This issue's heritage article con­ cerns the state of surfboarding among the Hawaiians during the time of Captain Cook's discovery and why the Hawaiians surpassed all other people of their time in equipment and ability.

SURFING AT THE TIME OF CAPTAIN COOK By Chuck Shipman

In this article, I will be concerned only amusement, which is performed in the encounter. The coast being guarded by a with the earliest accounts of su rfboard following way: twenty or thirty of the chain of rocks, with, here and there, a riding. All events will concern surfing natives, taking each a long narrow board small opening between them, they are the big island of . The big island rounded at the ends, set out together obliged to steer their boards through one is seldom surfed today because of its from the shore, The first wave they meet, of these, or, in case of failure, to quit it, dangerous, rocky coastline, tricky cur­ they plunge under, and suffering it to roll before they reach the rocks, and, plung­ rents and huge winter swells, and you over them, rise again beyond it, and make ing under the wave, make the rest of will find tre perils of some of the sights the best of thei r way, by out their way back again. This is reckoned mentioned in these narratives give us into the . The second wave is en­ very disgraceful, and is also attended who visit there today an increased respect countered in the same manner as the with the loss of the board, which I have lor the nameless surfers of old Hawaii. first; the great difficulty consisting in often seen, with great terror, dash to Captain was murdered by seizing the proper moment of pieces, at the very moment the islander Hawaiians in February of 1779. Lt. King under it, which, if missed, the person is quited it. The boldness and address with succeede'd into command and sailed .::aught by the surf, and driven back with which we saw them perform these diffi­ back to England. Along the way, he ­ great violence; and all his dexterity is cult and dangerous manoeuvres, was al­ ished the journal of his captain. Among then required to prevent himself from together astonishing, and is scarcely to his r.ecollections about the natives of being dashed against the rocks. As soon be credited." "Owhyhee" was history's first detailed as they have gained, by these repeated Some years later, the American mis­ description of riding. Wrote efforts, the smooth beyond the surf, sionary, William Ellis, became the first King, "Swimming is not only a necessary they lay themselves at length on their whiteman to journey completely around art, in which both their men and women boards, and prepare for their return. As the big island of Hawaii. Here are some are more expert than any people we had the surf consists of a number of waves, excerpts from his dairy: hitherto seen , but a favourite deversion of which every third is remarked to be SURFING AT WAIMANU amongst them. One particular mode, in always much larger than the others, and which they sometimes amused themselves to flow higher on the shore, the rest "As we crossed the of the bay, with this exercise, in Karakakooa Bay, breaking in the intermediate space, their we saw a number of young persons swim­ appeared to us most perilous and extra­ first object is to place themselves on the ming in the surf, which rolled with some ordinary, and well deserving a distinct summit of the largest surge by which they violence on the rocky beach. relation. are driven along with amazing rapidity "To a spectator nothing can appear " The surf," he continued, " which toward the shore. If by mistake they more daring, and sometimes alarming, breaks on the coast around the bay, should place themselves on one of the than to see a number of persons splash­ extends to the distance of about 150 smaller waves, which breaks before they ing around among the waves of the sea yards from the shore, within which space, reach the land, or should not be able to as they dash on the shore; yet, this is the the surges of the sea, accumulating from keep their plank in a proper direction on most popular and delighftul of the native the shallowness of the water, are dashed the top of the , they are left exposed sports. against the beach with prodigious vio­ to the fury of the next, and, to avoid it, " There are perhaps no people more lence. Whenever, from stormy weather, or are obliged again to dive and regain the accustomed to the water than the island­ extraordinary swells at sea, the impetu­ place from which they set out. Those who ers of the Pacific ; they seem almost a osity of the surf is increased to its utmost succeed in their object of reaching the race of amphibious beings. Familiar with height, they choose that time for this shore, have still the greatest danger to the sea from their birth, they lose all 6R SURFING dread of it, and seem nearly as much at quite black, and preserved with great change their position on th e board, some­ home in the water as on dry land." care. After using, it is placed in the sun times setting and sometimes standing until perfectly dry, when it is rubbed over erect in the midst of the foam. CHILDREN SWIM with cocoa-nut oil, frequently rapped in "The greatest address is necessary in AS SOON AS THEY WALK cloth, and suspended in some part of order to keep on the edge of the wave; " There are few children who are not thei r dwelling house. for if they get too forward, they are sure taken into the sea by their mothers the " Sometimes they choose a place to be overturned; and if they fall back, second or third day after their birth, and where the deep water reaches to the they are buried beneath the succeeding many of them swim as soon as they beach, but generally prefer a part where billow." walk. the rocks are ten or twenty feet under " The heat of the climate is, no doubt, the water, and extend to a distance from SURFING - WHOLE VILLAGES, one source of the gratification they find the shore, as the surf breaks more vio­ INCLUDING CHIEFS, SURFING in this amusement which is so universal, lently over these. " Occasionally they take a very light that it is scarcely possible to pass along "When playing in these places, each canoe ; but this, tho directed in the same the shore where there are many habita­ individual takes his board, and, pushing manner as the boards, is much more tions, and not see a number of children it before him swims perhaps a quarter of difficult to manage. playing in the sea. a mile or more out to sea. "Sometimes the greater part of the " Here they remain for hours together, " They do not attempt to go over the inhabitants of a village go out to this and yet I never knew of but one child billows which roll toward the shore, but sport, when the wind blows fresh towards being drowned in the number of years I watch their approach, and dive under the shore, and spend the greater part of

have resided in the islands. They have a water allowing the billow to pass over the day in the water. . All ranks and ages number of games and gambol fearlessly their head." appear equally fond of it. in the water. "We have seen KARAIMOKU and KA­ " Sometimes they erect a stage eight GOING IN ON THE SURF KIOEVA, some of the highest chiefs in or ten feet high on the edge of some "When they reach the outside of the the islands, both between fifty and sixty steep place, and lay a pole in an oblique rocks, where the waves first break, they years of age and large corpulent men, position over the edge of it, perhaps adjust themselves on one end of the balancing themselves on their boards, or twenty feet above the water; along this board, lying flat on their faces, and watch splashing about in the foam , with as they pursue each other to the outermost the approach of the largest billow; they much satisfaction as youths of sixteen. end, where they jump into the sea. t~en poise themselves on its highest " They frequently play at the mouth of "Throwing themselves from the lower edge, and, as it were with thei r a large river, where the strong current yards, or bowsprit, of a ship, is also a hands and feet, ride on the crest of the running into the sea, and the rolling of favorite sport, but the most general and wave, in the midst of the spray and foam, the waves toward the shore, produce a frequent game, swimming in the surf. The till within a yard or two of the rocks or degree of agitation between the water of higher the sea and the larger the waves the shore; and when the observers would the river and the sea, that would be fatal in their opinion the better the sport." expect to see them dash to pieces, they to a European, however expert he might steer with great address between the be; yet in this they delight; and when the SURFBOARDING rocks, or slide off their board in a mo­ king or queen, or any high chiefs, are "On these occasions they use a board, ment, grasp it by the middle, and dive playing, none of the common people are . which they call papa hee naru, (wave under water, while the wave rolls on, and allowed to approach these places, less · sliding-board), generally five or six feet breaks among the rocks with a roaring they should spoil their sport." long , and rather more than a foot wide, noise, the effect of which is greatly KAUMUALII AN EXPERT SURFER sometimes flat, but more frequently con­ heightened by the shouts and laughter of vex on both sides. It is usually made the natives in the water. " The chiefs pride themselves much on from the wood of the erythrina, stained " Those who are expert frequently excelling in some of the games of their SURFING 69 country, hence Taumuarii, the late king of the light spray of the surf touched them agree that the Hawaiians surpassed all TAUAI , was celebrated as the most ex­ before they reached the pool. The spec­ other people of their time in surfing pert swimmer in the surf known in the tators shouted and remarked how clever equipment and ability. islands." the two were. This art was held in esteem The August 1969 issue of SURFING at that time, and so the surfing places magazine named some of the cultures in FEAR OF were constantly filled with men and which surf riding was practiced, probably " The only circumstance that ever mars women. long before men first came to the Ha­ their pleasure in this diversion is the " The surf of Huiha at Honuaula in waiian islands. In most of these cultures approach of a . When this happens, Kailua Proper, directly above the place surfing was a children's pastime often tho they sometimes fly in every direction, where ships anchored and just seaward discouraged by adults as a waste of time. they frequently unite, set up a loud shout, of Keikapuipui, was rough when it rose. The Samoan chief, Palauui Tuiasosopo, and make so much splash 'in the water, A person who had just learned to surf confirmed that his parents would scold as to frighten them away. Their fear of was afraid of it, but those who were him for surfing and encouraged the more them however, is very great; and after a skilled regarded it as fun. The landing practical sports of skin diving and spear party returns from this amusement, al­ place for this surf was a circle of sand. . In other cultures such as that of most the first question they are asked is, The water swirled gently as it went out the Peruvian coastal fishermen, surf rid­ "Were there any sharks?" from the shallows and it was there that ing was merely an incidental, if pleasur­ "The fondness of the natives for the the surfers came in to reach the sand eble, part of the daily fishing routine. water must strike any person visiting their circle. islands; long before he goes on shore, " Huiha and Kiope were covered with FIVE FACTORS FOR CHANGE he will see them swimming around his surf riders when the sea was rough and In Hawaii, five factors combined to ship; and few ships leave without being the surf went all the way up to them. change surfing from a children's diver­ accompanied part of the way out of the There were two small points on the north sion to a highly sophisticated art. First, harbor by the natives, sporting in the side of the sandy landing place, covered the Hawaiian Islands have the most fav­ water; but to see fifty or a hundred per­ with the coarse 'aki'aki grass, and to the orable conditions for surfing known with sons riding on an immense billow, half north, a point of pahoe. Just a little north an almost perfect climate, enjoyable water immersed in spray and foam, for a dis­ of this point were two coral heads which temperature all year round, and consist­ tance of several hundred yards together, were used to gauge the surf. On the inner ent powerful, tubular waves. .is one of the most novel and interesting side of the pahoe and on the north of Second, the Polynesian-Hawaiians were sports a foreigner can witness in the Keikipuipui, was a surfing place for chil­ great water men , and as Lt. King states, islands." dren and for timid men and women. surpassed all others in swimming skills. John Papa Ii was a native Hawaiian "If the king rode in, he went ashore Third, the alii or chiefs were a leisure who grew up in the Royal Court of gracefully on the surf of Huiha; but when class that loved dangerous sports. At Kamehameha, the Conquerer, during the it was rough he went right into Kiope. some very early time they lent their late 1790's and early 1800's. Ii tells how Sometimes he could hardly reach Kiope prestige to surfing and adopted it as one Kamehameha and his queen, Kaahumanu, because of the narrow entrance. The surf of the few peacetime means by which a in their youth were schooled in canoe dashed over the point of Pahoehoe and young chieftain could gain popular recog­ surfing, board surfing and body surfing. washed unobstructed and gently into Ki­ nition and riches to promote his political Then he tells of the surf they rode: ope. Here the mark was observed for the ambitions. " In Puaa, North Kona, is a famous surf riding of this surf was the point of Fourth, the Hawaiians were the only called Kooka, where a coral head stands Kaliliki. If the sea sprays rose upward gamblers of the Polynesian peoples and just outside a point of lava rocks. When two or three times, that was the number they were extremely fanatic betters. Duels the surf dashed over the coral head, the of the wave. If the sea spray of Kaliliki and contests on the highest possible surf people swam out with their · went upward with force, a high surf was excited the multitudes to unbelievable and floated with them. If a person owned indicated and the timid kept away. The wagering. Their annual athletic contests a long narrow canoe, he performed what skilled went close to the source of the during the Makahiki Festival would have was called Ie Ie wa 'a, or canoe leaping, surf and remained there. As to the king, rivaled the great Olympics. Surfing was in which the surfer leaped off the canoe he was frequently seen leaping from a always an important part of the October with his board and rode the crest of a canoe into the surf. Expert surf riders to March Makahiki events. wave ashore. The canoe slid back of the unused to this surf were tossed about by Last, the surfboard builder in every wave because of the force of the shove it and found it was wise to sit still and other culture was, at best, a toy maker. given it with the feet. When the surfer watch the native sons, who were familiar In Hawaii, a good surfboard builder be­ drew close to a place where the surf with it, crouch in the flying spray. A came a Kahuna or member of the pro­ rose , a 'wave would pull itself up high swimmer daring enough to try to land fessional class which included priests, and roll in . Any timid person who got too would be killed." doctors, lawyers, teachers, navigators, close to it was overwhelmed and could historians, and so forth. The surfboard SURFING AN ART FORM not reach the landing place. The opening builder was supported by the chief and through which the surfer entered was like These accounts show that surfing was by fees from the commoner. He and his a sea pool, with a rocky hill above and the national pastime of the Hawaiian apprentices were free to spend all the rows of lava rock on both sides, and people; further, that surfboard riding was time they wished building better surf­ deep in the center. This . was a difficult an art practiced by chiefs and common­ boards. Thus, th rough the years the pre­ feat and one not often seen, but for ers, men and women, and even by little historic Hawaiian surfboards evolved into Kaahumanu and the king it was easy. children. the most sophisticated sliding foils to be When they · reached the place where the Captain Cook, Lt. King and William found anywhere in the world until the surf rose high, they went along with the Ellis had, amongst them, visited most of 1930's when modern technology began to crest of a wave and slipped into the sea the island cultures of the South Pacific, be applied to surfboard design and con­ pool before the wave rolled over. Only the Carribbean and the Atlantic. They struction. ....

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