Everything you always wanted to know about surfing

Hawaii - The Hawaiians used to call surfing he'enalu, which means "to slide on waves." Surfing was a fundamental part of Hawaiian religion and culture, in which it is believed that people and the ocean are linked. Surfing was also used by tribal kings to demonstrate their skills and secure dominance.

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The father - Duke Kahanamoku is considered the father of modern surfing. He is an Olympic swimmer who opened a surf club on Waikiki Beach.

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Kelly Slater - Kelly Slater is one of the world's biggest names in surfing. In 2009 he earned $3 million, and still holds the record for the highest-paid surfer.

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Surfaris - The California coast began to be explored by groups called Surfaris. They went on weekend trips to discover new beaches and surf spots.

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Surfing course - Plymouth University in the UK offers a course called Surf Science and Technology.

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Wet suits - The invention of wet suits was essential to the evolution of the sport. The permeable suit allowed surfers to go in the water year-round, which in turn contributed for the development of new board technology, and consequently more extreme maneuvers.

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Key movies - The popularity of surfing went up considerably after the release of two movies: 'Gidget' (1959) and 'The Endless Summer' (1966). The movies influenced fashion, music, and even the English language itself.

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Ancient sport - Surfing is one of the oldest sports on the planet. Its origin is unknown, but prehistoric drawings of people surfing dating back more than 5,000 years can be found in Chan Chan, Peru.

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The pillars of surfing - Hawaii may be the birth of surf culture, but California played a very important role in the technological advances that made surfing the sport it is today.

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Dangers - The number of surfer deaths is significantly higher in the last 15 years when compared to the last 40 years. This is due to big-wave surfing gaining popularity.

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Why is it so popular? - Some researchers believe that surfing is extremely popular because it's the personal embodiment of modern society. Today's society is concerned with the constant search for happiness and fascinated with the idea of eternal youth.

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The biggest wave - In 2011, Garrett McNamara broke the Guinness world record by surfing a 31-meter wave in Nazaré, Portugal. It was the biggest wave ever surfed.

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Cameron Diaz - The famous actress has broken her nose four times while surfing.

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Skateboarding - It's safe to say that skateboarding is surfing's younger sibling. Several surfers built boards with wheels to practice their moves in empty pools, spawning another popular extreme sport.

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Accident - One of the most extreme injuries in the history of the sport happened to former world champion Martin Potter in 1997. The tip of his board slashed about 15 cm of his stomach. The cut was so deep that the surfer's intestines were exposed. He received 40 stitches and stayed out of the water for three months.

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Record - The record for greatest number of people on a surfboard is 66. It was set in 2015 at Huntington Beach. The 66 surfers stood on top of a 18-meter surfboard.

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Fear - American Surf Magazine found that 66% of all surfers think about sharks while they're surfing.

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Award - The only surfer to be awarded the Los Angeles Times Personality of the Year was Joyce Hoffman. She is considered by many to be the pioneer of female surfing, being the first international female surf star and one of the first athletes to be induced to the International Surfing Hall of Fame.

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Surfboards - The first fiberglass surfboard was invented in the 1940s. Its creator was Californian Robert Simmons.

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Different styles - The different styles of surfing depend greatly on the type of board, for instance: longboard, gun, funboard, evolution, and performance.

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International Surfing Day - 20 June is International Surfing Day.

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Industry - The surfing industry currently generates $20 billion every year and there are more than 20 million surfers worldwide.

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Point Break - The late actor Patrick Swayze broke four ribs while filming what is considered by many to be one of the best surfing movies ever, 'Point Break.'

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The largest collection - The largest collection of surfboards belongs to Donald Dettloff. He has over 640 boards. Even the fence around his house is made of boards!

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The best surfing spots - According to a CNN list, the best spots are: Pipeline in Oahu, Hawaii, Supertubes at Jeffrey's Bay, South Africa, Uluwatu in Kuta, Indonesia, P-Pass in Pohnpei, Federal State of Micronesia, and Mavericks, near Half Moon Bay, USA.

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Olympic Games - Surfing will debut as an Olympic sport in the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.

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