or gets pounded by the wave).

Top 10 Surfing Spots(USA)

Top 10 Surfing Areas in America

10. Ocean City, New Jersey

9. New Smyrna, Florida

8. Montauk, New York

7. Malibu, California

6. Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina

5. San Clemente, California

4. Paia, Hawaii

3. Encinitas, California

2. Haleiwa, Hawaii

1. Santa Cruz, California

Top 25 Surfing Spots(global)

Top 25 Surfing Areas in the World

25. Superbank, Gold Coast, Australia

24. Pipeline, Oahu, Hawaii

23. Bundoran Beach, County Donegal, Ireland

22. Mentawai Islands, Indonesia

21. Supertubes, Jeffrey’s Bay, South Africa

20. Lima, Peru

19. The Bubble, Fuerteventura, Canary Islands

18. Black Beach, San Diego, California

17. Hossegor, France

16. El Salvador

15. Costa Rica

14. Cloud Nine, Siargao Islands, Philippines

13. Brazil

12. Sultans, North Male, Maldives

11. Samoan Islands

10. Montanita Beach, Montanita, Ecuador

9. Manu Bay, Raglan, New Zealand

8. Riyuewan, Sanya, Hainan, China

7. Cloud Break, Tavarua Island, Fiji

6. Joe’s Point, Sur, Oman

5. Watergate Bay, Cornwall, England

4. Rincon, Puerto Rico

3. White Beach, Okinawa, Japan

2. Le Cavaliers, Anglet, France

1. Tofino, Vancouver Island, Canada