Surfing Hotspots

There are hundreds of thousands of beaches in the world on which you can go surfing. However, there are some that are much more special than others. The beaches are located in some of the nicest coastal places on Earth, and combined with amazing waves, this is any surfer's dream. The following beaches have been ranked in no particular order as some of the best ones on Earth.



















The first is the Pipeline. It is located in Oahu, Hawaii. These waves come crashing down over a coral reef six metres below. The second is Supertube, in Jeffrey's Bay, also known as J Bay by surfers around the globe. Another is Bondi Beach in Sydney. This beach is obviously very good for surfing, but the reason I mention it is because it is arguably one of the most famous beaches on Earth. Finally, as an Irish person, I couldn't not include Strandhill, Sligo or Bundorran, Donegal. These are the best and most famous places to go surfing in Ireland.










Photo credit: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/03/Empty_wave_at_Banzai_Pipeline.jpeg


Video of Pipeline, Oahu, Hawaii:
https://youtu.be/m0Z4vSrF8dc

What are the different types of surfboards?

There are lots of different types of surfboards. the following are the most common. The first is the fun board. This is a general name for all surfboards that have more volume, which in return allows you to catch more waves much more easily. They normally range from 7 to 9 feet. They are excellent for beginners. The next type is the fish board. This board is shorter than the fun board. These are better for quick turning, however the fun boards are a much smoother ride as its area is much larger. The short board are the most famous boards, which are used by professionals and more advanced surfers, as they are much thinner and shorter than the fun boards. They are normally range from 5 to 7 feet. The are incredibly agile and have very sharp turning, ideal for more classy surfing. The next type is the long board. These measure from 8 to 11 feet. It is very easy to catch waves with these boards, however they are difficult to maneuver. The final board is the stand up paddle board, which is more commonly referred to as an SUP board. It is a much larger and fatter board, measuring from 10 to 12 feet. It is designed for standing on while paddling. You can use these boards for anything, from small waves, to big waves, to following rivers.

The Dangers of Surfing

The first thing people think of when they are told surfing and danger, they immediately think shark! Actually, a very small percentage of surfers die from shark attacks. Most people attacked by sharks are not surfers, but swimmers. However, the much bigger danger is drowning. There are loads of different possibilities to drowning, such as getting trapped under huge waves, called hold downs, being separated from your board, and falling unconscious from big collisions with your board or the wave. Broken bones are common injuries. Incredibly strong currents called rips are also very dangerous as when caught in them, you are extremely quickly swept out to sea. Rips are deep corridors of water running from the beach all the way out to deep waters. Its is impossible to escape a rip by battling the current, the only way to get out is by going side ways to get out of the corridor. Only then will be you be able to get back to the beach.

The Origins of Surfing

Surfing is one of the oldest sports in the world. Surfing has an extremely interesting history. It originates from Hawaii. It was originally called “he’enalu”, which translates into wave-riding. According to the website The Sport of Kings Bitton, "he'e" means the transition from a solid to a liquid, and "nalu" "refers to the surfing motion of a wave". It first started as a way of fishermen bringing in their catch, and over the centuries it developed into a sport. It slowly anchored itself in tradition. Surfing fitted in perfectly with Hawaiian society and tradition as back then most people where fishermen, which meant that most people would have used this technique to bring in their catch. All these fishermen became very comfortable and familiar with these ways. They passed these on to their children, who in turn did the same. As it developed into a sport, as everybody knew about it, everybody started to surf. Another reason it fitted in well with Hawaiian society is as because the weather is so good there, most people are very comfortable being in the water as it is a good way to cool down. Surfing became a popular water sport as it was an entertaining way for the locals to cool down in the water by still having fun and enjoying themselves. 

Introduction

Hello, my name is Sean Purser. This is my blog on surfing.
Feel free to leave a comment.