Few things are more Hawaiian than the sport of surfing. Sit on a sunny beach anywhere in this chain of islands, and you’re bound to see someone surfing the waves. Despite the fact that surfing was discovered and enjoyed by many different cultures, to some it will always be Hawaiian.
In Peru, pre-Inca people left evidence that they rode on small vessels while being shoved into the shore by waves. In Samoa and Tahiti, warriors trained for their battles by surfing, and historians agree that surfing was brought to Hawaii by the early the Polynesian settlers.
He’e nalu — wave sliding — was more than a just an enjoyable sport to Hawaiians, it had spiritual and societal meanings.The higher your rank in the community, the better your board, and, naturally, prime beaches were reserved for the special few. There were offerings, along with prayers. He’e nalu was a serious business. Because there was no contact with the outside world, the old traditions and techniques remained the same for a great many years.
Gone are the days when craftsmen carved and shaped a felled tree into a 9 to 12 foot surfboard. Before being lugged to the water, the boards, weighing upwards of 100 pounds were finished using protecting natural oils from plants. Today, with modern materials, techniques, and technology, the fun is much easier to come by, and available to all, not just a special few.