Editing Surfing (section)

==Origins and history==
{{Main|History of surfing}}

===Peru===
[[File:Huanchaco.jpg|thumb|''Caballitos de totora'', reed watercraft used by fishermen for the past 3000 years at Huanchaco, Peru, known for its surf breaks]]
About three to five thousand years ago, cultures in ancient [[Peru]] fished in kayak-like watercraft (''mochica'') made of reeds that the fishermen surfed back to shore.<ref name="Hough-SneeEastman2017">{{cite book |last1=Hough-Snee |first1=Dexter Zavalza |last2=Eastman |first2=Alexander Sotelo |editor1-last=Hough-Snee |editor1-first=Dexter Zavalza |editor2-last=Eastman |editor2-first=Alexander Sotelo |title=The Critical Surf Studies Reader |year=2017 |publisher=Duke University Press |isbn=978-0-8223-7282-0 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mLwwDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT11 |page=11}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=What are Caballitos de Totora?|url=https://www.surfertoday.com/surfing/what-are-caballitos-de-totora|access-date=2020-09-04|website=Surfer Today|date=20 March 2017}}</ref> The [[Moche culture]] used the [[caballito de totora]] (little horse of [[Totora (plant)|totora]]), with archaeological evidence showing its use around 200 CE.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Larco Hoyle|first=Rafael|title=Los Mochicas|publisher=[[Larco Museum|Rafael Larco Herrera Archaeological Museum]]|year=2001|isbn=9972-9341-0-1|location=Lima}}</ref> An early description of the [[Inca Empire|Inca]] surfing in [[Callao]] was documented by Jesuit missionary [[José de Acosta]] in his 1590 publication ''Historia natural y moral de las Indias'', writing:<ref>{{Cite book|last=de Acosta|first=José|author-link=José de Acosta|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=26zAd4TrWXsC&q=olas|title=Historia natural y moral de las Indias|publisher=Casa de Juan de Leon|year=1590|pages=162}}</ref>{{Blockquote|text=It is true to see them go fishing in Callao de Lima, was for me a thing of great recreation, because there were many and each one in a ''balsilla caballero'', or sitting stubbornly cutting the waves of the sea, which is rough where they fish, they looked like the Tritons, or Neptunes, who paint upon the water.|author=|title=|source=}}

===Polynesia===
[[File:Surf-riding 1858.jpg|thumb|left|Hawaiians surfing, 1858]]
In [[Polynesian culture]], surfing was an important activity. Modern surfing as we know it today is thought to have originated in [[Hawaii]]. The history of surfing dates to {{circa|AD 400}} in Polynesia, where [[Polynesians]] began to make their way to the [[Hawaiian Islands]] from [[Tahiti]] and the [[Marquesas Islands]]. They brought many of their customs with them including playing in the surf on Paipo (belly/body) boards. It was in Hawaii that the art of standing and surfing upright on [[Surfboard|boards]] was invented.<ref name="Walker2011">{{cite book|author=Isaiah Helekunihi Walker|title=Waves of Resistance: Surfing and History in Twentieth-century Hawaiʻi|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Y_KrcQAACAAJ|year=2011|publisher=University of Hawaiʻi Press|isbn=978-0-8248-3547-7|page=16}}</ref>

Various European explorers witnessed surfing in [[Polynesia]].  Surfing may have been observed by British explorers at Tahiti in 1767. [[Samuel Wallis]] and the crew members of {{HMS|Dolphin|1751|6}} were the first Britons to visit the island in June of that year. Another candidate is the botanist [[Joseph Banks]]<ref>Fleming, F. (c. 2005). ''Off the Map: Tales of Endurance and Exploration'', p. 154. Atlantic Monthly Press.</ref> who was part of the [[first voyage of James Cook]] on {{HMS|Endeavour}}, arriving on Tahiti on 10 April 1769. Lieutenant [[James King (Royal Navy officer)|James King]] was the first person to write about the art of surfing on Hawaii, when he was completing the journals of Captain [[James Cook]] (upon Cook's death in 1779).

In [[Herman Melville]]'s 1849 novel ''[[Mardi]]'', based on his experiences in Polynesia earlier that decade, the narrator describes the "Rare Sport at Ohonoo" (title of chap. 90): “For this sport, a surf-board is indispensable: some five feet in length; the width of a man's body; convex on both sides; highly polished; and rounded at the ends. It is held in high estimation; invariably oiled after use; and hung up conspicuously in the dwelling of the owner.”<ref>''Mardi, and A Voyage Thither'' (Northwestern University Press, 1970), 273.</ref> When [[Mark Twain]] visited Hawaii in 1866 he wrote, "In one place, we came upon a large company of naked natives of both sexes and all ages, amusing themselves with the national pastime of surf-bathing."<ref>{{cite book |last=Twain |first=Mark |title=Roughing It |year=2007 |publisher=Digireads.com Publishing |location=Lawrence, Kansas |isbn=9781420930283 |page=264 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gjUOvGeK51MC}}</ref>

References to surf riding on planks and single canoe hulls are also verified for pre-contact [[Samoa]], where surfing was called ''fa'ase'e'' or ''se'egalu'' (see Augustin Krämer, ''The Samoa Islands''<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LHyUEUwaUdAC|title=The Samoa Islands|access-date=8 November 2014|isbn=9780824822194|last1=Krämer|first1=Augustin|year=2000|publisher=University of Hawaii Press }}</ref>), and [[Tonga]], far pre-dating the practice of surfing by Hawaiians and eastern Polynesians by over a thousand years.

===West Africa===

West Africans (e.g., [[Ghana]], [[Ivory Coast]], [[Liberia]], [[Senegal]]) and western Central Africans (e.g., [[Cameroon]]) independently developed the skill of surfing.<ref name="Dawson II">{{cite book |last1=Dawson |first1=Kevin |title=Undercurrents of Power Aquatic Culture in the African Diaspora |date=March 20, 2018 |publisher=University of Pennsylvania Press |isbn=9780812249897 |pages=28–30 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FyVJDwAAQBAJ |chapter=Cultural Meanings of Recreational Swimming and Surfing |doi=10.9783/9780812294781 |oclc=994296486 |s2cid=202315785}}</ref> Amid the 1640s CE, Michael Hemmersam provided an account of surfing in the [[Gold Coast (region)|Gold Coast]]: “the parents ‘tie their children to boards and throw them into the water.’”<ref name="Dawson II" /> In 1679 CE, Barbot provided an account of surfing among [[Elmina]] children in Ghana: “children at Elmina learned “to swim, on bits of boards, or small bundles of rushes, fasten’d under their stomachs, which is a good diversion to the spectators.”<ref name="Dawson II" /> James Alexander provided an account of surfing in [[Accra]], Ghana in 1834 CE: “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. But I was told that sharks occasionally dart in behind the rocks and ‘yam’ them.”<ref name="Dawson II" /> Thomas Hutchinson provided an account of surfing in southern [[Cameroon]] in 1861: “Fishermen rode small dugouts ‘no more than six feet in length, fourteen to sixteen inches in width, and from four to six inches in depth.’”<ref name="Dawson II" />

===California===
[[File:Essie Harris Surfs the cold waters of Morro Bay, CA 14 Oct 2009.jpg|thumb|upright|A woman holding her surfboard about to surf in [[Morro Bay, California]]]]
In July 1885, three teenage Hawaiian princes took a break from their boarding school, [[St. Matthew's Episcopal Day School|St. Matthew's Hall]] in [[San Mateo, California|San Mateo]], and came to cool off in [[Santa Cruz, California]]. There, [[David Kawānanakoa]], [[Edward Abnel Keliʻiahonui|Edward Keliʻiahonui]] and [[Jonah Kūhiō Kalanianaʻole]] surfed the mouth of the [[San Lorenzo River]] on custom-shaped redwood boards, according to surf historians Kim Stoner and Geoff Dunn.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Dunn |first1=Geoffrey |title=Riders of the Sea Spray |url=http://www.gtweekly.com/santa-cruz-news/good-times-cover-stories/936-riders-of-the-sea-spray.html |access-date=2020-04-01 |work=[[Good Times (newspaper)|Good Times]] |date=31 March 2010 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130103121552/http://www.gtweekly.com/santa-cruz-news/good-times-cover-stories/936-riders-of-the-sea-spray.html |archive-date=2013-01-03 |url-status=dead}}</ref>{{cbignore|bot=InternetArchiveBot}} In 1890, the pioneer in agricultural education [[John Wrightson]] reputedly became the first British surfer when instructed by two Hawaiian students at his college.<ref name=Times>{{cite news|last=Martin|first=Andy|author-link=Andy Martin (author)|title=Britain's original beach boys|newspaper=[[The Times]]|location=London|date=April 9, 2012|url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/science/article/britains-original-beach-boys-3kjh2vj7l7q|access-date=December 2, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.museumofbritishsurfing.org.uk/| title = Hawaiian Royals Surf Bridlington – in 1890! - Museum of British Surfing}}</ref><ref>Malcolm Gault-Williams, [https://books.google.com/books?id=r84MBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA255 Legendary Surfers: The 1930s],  Volume 3, Lulu (2012)] - [[Google Books]] pg. 255</ref>

[[George Freeth]] (1883–1919), of English and Native Hawaiian descent, is generally credited as the person who had done more than anyone else to renew interest in surfing at Waikiki in the early twentieth century after the sport had declined in popularity in Hawaii during the latter half of the nineteenth century.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Verge |first=Arthur C. |date=2001-07-01 |title=George Freeth: King of the Surfers and California's Forgotten Hero |url=https://online.ucpress.edu/ch/article/80/2-3/82/32395/George-Freeth-King-of-the-Surfers-and-California-s |journal=California History |language=en |volume=80 |issue=2–3 |pages=82–105 |doi=10.2307/25177649 |jstor=25177649 |issn=0162-2897|url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite book |last=Moser |first=Patrick |title=Pacific Passages: An Anthology of Surfing Writing |date=May 2008 |publisher=University of Hawaii Press |isbn=9780824831554 |edition=First |location=Honolulu, Hawaii |pages=153–154 |language=English}}</ref>

In 1907, the eclectic interests of land developer Abbot Kinney (founder of Venice of America, now Venice, California) helped bring Freeth to California. Freeth had sought the help of the Hawaii Promotion Committee (HPC) in Honolulu to sponsor him on a trip to California to give surfing exhibitions. The HPC arranged through their contacts in Los Angeles to secure a contract for Freeth to perform at Venice of America in July, 1907.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Moser |first=Patrick |date=2020-09-29 |title=The Hawaii Promotion Committee and the Appropriation of Surfing |url=https://online.ucpress.edu/phr/article/89/4/500/111983/The-Hawaii-Promotion-Committee-and-the |journal=Pacific Historical Review |language=en |volume=89 |issue=4 |pages=500–527 |doi=10.1525/phr.2020.89.4.500 |issn=0030-8684|url-access=subscription }}</ref> Later that year, land baron [[Henry E. Huntington]] brought surfing to [[Redondo Beach, California|Redondo Beach]]. Looking for a way to entice visitors to his own budding resort community south of Venice where he had heavily invested in real estate, he hired Freeth as a lifeguard and to give surfing exhibitions in front of the [[Hotel Redondo]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Moser |first=Patrick |title=Surf and Rescue: George Freeth and the Birth of California Beach Culture |date=June 28, 2022 |publisher=University of Illinois Press |isbn=978-0-252-08652-6 |edition=First |location=Urbana, Illinois |pages= |language=English}}</ref> Another native Hawaiian, [[Duke Kahanamoku]], spread surfing to both the U.S. and Australia, riding the waves after displaying the swimming prowess that won him Olympic gold medals in 1912 and 1920.<ref>[https://olympics.com/en/news/the-legend-of-duke-kahanamoku-the-father-of-modern-surfing-and-double-olympic-ch The legend of Duke Kahanamoku, the father of modern surfing and double Olympic champion in Antwerp] (accessed 29 April 2022)</ref>

Mary Ann Hawkins, inspired by Duke Kahanamoku's surfing during the late 1920s, developed a lifelong passion for surfing. In 1935, her family relocated to [[Santa Monica, California|Santa Monica]], providing her with opportunities to further immerse herself in surfing and paddleboarding.<ref name=":02">{{Cite book |last=Moser |first=Patrick |title=Waikīkī dreams: how California appropriated Hawaiian beach culture. |publisher=Urbana: University of Illinois Press. |year=2024 |isbn=978-0-252-05678-9 |location=English |publication-date=2024}}</ref> On September 12, 1936, Hawkins achieved a historic milestone by winning [[California|California’s]] first women’s paddleboard race at the Santa Monica Breakwater. She continued to dominate the sport,<ref name=":02" /> winning numerous competitions, including the women’s half-mile paddleboard race and the [[Venice Breakwater]] event in 1938, both held on the same day.  
	
Hawkins was also a pioneer in tandem surfing, a discipline that highlights synchronized surfing between two individuals on a single board. She gained further recognition in 1939 when she performed exhibition [[paddleboarding]] and tandem surfing displays at various [[Southern California]] beaches, inspiring a new generation of women surfers.<ref name=":02" /> 
	
In January 1939, Hawkins was appointed head of the women’s auxiliary group of the Santa Monica Paddle Club and rose to vice president by January 1940.<ref name=":02" /> Her surfing peers frequently lauded her achievements, with "Whitey" Harrison describing her as "the best tandem rider." Throughout her career, Hawkins exemplified grace and athleticism, leaving an indelible mark on the history of women’s surfing and paddleboarding.
	
In 1975, a professional tour started.<ref name="Woman of the Year">{{cite web | title=Woman of the Year | website=Surfing Walk of Fame | url=http://www.surfingwalkoffame.com/woman/Oberg.html | access-date=11 December 2017 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170806224253/http://www.surfingwalkoffame.com/woman/Oberg.html | archive-date=6 August 2017 | df=dmy-all }}</ref> That year [[Margo Oberg]] became the first female professional surfer.<ref name="Woman of the Year" />
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