Surf Culture & History
It's not a hobby, it's a Lifestyle
Exploring Elements of the past and present Beach Culture
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5 Reasons why learning to surf on your own may be a bad idea and here's what you can do
It was 2013, there's me to the left (can't miss all that big hair) taking my first surf lesson with Black Surfers Collective. I was nervous, excited and anxious all at the same time but I knew it was going to be okay.
Learning how to Surf is hard enough so trying to do it by yourself could potentially be a depressing experience if you go out there, not knowing how to read the conditions as well as not even knowing all the basics will more than likely result in having a bad experience.
Trying to balance on a moving surfboard while reading the wave, observing surf etiquette so you won't hurt yourself or others out in the water while keeping track of how the currents are flowing and not getting slammed in the impact zone all at the same time is alone worth paying for a minimum of 3 lessons with an Instructor before winging it on your own.
The benefits of learning how to surf with an instructor include;
1). When you get instruction from a surf school you are in a safe zone to practice. The Surf Instructor reads the waves and finds an area generally with no currents and where the water is low enough to enjoy.
2). Learning how to position your body on the right surfboard and finding that sweet spot so that you won't fall off and the wave can glide is a learning curve that will keep you frustrated if you don't have an instructor to help you out.
3). A good surf instructor is going to show you how to hold the board going out into the Ocean and coming back in so you won't hurt yourself or others around you.
4). Being in a Surf School will give you the support of other Newbies starting out that is less intimidating then going out with Surfers who've built there stamina up and may leave you behind feeling overwhelmed because you can't make it out to the line-up or sit on your board long.
Believe me no one want's to be paddling out next to a Newbie Surfer who doesn't know how to control their board.
You won't feel very welcomed if you are reckless on a really good day that regulars are spending their time to get on.
5). Being able to consistently be out there with a group is a great habit to start. Having regular time will help you learn how to catch more green waves efficiently and the motivation of a surf school can help encourage you to become a great Surfer.
The History of West Africa's Surf Culture in the 1600's
Being a Black Woman who surfs in California, the history of surfing is very important me. There were no connections to the sport that I had heard of growing up to African or African American I'd ever heard of so when I started surfing 10 years ago after meeting 2 Black Surfers, that made me do a lot more research.
This is when I found out that in Africa were several legacies of surfing. Also a book called the Undercurrents of Power: Aquatic Culture in the African Diaspora by Dr. Kevin Dawson who is a Professor in the History Department from the University of California Merced. He has written many articles on this topic for years about in the 1640's Ghana, Senegal and Angola was a surf culture. This was super exciting to me being that I have a significant 7.9% of my DNA comes from Gambia which is nearby.
Documented History of African Surf Culture
These accounts of wave riding were documented by English, German and Vietnamese Traveler's who traveled there. They were all developed this culture independently from each other and a German merchant named Michael Hemmersam documented the first known record of surfing in the Cape Coast, Ghana area, who were Fante. He wrote "the children were tied to boards, then their parents would throw them into the sea". Other Europeans wrote with similar descriptions.
What is now called Accra, Ghana, James Alexander wrote about " From the Beach, meanwhile, might be seen boys swimming into the sea with light boards under their stomachs. They waited for a surf and came rolling like a cloud on top of it" in 1834. He mentioned they had what we call now impact zones (surf zones) where they could see the Ocean pulled and pushed them along with how to position themselves into the curl of the wave.
Surf-Canoes and Surfboards were sacred
Surf-canoes and their surfboards they made were sacred to them. They considered them a gender in which it determined the performance of the board. Doesn't that sound familiar as to how we think of our surfboards today? The use tall cottonwood trees were sacred silks they called majestic.
Cottonwoods were their connection to the heavens and earth. They believed its soul continued to dwell with the boards they made. They poured brandy on them as an offering documented by an Englishmen in the 19th century. They taught some of the Englishmen how to enjoy wave riding when they were transporting, importing and exporting goods between the ships and shore from the 1400's into the 1950's.
Learning about the Sea
One of the Englishmen wrote that the Africans were taught as children to count the waves, how to paddle on and off of them in addition to knowing when to catch the largest ones. With Mami Wata, meaning Mother Water being the most celebrated divinities, they believed the Ancestral realm lay at the bottom of the ocean whose waters were populated with spirits and deities.
In other areas like the Southern Cameroon Batangas fishermen were documented riding in 1861 surf-canoes no more than six feet in length, fourteen to sixteen inches in width, and from four to six inches in depth".
So there is a long history of this wonderful water sport that just maybe could have started in Africa like in the Polynesian Archipelago.
You want to learn how to surf the easy way or the hard way? I have a guide to help with what you should know and why
Surfing is a full body workout that improves your cardiovascular health, helps you sleep better, gives you an overall balanced mood, provides a feeling of freedom, more self confidence, develops your intuition and you get to see Dolphins swimming pass you. Did I mention it's so much fun?
From my experience, there's nothing more exhilarating then when you're riding a long wave in beautiful, turquoise clear water. It's also most physically, mentally and spiritually rewarding sports to do if you ask anyone who's been doing it for more than a year.
But have you tried learning how to surf on your own and realized that it was a lot harder than you expected? Or do you want to learn more about how you can progress and how to do it, after you've seen there's more to it then just popping up on a board going towards the shore?
Well I'm here to tell you if you're going to work with an instructor, these tips will really help make sure you are getting the best experience being taught or learning on your own.
What you should be learning?
1). How long will it take (If you start off with no knowledge, there's about a year or two of a learning curve, sometimes longer)
2). Stretching before you surf. This will help get your body flexible and warmed up for the ocean as well as help prevent injuries.
3). Learn how to duck dive , rolling over with it and going on top of the waves in the whitewash with your surfboard before paddling out to the line-up with others. It's very important you keep yourself safe and others who enjoying their time in the Ocean.
4).Don't paddle every time you see someone else paddling for a wave. Learn to read the waves, what to look for and to time yourself with positioning yourself on your surfboard.
5). Learning surf etiquette is super important. The more you learn by watching videos and educating yourself, the more comfortable you will become in the Ocean.
6). Spend time learning about the Culture which will help you understand the foundational principles of surfing.
Those are a few the basics but of course there's a lot more.
learning how to read the conditions
the do's and don'ts of Ocean safety
surf etiquette to keep yourself and others safe
what your investment will look like
what workouts to do to help prevent injuries
I know it might seem like a lot but you're already further than anyone who is just getting started and never researched any of this.
You can learn many more valuable tips, surf etiquette, surf knowledge, useful workout to help your get in shape in this planner.
plus it's a downloadable daily & weekly planner with surf themed graphics so you won't turn into a beach bum and forget you have to work to maintain this lifestyle .
The Ultimate New Surfers Guide that's only $8.95 on Etsy. I created specifically to give you a more quality experience, it's packed with 10 years of my knowledge and beneficial advice. With your purchase you get a Free Copy of The Eco-Friendly Beach Lovers Bible that's packed with eco-friendly beauty tips and sustainable living practices. So, what are you waiting for? Llet's gooooo!!!
Click the pic above to go to Beach Culture Biz shop. It's designed so you can view on your laptop, tablet, good notes , notability or you can simply print out, duplicate and get a head start now. Enjoy and Good Luck.
The Original Wave Riding Culture of Polynesian & Melanesian History
Did you know that Surfing is said to be the oldest sport in history? The Polynesian Archipelago Pacific is where Petroglyphs were found from the 12th Century of People riding waves they called sea faring and wave sliding on boards.
The Polynesian and Melanesians have passed down the traditions of it as a spiritual practice, a way of life that the entire community participated. They strove to know nature by connecting harmoniously within it. They considered it praying to the Gods with their graceful movements was how they honored them.
Blessings for the Surfboards
The Koa Trees they selected to cut down was given offerings when they named their surfboards. They would thank the Gods and pray it would grow back with abundance.
Ceremonies were performed with a Kahuna (Expert Priest) who would bless them when going out to sea as well as pray for waves. Polynesians believed that God, Spirit and nature were their natural Ancestors. Religion was so integrated with life no separate word was needed. Revering the original creators as their Ancestors.
They had different sizes of boards to ride but only the longest were reserved for kings in addition to having special surf breaks that were only for them.
Wave Riding Contest were a community practice
They also enjoyed various contest to see who could ride the longest wave and the biggest. Surfing was a way to prove themselves, gain respect in the community, for building romantic relationships and warrior training.
The longest boards were reserved for Chiefs, Warriors and Priest. The Olo Boards measured 15-24 ft, that required skill and power to ride. Commoners rode Alaia Boards, measuring between 7-14ft and children rode Bodyboards called Pu'ua or Pa'ha.
When a Chief was challenged to a holua race by a woman, they would ride down the volcano being chased by Pele (The Volcano Goddess). They had rituals and taboo's that were a code of ethics when riding the waves.
If a commoner dropped in or paddled on the same wave as a notable member in society, it resulted in the death penalty. Royalty had pick of the first waves. Later called the sport of kings, Wave sliding was apart of their everyday life. A mastery of wave sliding indicated indicated wisdom of all aspects of life.
Such a beautiful history that all of us can enjoy.
The Evolution of Black Surfers Revisited
It's been pouring down some serious rain these past couple of months here in California, so the water is a lot more polluted right now which means, I'm taking the season off. I'm cool with it because it gives me time to check out other surfers that I don't get to watch when I'm out there catching waves and making my own content.
A few years ago, I made a video asking the question were Black Surfers an anomaly? Showing the evolution and the rise of our culture which has been a tremendous change since 2020 like I've never seen in the almost 10 years I've been apart of the surf life. So I'm very excited to share with you some of my personal favorites that I like watching. Tap the YouTube Vlog above and leave a comment on your favorites as well. I'd love to check them out too.
When the Surf Bug gets real
It's that time of year where I really want to be in the Ocean, I start having withdrawal symptoms from taking a 7 week break. It's called the Surf Bug. But waking up to see it's 50 degrees outside which means it's colder near the coast makes me pull the covers over my head and think about what I'm eating today, lol.
Don't get me wrong, I got a 4/3 wetsuit but the last time I had a session the first week in November, my feet were so numb that walking through the sand to rinse off the salt (preserves your wetsuit) at the cold shower was brutal. It felt like my limbs were going to fall off.
Eventually, I'll get back in the water soon but the transition of being so warm until the end of October to what it is now in December is hard. I've always been more comfortable in hot climates. I'm the one who doesn't complain when it's 90 degrees, I love it. This is when most of my friends are posting pics surfing in other countries (picture crying emoji ) but here I am, watching them with this "surf bug".
Surfing is a spiritual activity that just so happens to be a sport
Surfing is one of those sports that gives you a natural high because you are in it. That kinetic energy that's alive moving around and now you've become one with it. Almost indescribable.
When you're in it often, this heightened awareness happens. Consciousness of your surroundings but not in fear of it, more of a respectful way of understanding it's not your home and that marine life lives there.
A gratitude and appreciation for life and your existence. It's completely living in the moment being absolutely present. Being in it doesn't allow you to have thoughts of the past or the future, you are awake, I mean wide awake.
Then you take a couple of weeks or months off, still looking at the surf cams and how the waves got some nice shape right now and it starts to call you. You start getting that itch, a little anxiety, an ebb and flow of emotions that would normally be balanced when you was paddling out. It's called "That Surf-Bug" ...