Bodyboarding is a water sport in which the surfer rides a bodyboard on the crest, face, and curl of a wave which is carrying the surfer towards the shore. Bodyboarding is also referred to as Boogieboarding due to the invention of the "Boogie Board" by Tom Morey in 1971. The average bodyboard consists of a short, rectangular piece of hydrodynamic foam. Bodyboarders typically use swim fins for additional propulsion and control while riding a breaking wave.
Bodyboarding originates from an ancient form of riding waves (surfing) on one's belly. Indigenous Polynesians rode " alaia " (pronounced ah-lie-ah) boards either on their belly, knees, or feet (in rare instances). Alaia boards were generally made from the wood of Acacia koa and varied in length and shape. [1] They are distinct from the modern stand-up surfboards in that they had no ventral fins. [2] Captain Cook recorded seeing Hawaiian villagers riding such boards when he came to Hawaii in 1778.
The boards he witnessed were about 90 to 180 cm (3 to 6 ft) and were ridden prone (on the belly) or on the knees. Alaia boards then evolved into the more modern " paipo " (pronounced pipe-oh) board. Paipo boards were either made of wood or fiberglass. Fiberglass boards usually had fins on the bottom. [3] Tom Morey hybridized this form of riding waves on one's belly on a paipo to his craft of shaping stand-up surfboards.
Bodyboards are shaped to the rider's specific needs and preferences such as height, weight, and form of riding. Three basic forms of riding a bodyboard include prone, dropknee, and stand-up.
Riding prone refers to when one rides the wave on their stomach.[ citation needed ] When the bodyboarder goes left, they place their left hand on the upper left corner of the nose and place their right arm halfway down the rail of the right side of the board.[ citation needed ] The opposite is true of when the bodyboarder goes right.
Dropknee is when one places their preferred fin forward on the front of the deck with the opposing knee on the bottom end of the board with their fin dragging in the water. Dropknee was first pioneered in the late 1970s by Hawaii's Jack "The Ripper" Lindholm and sometimes referred to as "Jack Stance". Unlike fiberglass stand-up surfboards, the bodyboards dropknee riders use don't have fins underneath to help maintain a line on the face of a wave or to stop them sliding out so dropknee riders rely on weight transition from rail to rail to hold a line on a wave and turn/snap. On the other hand, the benefit of not having fins underneath the board is that a rider can spin 360 (forward and reverse).
Stand-up consists of standing upright on the board and performing tricks on the face as well as in the air. While it isn't quite as popular as the other two forms of riding a bodyboard, three notable figures that popularized it are Danny Kim, Cavin Yap, and Chris Won Taloa.[ citation needed ]
The bodyboard differs from a surfboard in that it is much shorter (typically 100 to 110 cm (39 to 43 in) in length) and made out of different types of foam. The modern board consists of a foam 'core' encapsulated by a plastic bottom, a softer foam top known as the deck, and softer foam sides known as the rails. The core is made of dow/polyethylene, arcel, polystyrene, or Polypro/polypropylene. The bottom is made of Surlyn, HDPE or Bixby. The deck is made of 8LB or CrossLink. Each type of foam core, deck, or bottom material gives a bodyboard a different amount of flex and control. Speed from the bottom turn is increased when a bodyboarder bottom turns and the board flexes and recoils, releasing energy. If the board flexes too little or too easily, speed is lost. Dow (polyethylene) cores are best suited to cooler waters as they can be too flexible in warm water. Arcel and Polypro (polypropylene) cores are best suited for warmer waters due to their increased overall stiffness.
Most boards on the market today contain one, two, or three rods (usually of carbon or graphite), referred to as stringers, to strengthen the board, reduce deformation, add stiffness and recoil to the core, thus providing greater speed off bottom turns and transitions on the wave. If a single stringer is used, it is placed in the center of the board running parallel to the rails. If two are used, they are placed symmetrically about the y-axis. Triple stringers are a combination of the placement of both a single and double stringer.
Deck, rails, and bottom are bonded via various hot air lamination techniques to the core. Previous to the lamination technique, shapers accomplished this by using glue.
The shape, or curve, of the board affects how it rides. If the wide point of the board is nearer to the nose, the board tends to be best suited to prone riding as the bodyboarder's weight rests further up on the board. Boards with more parallel rails or a narrow nose tend to be more ideal for drop-knee and stand-up riding as the rider's center of gravity tends to rest further back.
Most modern boards are equipped with channels that increase surface area in the critical parts of the board which, in turn, allow it to have varying hold and control on the wave. Originally, skegs were installed to decrease slippage on a wave face. However, progressive bodyboarding has rendered use of such skegs obsolete due to the looseness required for maneuverability on a wave. For such reasons, skegs are rarely used today and, even then, almost exclusively by dropknee or stand-up bodyboarders.
Tail shapes influence the way that boards perform in the line-up. Crescent tails provide the greatest amount of hold in steep waves. Crescent tails are generally preferred by drop-knee riders because the shape interferes less. Crescent tails are also preferred by beginners, due to being able to perform well in varying conditions. [4] Bat tails provide looseness for rail to rail transitions. Prone riders tend to prefer bat tails more than dropknee riders.
From the conception of the modern bodyboard in 1971, bodyboarding has experienced spurts of rapid growth both as an industry and extreme sport.[ citation needed ] With its origins in America, over the past decade the industry has shifted from a primarily American to a global industry phenomena. The sport has grown into a worldwide industry with growing strongholds in Australia, South American countries like Peru and Chile, Japan, Canary Islands (Spain), South Africa, and so forth. The evolution of maneuvers and waves in which it is being done have rendered it one of the most extreme wave riding forms in the world.
Bodyboarders have been accredited with pioneering some of the world's heaviest, most renowned surf locations in the world: Teahupo'o, French Polynesia; Shark Island, Australia; El Fronton, Spain; Cyclops, Australia; Ours, Australia; Luna Park, Australia; etc. In addition, bodyboarders place strong emphasis on aerial maneuvers on bigger, heavier sections of waves. These include aerial 360s, ARS (Air Roll Spin), el rollos, inverts (tweaking the board with the momentum of the wave and then swinging it back), backflips, ATS (Aéreo Thiago Schmitd) and variations/hybrids of these maneuvers are also performed.
Phylis Dameron was the first person, man or woman, to ride big Waimea Bay on a bodyboard in the late 1970s. During the early 1990s in Brazil, Mariana Nogueira, Glenda Koslowski, and Stephanie Petterson set standards that pushed women's bodyboarding to a world class level. Stephanie Petterson won the first official World Championship of Women's Bodyboarding [6] at Pipeline in 1990. It was the first women's event ever held there and initiated the longest running women's wave sport event in the world. 2009 marked the event's 20th anniversary.
From 1982 to 1993, the winner of the International Morey Boogie Bodyboard Pro Championships at Pipeline, Hawaii was considered world champion. Since then a world tour has determined the sport's champion. The world tour has been administered by a variety of organisations.
| Year | Competition | Winner | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | International Morey Boogie Bodyboard Pro Championships | Daniel Kaimi | Hawaii |
| 1983 | International Morey Boogie Bodyboard Pro Championships | Mike Stewart | Hawaii |
| 1984 | International Morey Boogie Bodyboard Pro Championships | Mike Stewart | Hawaii |
| 1985 | Not held | ||
| 1986 | International Morey Boogie Bodyboard Pro Championships | Ben Severson | Hawaii |
| 1987 | International Morey Boogie Bodyboard Pro Championships | Mike Stewart | Hawaii |
| 1988 | International Morey Boogie Bodyboard Pro Championships | Mike Stewart | Hawaii |
| 1989 | International Morey Boogie Bodyboard Pro Championships | Mike Stewart | Hawaii |
| 1990 | International Morey Boogie Bodyboard Pro Championships | Mike Stewart | Hawaii |
| 1991 | International Morey Boogie Bodyboard Pro Championships | Mike Stewart | Hawaii |
| 1992 | International Morey Boogie Bodyboard Pro Championships | Mike Stewart | Hawaii |
| 1993 | International Morey Boogie Bodyboard Pro Championships | Michael Eppelstun | Australia |
| 1994 | International Morey Boogie Bodyboard Pro Championships | Mike Stewart | Hawaii |
| 1994 | GOB World Tour | Guilherme Tamega | Brazil |
| 1995 | GOB World Tour | Guilherme Tamega | Brazil |
| 1996 | GOB World Tour | Guilherme Tamega | Brazil |
| 1997 | GOB World Tour | Guilherme Tamega | Brazil |
| 1998 | GOB World Tour | Andre Botha | South Africa |
| 1999 | GOB World Tour | Andre Botha | South Africa |
| 2000 | GOB Super Tour | Paulo Barcellos | Brazil |
| 2001 | GOB Super Tour | Guilherme Tamega | Brazil |
| 2002 | GOB Super Tour | Guilherme Tamega | Brazil |
| 2003 | IBA World Tour | Damian King | Australia |
| 2004 | IBA World Tour | Damian King | Australia |
| 2005 | IBA World Tour | Ben Player | Australia |
| 2006 | IBA World Tour | Jeff Hubbard | Hawaii |
| 2007 | IBA World Tour | Ben Player | Australia |
| 2008 | IBA World Tour | Uri Valadao | Brazil |
| 2009 | IBA World Tour | Jeff Hubbard | Hawaii |
| 2010 | IBA World Tour | Amaury Lavernhe | France |
| 2011 | IBA World Tour | Pierre-Louis Costes | France |
| 2012 | IBA World Tour | Jeff Hubbard | USA (Hawaii) |
| 2013 | IBA World Tour | Ben Player | Australia |
| 2014 | APB World Tour | Amaury Lavernhe | France |
| 2015 | APB World Tour | Jared Houston | South Africa |
| 2016 | APB World Tour | Pierre-Louis Costes | France |
| 2017 | APB World Tour | Iain Campbell | South Africa |
| 2018 | APB World Tour | Jared Houston | South Africa |
| 2019 | APB World Tour | Tristan Roberts | South Africa |
| 2020 | IBC World Tour | (No tour) COVID-19 | -- |
| 2021 | IBC World Tour | (No tour) COVID-19 | -- |
| 2022 | IBC World Tour | Tristan Roberts | South Africa |
| Year | Competition | Winner | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | International Morey Boogie Bodyboard Pro Championships | Glenda Kozlowski | Brazil |
| 1988 | Not held | ||
| 1989 | International Morey Boogie Bodyboard Pro Championships | Glenda Kozlowski | Brazil |
| 1990 | International Morey Boogie Bodyboard Pro Championships | Stephanie Pettersen | Brazil |
| 1991 | International Morey Boogie Bodyboard Pro Championships | Glenda Kozlowski | Brazil |
| 1992 | International Morey Boogie Bodyboard Pro Championships | Mariana Nogueira | Brazil |
| 1993 | International Morey Boogie Bodyboard Pro Championships | Stephanie Pettersen | Brazil |
| 1994 | GOB World Tour | Stephanie Pettersen | Brazil |
| 1995 | GOB World Tour | Mariana Nogueira | Brazil |
| 1995 | GOB World Tour | Claudia Ferrari | Brazil |
| 1996 | GOB World Tour | Daniela Freitas | Brazil |
| 1997 | GOB World Tour | Daniela Freitas | Brazil |
| 1998 | GOB World Tour | Mariana Nogueira | Brazil |
| 1999 | GOB World Tour | Karla Costa Taylor | Brazil |
| 2000 | GOB World Tour | Soraia Rocha | Brazil |
| 2001 | GOB World Tour | Soraia Rocha | Brazil |
| 2002 | GOB World Tour | Stephanie Pettersen | Brazil |
| 2003 | IBA World Tour | Neymara Carvalho | Brazil |
| 2004 | IBA World Tour | Neymara Carvalho | Brazil |
| 2005 | IBA World Tour | Kira Llewellyn | Australia |
| 2006 | IBA World Tour | Marina Taylor | Spain |
| 2007 | IBA World Tour | Neymara Carvalho | Brazil |
| 2008 | IBA World Tour | Neymara Carvalho | Brazil |
| 2009 | IBA World Tour | Neymara Carvalho | Brazil |
| 2010 | IBA World Tour | Isabela Sousa | Brazil |
| 2011 | IBA World Tour | Eunate Aguirre | Spain |
| 2012 | IBA World Tour | Isabela Sousa | Brazil |
| 2013 | IBA World Tour | Isabela Sousa | Brazil |
| 2014 | APB World Tour | Alexandra Rinder | Spain |
| 2015 | APB World Tour | Alexandra Rinder | Spain |
| 2016 | APB World Tour | Isabela Sousa | Brazil |
| 2017 | APB World Tour | Joana Schenker | Portugal |
| 2018 | APB World Tour | Ayaka Suzuki | Japan |
| 2019 | APB World Tour | Sari Ohhara | Japan |
| 2020 | IBC World Tour | (No tour) COVID-19 | -- |
| 2021 | IBC World Tour | (No tour) COVID-19 | -- |
| 2022 | IBC World Tour | Isabela Sousa | Brazil |
| Año | Host country | Gold | Silver | Bronze | 4º | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Canary Islands, Spain | France (5.860) | Spain (4.871) | Morocco (3.830) | Australia (3.813) | [8] |
| 2012 | Margarita Island, Venezuela | Brazil (9.368) | France (8.645) | Venezuela (8.449) | South Africa (7.258) | [8] |
| 2013 | Playa Parguito, Venezuela | Brazil (9.585) | Venezuela (9.119) | Chile (8.189) | Costa Rica (6.595) | [8] |
| 2014 | Iquique, Chile | Chile (8.738) | France (8.565) | South Africa (8.336) | Portugal (7.227) | [9] |
| 2015 | Iquique, Chile | Brazil (5.246) | Chile (4.963) | France (4.506) | Peru (4.313) | [10] |
Surfing is a surface water sport in which an individual, a surfer, uses a board to ride on the forward section, or face, of a moving wave of water, which usually carries the surfer towards the shore. Waves suitable for surfing are primarily found on ocean shores, but can also be found as standing waves in the open ocean, in lakes, in rivers in the form of a tidal bore, or wave pools.
Boardsports are active outdoor sports that are played with any sort of board as the primary equipment. These sports take place on a variety of terrains, from paved flat-ground and snow-covered hills to water and air. Most boardsports are considered action sports or extreme sports, and thus often appeal to youth. Some board sports were marginalized in the past. However, many board sports are gaining mainstream recognition, and with this recognition, they have gotten wider broadcasting, sponsorship and inclusion in institutional sporting events, including the Olympic Games.
A surfboard is a narrow plank used in surfing. Surfboards are relatively light, but are strong enough to support an individual standing on them while riding an ocean wave. They were invented in ancient Hawaii, where they were known as papa heʻe nalu in the Hawaiian language, and were usually made of wood from local trees, such as koa. They were often over 460 cm (15 ft) in length and extremely heavy. Major advances over the years include the addition of one or more fins (skegs) on the bottom rear of the board to improve directional stability, and numerous improvements in materials and shape.
Bodysurfing is the sport of riding a wave without the assistance of any buoyant device such as a surfboard or bodyboard. Bodysurfers often equip themselves with a pair of swimfins that aid propulsion and help the bodysurfer catch, ride, and kick out of waves. Some bodysurfers also use a wooden or foam handplane, which helps to get one's chest out of the water to reduce drag, this is known as handplaning and is an offshoot of bodysurfing.
Kneeboarding is a discipline of surfing where the rider paddles on his or her belly into a wave on a kneeboard, then rides the wave face typically on both knees. The typical kneeboard is between 150 and 200 cm in length, with a wide round nose and constructed of Glassfibre over a polyurethane foam core. Kneeboard designers however are known for their wild experimental excess and so most modern materials including various aerospace elements such as Titanium alloys, carbon fibre and kevlar in epoxy matrices are not unusual. Modern kneeboards may have a rubber pad for the rider's knees, preventing undue wear of the knees, also preventing slipping to help the rider maintain control. Kneeboarders also typically use swimfins and an ankle surfleash.
Skimboarding or skimming is a boardsport in which a skimboard is used to glide across the water's surface to meet an incoming breaking wave, and ride it back to shore. There are currently 3 U.S. based competitive organizations including Premier Skim, Skim USA, and the United Skim Tour. Wave-riding skimboarders perform a variety of surface and air maneuvers, at various stages of their ride, out to, and back with, the wave. Some of these are known as "wraps", "big spins", "360 shove-its" and "180s". Unlike surfing, skimboarding begins on the beach by dropping the board onto the thin wash of previous waves. Skimboarders use their momentum to skim out to breaking waves, which they then catch back into shore in a manner similar to surfing.
Tom Hugh Morey, also known by the moniker Y, was a musician, engineer, surfboard shaper, and surfer responsible for several technological innovations that have heavily influenced modern developments in surfing equipment design.
The Waveski, previously known as the "Paddle Ski”, is a surfboard that the rider 'sits' on top of. Waveski surfing is a dynamic sport combining paddle power with the manoeuvrability and performance of a surfboard. A Waveski resembles a larger volume surfboard, with the addition of a hollowed out seat that has a seat belt, feet straps enabling the rider to remain attached to the board for maneuvers and surfed with a double ended paddle which also helps to flip upright if capsized in an action called the 'Eskimo roll' when overturned. The waveski rider or surfer uses a double-ended paddle for paddle propulsion and assist in turns. To turn, the rider uses their weight to lean on the side rail with the and paddle to pivot or propel the board up the wave. The sport is categorized under the International Canoe Federation and holds biennial World championship events.
Skurfing is a towed water sport in which an individual is pulled behind a boat on a tow rope. The sport uses a skurfboard, which is a floating platform the user balances on, similar to a surfboard but typically much shorter, with two foot-straps that prevent falling off the board and three fins positioned on the bottom that make it easier to maneuver when the board is being towed. The word itself is a portmanteau of skiing and surfing. Skurfing is often considered the precursor to wakeboarding.
The riding of waves has likely existed since humans began swimming in the ocean. In this sense, bodysurfing is the oldest type of wave-catching. Undoubtedly ancient sailors learned how to ride wave energy on many styles of early boats. Archaeological evidence even suggests that ancient cultures of Peru surfed on reed watercraft for fishing and recreation up to five thousand years ago. However, standing up on what is now called a surfboard is a relatively recent innovation developed by the Polynesians. The influences for modern surfing can be directly traced to the surfers of pre-contact Hawaii.
A surfboard shaper is someone who designs and builds surfboards. The process of surfboard shaping has evolved over the years, and the shaper often tailors his or her work to meet the requirements of a client or a certain wave. Surfboard shapers can be independent or work in collaboration with mass-production companies.
Flowriding is a late 20th century alternative boardsport incorporating elements of surfing, bodyboarding, skateboarding, skimboarding, snowboarding and wakeboarding.
Standup paddleboarding (SUP) is a water sport born from surfing with modern roots in Hawaii. Standup paddleboarders stand on boards that are floating on the water and use a paddle to propel themselves through the water. The sport was documented in a 2013 report that identified it as the outdoor sporting activity with the most first-time participants in the United States that year. Variations include flat water paddling, racing, surfing, whitewater SUP, yoga, and fishing.
An alaia is a thin, round-nosed, square-tailed surfboard ridden in pre-20th century Hawaii. The boards were about 200 to 350 cm long, weighed up to 50 kg (100 lb), and generally made from the wood of the Koa Tree. They are distinct from modern surfboards in that they have no ventral fins, and instead rely on the sharpness of the edges to hold the board in the face of the wave.
A surfboard fin or skeg is a hydrofoil mounted at the tail of a surfboard or similar board to improve directional stability and control through foot-steering. Fins can provide lateral lift opposed to the water and stabilize the board's trajectory, allowing the surfer to control direction by varying their side-to-side weight distribution. The introduction of fins in the 1930s revolutionized surfing and board design. Surfboard fins may be arrayed in different numbers and configurations, and many different shapes, sizes, and materials are and have been made and used.
This glossary of surfing includes some of the extensive vocabulary used to describe various aspects of the sport of surfing as described in literature on the subject.[a][b] In some cases terms have spread to a wider cultural use. These terms were originally coined by people who were directly involved in the sport of surfing.
Bellyboarding is a surface water sport in which the surfer rides a bodyboard on the crest, face, and curl of a wave which is carrying the surfer towards the shore.
Thomas Edward Blake was an American athlete, inventor, and writer, widely considered to be one of the most influential surfers in history, and a key figure in transforming surfing from a regional Hawaiian specialty to a nationally popular sport. Assessing Blake's significance, sociologist Kristin Lawler wrote that
The Olo, Olo board or Olo surfboard is a traditional long Hawaiian surfboard that was used by Hawaiian chieftains for surfing. The Olo surfboard was the largest out of the three types of traditional surfboards that were used by the Hawaiian people. The Olo is twice as long as the modern surfing longboard, measuring up to 5.18 metres (17.0 ft) long, 16.5 inches wide and nearly 6 inches thick. The board was more than 76.20 kilograms (168.0 lb) and was used for surfing large waves and even tsunamis, the boards were strictly meant for Hawaiian Chieftains and Kings.
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