Boards

I’m doing this post on the different board shapes and types because I mentioned that you need other boards for the different weather conditions. 
 
Longboards are mainly used for when the surf is down and shortboards are for bigger waves and are used for more fancy tricks as they are nippier and more manoeuvrable than the long boards. Starter boards are usually foam and then you move on to fiberglass coatings to make them more lightweight and to make them glide. When making a surfboard you start off with a foam blank, give it a fiberglass coating and finally finish it with an epoxy resin. Epoxy is defined by Wikipedia as:
 
‘A common name for a type of strong adhesive used for sticking things together and covering surfaces, typically two resins that need to be mixed together before use.’
 
The old Hawaiian boards were just like flattened cylinders with one end square as seen in my last blog post.

The Origin of Surfing

Early Hawaiian Surfboards

 Surfing was first dicovered in 1769 in Polynesia. Joseph Banks first described the popular sport on the HMS Endeavour during the third voyage of Captain James Cook. Surfing was a big part of the hierarchy in this culture with the best boards and beaches belonging to the rich and the more average boards and beaches belonging to the 'commoners' but could achieve a higher status if they were exceptionally talented on their worse boards.

 
But Polynesians were not necessarily the first people to surf. Samoans were also recorded to surf flat boards and canoes. They referred to the sport as fa'ase'e or se'egalu.

 
Surfing has been around for many many years, in my mind much longer before it was first recorded. But it has come a long long way from wooden and reed boards to fiberglass and foam boards with many different types, styles, lengths and designs to suit the weather conditions and wave sizes. More science and technicalities have gone into it as the years have gone on leading us to have smooth sleek surfboard designs.

Aileen

Aileen.

A huge 40ft wave compared to a wet and wild mountainslide that breaks on the Cliffs of Moher. Only the bravest and most talented surfers dare to attempt this wave. The surfers are dragged to the wave by a jet ski and a tow line and when they are in the optimum position they are detatched from the jet ski and prepare for the wave to hit.


This wave is not just an average wave though. It's a wave that has brought fame and tourism to a small Irish town called Lahinch. Surfers will travel from all over the world just to conquor this, staying and spending their money in the nearby towns and shops. 

Also the newly built and updated Cliffs of Moher visitiors centre has videos and advertises the top surfers riding this wave and gives you information on the wave itself and goes more in to the geographical science of the wave. 

this link willlead you to an interview with top surfer John McCarthy: http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/wonder-wave-infamous-aileen-woos-surfers-26472528.html

Top Five Surfing Spots

"The sport or pastime of riding a wave towards the shore while standing or lying on a surfboard."

This is how www.oxforddictionaries.com defines surfing. I would describe it as standing in the Atlantic Ocean in what feels like 2 degrees, freezing my fingers and toes off while being battered around by the wind and waves but somehow managing to enjoy myself. But this is not the case for all surfers as you will soon see in the top five surfing spots in the world, as most have good weather all year round. Sadly Ireland is not in this but it is in the top 25 of places. 

The best place in the world to surf is Gold Coast, Australia. This is 70km of beach with amazing swells and consistency that has given this beach the title "Surfer's Paradise"

Number two is Mentawai Islands, Indonesia. These are a group of islands that are known all over the world for their consistency in waves size and timing. You can get there by ferry or by chartered boats. The biggest waves are from June to September but it’s recommended to go from March to October.

At number three there is Jeffery’s Bay in South Africa. This is apparently one of the most famous surfing locations in the world as it’s known for hosting the yearly Billabong Pro WCT surfing event in July.

Number four is Fuerteventura, Spain. This is one of the best places to go for the weather. Surfers should expect good weather all year round as the temperature rarely drops below 18 degrees. But October to March is the best time frame to visit.

And at number five is El Salvador. The best season is March to October. This area is more for experienced surfers as the waves can reach up to 10ft.

Surfing can be an extreme sport with  record waves of 80ft to 100ft ever surfed. Some risk their lives just for that one perfect wave.

Picture from:

 http://www.truro-penwith.ac.uk/academies/surf-academy/

The list of the top 5 places to go was taken from this website:

http://www.hotelclub.com/blog/10-of-the-worlds-best-surf-spots/

Introduction

Hello, my name is Molly and I am a TY student in Wesley College and this blog is a project set to my class for environmental studies. I chose to do my blog on surfing because its something that I really love and me and my family head down to Castlegregory, Kerry at least once a year. I have been surfing since I was around eight years old. During this project I'm hoping to find the origins of surfing, the best places to surf (both in Ireland and outside) and the different types of boards and techniques for different weathers.