Hawaii
is a surfboarders paradise. The Pacific, after all, is where surfing started
& became an art. Hawaiians used to have a strict social class order called
kapu. The kapu method of laws divided royal Hawaiians from common person.
While
you are on the deck of your cruise ship off the seacoast of Hawaii Island, you
may get a glance of some dedicated surfers riding on top of a tall wave. Watch
the sun beat down on their shining backs as the sea spray hits their bronzed
faces.
When
early Europeans sailed to Hawaii, they had difficulty understanding what this
water sport was all about. Riding giant waves on narrow boards appeared unusual
to them.
Surfing
was a large part of traditional Hawaiian culture, & kapu law determined
where people could surf, how giant their surfboards were, & even what
materials boards could be made out of. Of work, Hawaiian royalty had the best
& largest surfboards, as well as the choicest surfing spots. &, it was
not the men who had all the surfing fun. Lots of the females surfed also.
In
the 20th century, surfing experienced a re-birth as adventure-seeking Americans
began to catch on to this exhilarating sport. Today surfing is more popular
than ever, & even has it is own surf culture.
Surfing
finally died out as Hawaii became an United States of The united states colony.
However, a few passionate beachboys refused to give up their birthright.
Modern
surfers have fundamentally discovered what the ancient Hawaiians knew all along
- how lovely it feels to catch a great wave.