Surfing is the sport of riding waves in an upright or prone position. Surfers catch the ocean, river, or man-made waves and glide across the surface of the water until the wave... moreSurfing is the sport of riding waves in an upright or prone position. Surfers catch the ocean, river, or man-made waves and glide across the surface of the water until the wave breaks and loses its energy.
In the ocean, wave riders stand up on surfboards and navigate the water - nearly parallel to the beach - toward the shore.
There are four types of surfing waves: spilling waves, plunging waves, surging waves, and collapsing waves.
The ultimate goal of surfing is to ride and progress on the unbroken part of the wave using a surfboard.
Nevertheless, beginners can learn to surf in the whitewater part of the wave.
Many surf historians and enthusiasts believe that the essence of surfing is in bodysurfing, the art of gliding over the waves using only the body as a planing surface.
According to the University of Hawaii, bodysurfing dates back as far back as 2,000 BC, but the first evidence of bodysurfing activity in the Western world only emerges in 1899, when Australian Fred Williams gets a few lessons... less