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.

During the 1920s and 30s, experiments with wooden boards resulted in the use of redwood and balsa laminates to reduce weight. The first fiberglass board was built in1946, and in 1949 the first board with a styrofoam core was constructed. Then in 1958, Hobie Alter began building polyurethane foam core boards with a resin outer shell, and his method is still used today.

From toddlers to senior citizens, the lightweight, sort of maneuverable, somewhat rider friendly surfboards give almost everyone the opportunity to experience the thrill of catching a wave, even if it is the tiniest of shoreline variety. And surfing, with its innovations is, at last, a global experience.

Surfers regularly climb into wetsuits so they can catch a wave at any latitude. Almost two thirds of the earth’s coastlines used to be closed to surfers because of water and/or air temperatures. Not any more, though. Iceland, anyone?

Something as simple as an aerial view has gone a long way in mitigating surfer risk. From spotting nearby sharks, or finding injured surfers, and directing rescue personnel from above, drones have proven their worth time and again.

Shark repellant is a phrase that brings comfort to anyone submerged in ocean waters. Whether it’s a bracelet, an ankle band, a device mounted on the surfboard, or a whole body wet suit designed to confuse the shark’s perception, anything that can lessen the chance of an attack is welcome.

So join in. Find those instructional videos on the internet. Watch the exciting short films of extreme surfing. Get inspired, and you, too, can become a wave slider.