Surfing History
The earliest written record of surfing was made by Lietenant James King of The Discovery whilst completing the journals of Captain James Cook. Lt. King wrote of the surfboard riding he witnessed at Kealakekua Bay on the Kona coast of the big island of Hawaii.When Lt. King made these notes in 1779 surfing was already a way of life for the people of Hawaii. Of course, they were riding carved hardwood boards, very different from the boards most people ride the waves on today, but the principals were certainly the same.
Earlier history of the sport is mainly estimated, but it is beleived that the Polynesians were riding paipo (belly boards) in the waves centurys earlier.
Christian missionaries suppressed surfing culture after their arrival in the 1820s. They believed surfing to be a waste of time and unproductive.
Duke Kahanamoku's surf club, Hui Nalu or 'the club of waves', grew out of the passion for surfing he and his friends shared. Duke and his surf buddies became known in time as 'The Beach Boys of Waikiki' and are credited with the re-introduction of surfing to Hawaii in the early 1900s.
Surfing was introduced to California in 1907 when George Freeth (an Irish-Hawaiian) gave a demonstration at a railroad opening ceremony at Redondo.