Interesting facts about surfing (part 1)

Captain James Cook was the first person to describe surfing. This happened in 1778. He wrote that the man on the board “seemed to be on the verge of ecstasy, so quickly and smoothly carried away by the sea.”
Hawaiians called surfing “he’enalu”, which means “sliding on the waves”. Surfing for Hawaiians was a central part of their culture and religion. Riding the waves had not only a deep spiritual meaning for them and connected them with the ocean, but was also a way for the leaders to prove their superiority.
The first big surfing competitions were held in 1928 at Corona Del Mar in California.
The father of modern surfing is considered to be Duke Kahanamoku (1890-1968), an Olympic swimmer who founded the first surf club on Waikiki Beach in Hawaii.
Surfing is considered one of the most ancient sports. So far, the origin of surfing is not known for certain, however, prehistoric rock carvings with people riding the waves were found in the town of Chan Chan in Peru. It is believed that these images are about 5,000 years old.

The record for the longest ride on the wave is 3 hours 55 minutes. Panamanian surfer Gary Saavedra set a record in 2011 on an artificial wave created by a boat.
The longest ride on a natural wave is 37 minutes. It happened on the Prophet, a tidal wave on the Amazon River.
Skateboarding is a direct descendant of surfing. In order to practice during the absence of waves, surfers screwed the wheels from roller skates to the boards and rode them.
The USA holds the record for the largest shark attack on a person during the year. Australia and South Africa are in second and third places, respectively.
The most popular and most photographed and videotaped wave in the world is the Pipeline in Hawaii.