The foam of the sea, the sand and
the movement expressed on a surfboard. Imagine yourself
gliding over perfect waves in the tropical waters, enjoying
delicious fresh fruit juices and the incomparable nightlife
of the beach. Ecuador, host to the Surf World Championships
in 2004, will offer you the most adventurous and safe
experiences of your life. Specialized agencies and trained
instructors offer tours and continuous courses for you
to get to know the aquatic life of Ecuador… Let’s
go to the sea!
What is Surfing?
Surfing is a sport that consists of riding the waves with
the help of a board or other object that floats and sometimes
only with your body. The surfer stands up on the surfboard,
gliding down a breaking wave and using the weight of your
body to steer the board. Although it is possible to surf
on waves that are only 30 cm high, bigger waves give you
a faster and more exciting ride.
Surfing
History
Surfing originated in the South Pacific and developed
on the Hawaiian Islands during the era when the English
explorer James Cook reached them in 1778. Surfboards at
that time where long boards that weighed 68 kg or more
so only the strongest athletes could use them.
With the development of a lighter board, surfing turned
into a popular sport. In the decade of the 1930’s,
the solid boards were substituted for boards made of balsa
wood with a coating on the outside and fins to steer them.
In the decade of the 1960’s, an even lighter weight
board was developed with the use of new materials like
Styrofoam and fiberglass. The modern surfboards measure
from 2.7 to 3.0 meters long by 56 to 58 cm wide and 7.6
to 10.2 cm thick. The ones that weigh less than 11.3 kg
are the most popular among young people.
Types and
Levels
There are different types of surfing, the four main ones
being: body, canoeing surf, belly board and long board.
Body surfing: this
is practiced by swimmers that place themselves in the
crest of soft waves and let themselves be pulled to the
shore. It is necessary to swim at the same speed as the
wave and use the force of it at the end.
Canoeing surf:
consists of riding the waves while on board a type of
kayak that undergoes a series of lateral and upside down
movements. When the surfer reaches the crest of the wave,
the kayak is upside down and crew member should use his/her
expertise to return it to its original position for the
last leg of the wave.
Belly board: this
is a variant of body surfing. The surfer lays face down
on a short board, on a life jacket or a small rubber boat.
Using his arms and legs he tries to stay on the crest
of the wave. It is a difficult specialty.
Long board: this
is the most popular and widespread type. On top of the
board that is made for the surfer’s characteristics
(height, weight, experience, etc), the surfer needs to
develop a technique for movement using the push of the
waves.
