BOARD BREAKDOWN

Surfboards have also gone through an evolution just as surfing has changed throughout history. When surfing was first witnessed by Captain James Cook and his crew, the surfboards were made of planks of local wood and measured about 15 feet in length. They were also very heavy, which meant surfing back then was literally sliding instead of today’s trick and surfing displays done on modern-day polyurethane or fiberglass surfboards. The shape of the surfboard has also changed quite a bit. These days, most surfers prefer a shorter board made out of lightweight foam and fiberglass. But, when the king of Hawaii was surfing 200 years ago, he would have been riding a 20-foot board, made out of heavy tropical hardwood! That surfboard would be almost impossible for the average person to lug back and forth on the sand, but in the water, its natural buoyancy would have made it much easier to navigate.