History of surfing (2 part)
Increasing popularity before World War the second
1 part of article here: History of surfing (1 part)
Invention of the car made it much easier to get into this sport. It had been extremely difficult to move along the beach with such heavy boards. However, appearance of automobiles in people’s lives made it simpler to find good waves. Moreover it facilitated to popularization of surfing as a youth lifestyle. Young people could spend holidays and weekends looking for the best places for surfing and hanging out.
Next step in promotion of windsurfing was development of board. From the every beginning surf boards were made of the Koa tree, the Wili wili and the Ula tree, later material was changed to redwood and little more later to balsa and plywood. Length of boards was also changed, it was decreased almost twice, from 12-16 feet to 6-10 feet long. One more essential step in improving of the board was making it hollow. This change made surfboard less heavy and therefore easier to manage. And of course, a fin! Tom Blake, who was the first person who constructed a hollow board, designed and created a fin. Everybody knows little thing added to the bottom of the board. All this manipulations helped to increase and improve manoeuvrability of the board and made it more stable.
Fame of surfing also spread with popularization of photography. People saw strong beautiful sportsmen in nice swimming suits with happy faces. It encouraged big amount of people to try this new challenging sport.
After the Second World War surfing obtained new opportunities for development. Fast technological progress during the war gave surfing new materials and ideas.
Such materials as polyurethane foam, fiberglass and different kinds of plastics are important breakthrough of that time.
Huge contribution to windsurfing was made by Jack O’Neill. He was the first man who really challenged himself in creating a way for sportsmen to stay in cold ocean water for longer time. He tried various materials till once, during his airplane travelling he got an idea to use neoprene as a material which would keep people warm in water and at the same time wouldn’t limit freedom of movement. At that time the first wetsuit was created. He took it and demonstrated at all major surfing exhibitions and festivals. It was funny, the way he chose to explain people the meaning and objective of wetsuits. He asked his children to accompany him in his journeys. When people asked him, “What is the wetsuit?”, he pointed to his sons, who were sitting in bathes full of ice.
This Jack O’Neill’s invention gave opportunity to sportsmen of different kinds of sport, not only surfing, to practice longer hours, so achieve better results and create new tricks, but what is more important to enjoy windsurfing all year round.
Real surfing culture began with surf movies. People were absolutely captured with it: music, fashion even art. It became a SURFING LIFESTYLE!
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