Table of Contents
On-Line
Hawaiian Dictionaries || Authors: | Jim Allen | Dick Ash
| Vernon Bartlett | H. Beattie | John R. K. Clark | Trevor Cralle | Peter Dixon | P. Ellam | J.C. Elwell | Midget
Farrelly | Ben
R. Finney | Robert Gardner | Drew Kampion | John Kelly | H.
Arthur Klein | Beatrice Krauss | Peter Kreeft | G.W. Kuhns | Margan & Finney | Desmond Muirhead | Otto B. Patterson | John Severson |
Annotated
Bibliography
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Allen, Jim L. (1970). Locked in: Surfing for
life. South Brunswick: A.S. Barnes.
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Title page and Contents
[PDF] and Introductory Chapters
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This book
on surfing for life is written by an older man, especially for the
late-1960s era. Allen states, "I am a 41-year-old family man, a
respected community member, and a university professor who holds the
Ph.D. degree. I am also a confirmed surfer." This is in contrast to the
youthful, rebel stereotypes of the era. He goes on to state, "...most
older men look upon surfing as either a frivolous waste of time or an
activity appropriate only for youngsters - if for anyone at all." He
also talks about surfing as a fad, the increasing commercialism of the
sport and paradoxically the high degree of conformity within the
surfing community.
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| Ch. 9, pp. 130-133, Body Surfng and Bellyboarding |
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Of the four
pages devoted to body surfing and bellyboarding, 2.5 pages cover body
surfing and 1.5 pages are on bellyboarding. No section covers hand
boarding or kneeboarding. Key passages include:
- it has been asserted that
because their low position also decreases wind resistance, some
bellyboard riders have been known to outrace riders on standard
surfboards in large surf.
- Bellyboard riders can, and
do, more often exploit waves that break gradually from one side to the
other. Thus they, like standard board surfers, can and do trim across
waves.
- The board is held with one
arm on the front of the board, with elbow and wrist crooked arowld its
front edge. The board is mostly under the rider's chest at this point.
The other arm is used to stroke as the wave approaches, and the feet
add propulsion with the swim fins. Once the surfer feels the wave lift
him and propel his board, he pulls himself further up on the board so
that it is, literally, mostly under his belly.
- There are various kinds of
bellyboards, or paipo (pie-po) boards as they are called in Hawaii,
ranging from $40 or $50 custom jobs made of foam and fiberglass like
surfboards, down to unadorned slabs of plywood cut to suitable size. In
between are both the molded or dish-shaped plywood boards that cost
from $15 to $25 and the homemade plywood boards so popular with kids in
Hawaii, each with its owner's own specially planned shape and size,
carefully mounted skeg, and elegantly painted decor.
- Dyed-in-the-wool body
surfers and bellyboard surfers are a special breed. They take their
sport as seriously as board surfers, if not more seriously.
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| Overall
observation |
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Although
published in 1970, the first edition is mostly written in a mid-1960s
flavor with a longboard orientation except in the chapter "The Boards."
There are tons of photos but none of bellyboarder/paipo riders. The
terms bellyboard and paipo ("as they are called in Hawaii) are both
used. In the glossary defines paipo, but not bellyboard, "Paipo: the
Hawaiian term for a bellyboard. See Chapter 9." There is no real
discussion of board lengths, widths, thickness or plan shapes.
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Ash, Dick (1994). Bellybogger: The fastest way to
get your guts across a wave. Byron Bay NSW, Australia: The Author.
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Short Booklet
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A few snippets
from the booklet:
I realise that the
Bellybogger is not everyone's answer to surfing. But, I believe there's
a small group of enthusiasts out there who still know what the art of
bellyboarding and bodysurfing is all about.
The difference between a Bellybogger and a 'boogie' board is the
sensation of speed.
The name came from 'belly' as in bellyboard, and 'bagger' which was the
nickname for bodysurfers.
Download and read the 12-page
booklet here. [PDF, 3.5MB]
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| Overall
observation |
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The
Bellybogger inventor and author of the booklet establishes early on
that the Bellybogger bellyboard/paipo is not for everyone but that it
is the board of choice for many. In the booklet, Dick Ash describes the
evolution of the Bellybogger and compares and contrasts it with the
boogieboard. He explains how the board has been designed for speed.
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Bartlett, Vernon, and Maurice Bartlett. You and Your Surfboard.
London: The Author, 1953. (With additional illustrations by Maurice
Bartlett.)
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Pages 3 & 4,
selected excerpts
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Booklet in
PDF: You may download the booklet here.
Note that in the quotes below that there is no reference to stand-up
surfboards. [
- "But surf-riding has
certain advantages over most other sports. You need no expensive
equipment. Any kind of board--your landlady's tea-tray, if you can find
nothing better..."
- "A word of warning.
The
first time you find yourself running back into the sea for the next
wave, you will know that the fever has caught you. For the rest of your
life, every other kind of bathing will seem a little tame. You will
welcome gales that keep other people moping indoors."
- "Some of the best
and
boldest surfing I have ever seen was by men in Durban who either used
no boards at all or had boards about half the size of yours."
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Editor's Note:
The pictured boards appear to be about 50
inches long. It would be interesting to know the length and width of
Bartlett's boards and the dimensions of the boards used in Durban,
South Africa.] |
| Overall
observation |
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An enjoyable
read. The illustrations and writing are sure to bring a smile to your
face as you browse through this book about one's joy in surf riding.
The title may be a little misleading since the booklet is about
waveriding with a bellyboard (paipo) and not the "surfboard" ridden in
the erect style, such as on a longboard or shortboard. This booklet may
be the first documented riding of paipos in the far reaches of the
world, including the shores of England, Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon),
South Africa (Natal and Cape Town) and West Africa. This booklet was
privately printed around 1950, with a couple of editions. Through much
diligence over quite a few years a copy was finally acquired by Henry
Marfleet (known as "bluey" on the paipo forums). Bluey says, "It was
well worth the wait."
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H. Beattie, “Traditions And Legends. Collected
From The Natives Of Murihiku. (Southland, New Zealand) Part XI,” Journal
of the Polynesian Society 28, no. 112 (1919): 212-225.
For access to the article on the Internt click
here.
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Pages 221-222.
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SURF-BATHING.
At least four of the old men mentioned the sport of surfing, as
follows:—“The young Maoris would swim out with a short board, put it
under the chest and shoot in on the waves. I remember round at
Kakararua (Hunt's Beach, Westland) we were at it, and a white man named
Baker would try it. He was a big, heavy man, and when he came in his
board struck the shore and almost stunned him. His chest was rather
severely hurt.”
“The board used in surfing was called a papa, and it requires
certain practice to use it. You must keep the end of it up just as you
reach the beach or it will dig into the sand and perhaps break your
ribs. The board was about four feet long perhaps, and came in like an
arrow. I was round at the West Coast diggings, and the beaches there
are very suitable for it. Another sport was when the boys would take a tawai
(a kind of canoe) out and come in through the surf. They would capsize
sometimes but that was all the more fun.”
“I never saw the sport of surfing, but know that a papa or
surf-board was used. I have heard that in the whaling days old
Takata-huruhuru went surfing in the bay at Port Molyneux. He was a
descendant of the people who came south in the Makawhiu canoe.”
The late Tare te Maiharoa said:—“Take kelp off the rocks and dry it as
for pohas
or kelp bags [to preserve birds in]. Take two of these bags and tie
them together about two feet apart. Blow them up, and having got them
out beyond the surf, put one on each side of you from the armpits to
the hips, lie on the flax connecting them, and come in with the
breakers. It is fine sport and you cannot drown. This was an old
pastime at Moeraki, Waikouaiti, and other good beaches, and was called para.
(He pronounced it pālă.) In the old Maori days there were very few
sharks about—they have only come in any numbers since the European
fishermen throw the fish-heads back into the sea.”
The names papa and para are interesting. The collector
looked up Tregear's Dictionary, and in it he notes that in Hawaii a
surf-board is called papa, and in Tahiti it is named papahoro.
As for para
the nearest appropriate meaning seems to be “the half of a tree which
has been split down the middle” (and hence may be cut down into a
surf-board) but perhaps Maori scholars could help to explain the term para.
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| Overall
observation |
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Two interesting
observations: (1) the Maori rode a form of paipo board, the papa
and (2) a form of surf mat, the para.
Methodology question as to when the interview(s) were conducted, the
ages of the people, and a specific time reference, per "The question of
acquatic sports cropped up in conversation with the old men, and here
is what they said... ." on page 221. One person cited on p. 222, Tare
te Maiharoa, had recently passed away (see p. 225). When were the
whaling days old Takata-huruhuru?
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Clark, John R. K. |
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Clark, John R. K. The
Beaches of O'ahu. (A Kolowalu book). 1977. (I have not seen the
2005 revised edition.)
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Page 9, in the
section titled "Paipo Board Surfing"
JPG
(300KB)
PDF
(600KB)
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Origins of a
word: The first paragraph reads: "In the days of old, Hawaiians
referred to bodysurfing as kaha (or kaha nalu) and pae
(or paepo`o). During the early 1900s, the term paepo`o
was commonly used in Waikiki, and it meant riding a wave with only the
body. After World War II, this particular word took on an alternate
definition, referring to bodysurfing with a small board. The
pronunciation of the original word, paepo`o,
was altered, and now even the spelling is changed to paipo. Today "to
paipo" means to go bodysurfing with a "bellyboard." The board itself is
called a paipo board."
The second paragraph describes paipos and paipo riding: "Paipo board
surfing is an intermediate development between bodysurfing and
surfboard riding. The paipo board is small (3 to 4 feet long), thin
(about 1/4 inch thick), and usually made of plywood that is protected
by paint or some other waterproofing. The shapes and sizes vary
according to individual preferences. Because paipos usually are ridden
in a prone position, some spectators call them "bellyboards." The paipo
board rider has much more speed and freedom of movement than does a
bodysurfer and often catches much longer rides. Some paipo riders
prefer to kneel on their boards, a technique that reduces their speed
but allows them maximum maneuverability in the critical sections of the
wave. The big outside breaks at Makapu`u attract some of the best paipo
riders on O'ahu, and it is well worth the drive to watch them perform
on a good day."
The third paragraph describes mat surfing: "A variation of paipo board
riding is "mat surfing." Instead of a board, the rider surfs on a
small, air-filled, canvas mattress. However, several shortcomings have
kept mat surfing from gaining widespread popularity. The mats are very
buoyant, which makes them hard to take out through incoming surf; they
are reluctant to go in any direction other than straight toward shore;
and finally, they deflate when punctured. In spite of these drawbacks,
mat surfing still remains a very enjoyable sport."
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Overall
observation.
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-
Clark, John R. K. Hawaiʻi
Place Names: Shores, Beaches, and Surf Sites. Honolulu:
University of Hawaiʻi Press, 2002.
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Page 302
from the story about the beach named Pololū
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Origins of a
word: The term "paipo" may be
derived from the clandestine Hawaiian word, paepō, as told in
the following mo‘olelo (or, story) by Alfred Solomon to John
Clark: "I was born on September 15, 1905, and I'm a cousin of Bill
Sproat... I have two papa paepō in my artifact collection.
They're two small concave boards about 1/4-inch by 1 foot by 3 feet
made of wiliwili,
and they were used for spying. The spies selected a night with rough
seas and then surfed in to gather information about various activities.
The boards were easily concealed. I heard this from the old people and
they said that's why the boards were called paepō, "night
landing." - Alfred Solomon, June 25, 1982
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Overall
observation.
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John
Clark does a wonderful job documenting and describing the names and
uses of beaches in the Hawaiian islands by interviewing people who
lived and used them. One of his styles of interviewing is through the
collection of stories (mo‘olelo)
of
a beach. As Clark states in the preface, "One of the important rules
about place names in the Hawaiian language is that you never know the
true meaning of a name unless you know the mo‘olelo,
or story, that goes with it."
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- Clark, John R. K. Hawaiian Surfing: Traditions From
the Past. Honolulu: University of Hawaiʻi Press, Forthcoming book (2010).
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TBD.
See Wally Froiseth paipo
board logo.
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Origins of a
word: John Clark's forthcoming book identifies and describes the types
of surfing that native Hawaiians did, one of which was pae po'o,
or prone board riding. He notes that while it's true that "paepo"
can be translated as "night landing" (as noted in the mo‘olelo
by Alfred Solomon), Clark has since learned that the original word was
actually "pae po'o". The following is from the manuscript:
"In the earliest descriptions of surfboards by Hawaiian scholars, the
smallest boards, those that were shorter than six feet in length, were
generically called papa li`ili`i, or "small boards." During the
early 1900s, the name papa li`ili`i
was changed on two fronts with non-Hawaiian surfers calling them
bellyboards, because they were most often ridden prone, the rider
laying on his or her "belly," and with Hawaiian surfers in Waikiki
calling them pae po`o boards.
Pae po`o is an interesting word. It does not appear
in any Hawaiian dictionaries, Hawaiian language newspapers, or writings
of the prominent Hawaiian scholars of the 1800s, such as `I`i, Kamakau,
Kepelino, and Malo, who described traditional Hawaiian surf sports. The
term appears to have been coined by Hawaiian surfers in Waikiki circa
1900, where it was commonly used to mean bodysurfing or bodysurfing
with a small wooden bodyboard. The literal translation of pae po`o
is "ride [a wave] head-first", or in other words, bodysurf, and a papa
pae po`o was a bodysurfing board, or what surfers today call a
bodyboard.
In everyday conversation, pae po`o was often shortened to pae
po, which is common among Hawaiian words that end with double
"o's," such as Napo`opo`o on the island of Hawai`i, which is
often pronounced Napopo.
The popular spelling used today, paipo, was coined by Hawaiian surfing
legend Wally Froiseth, who, besides being an excellent surfer, was an
exceptional paipo board rider who was famous for standing on his
twin-fin board while riding big waves. From 1956 to 1986, Froiseth made
approximately 150 paipo boards, which he sold to friends and other
surfers, putting a decal on each board to identify it as his product.
No one before him, however, had ever spelled pae po, so without
the benefit of seeing the word in print, Froiseth spelled it as he
heard it, pai po.
His decals read, "Hawaiian Pai Po Board. Mfg. by Froiseth." Froiseth
sold some of his boards to surfers from California, which helped to
introduce the word and its spelling outside of Hawai`i, and today paipo
is the accepted term for wooden bodyboards."
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| Overall
observation. |
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Historic
documentation for the word, paipo.
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Cralle, Trevor. The Surfin'ary: A
Dictionary of Surfing Terms and Surfspeak. Berkeley, CA: Ten
Speed Press, 2001. (2nd Ed.)
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Road Map to
Sources
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Bibliographical Key (PDF, 300KB) - abbreviations used for sourcing in the
dictionary
Bibliography and Selected
References (PDF, 2.6MB) - useful listing organized into several
categories
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| Definitions |
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Listed below are
several of the terms related to prone riding that are listed in The
Surfin'ary:
alaia board n. An ancient Hawaiian board for bodysurfing. (DM)
belly board or belly board n. A small
surfboard used primarily to ride the waves on your stomach, but It can
also be ridden kneeling or standing. (MF) Same as PAIPO BOARD.
bellyboarding n. Bodysurfing with the aid of a planing device, such
as a small hand-held kickboard or surfboard.
bodyboard n. Originally a BOOGIE BOARD, but now
includes soft foam boards with a hard plastic or fiberglass covering.
bodyboarder n. Someone who surfs using a bodyboard.
bodyboarding n. Riding a bodyboard in the surf.
Bodyboarders originally rode lying down, but now they occasionally
stand up. See BOOGIE BOARD.
bodysurfer n. 1) A surfer who rides the waves with
the body alone; swim fins are sometimes used to help propel the
bodysurfer through the wave. 2) Someone who uses the body as a wave
vehicle.
bodysurfing or body surfing or body-surfing
n. The art of riding the waves without a surfboard, using the body as a
planing surface.
Side caption on page 51: Bodysurfing is considered by some to
be
the purest form of surfing. The sport was invented by marine mammals
such as dolphins, seals and sea lions. Unlike their marine
counterparts, however, humans occasionally need to wear swim fins to
help them generate enough speed to catch a wave.
boogie board n. A soft, flexible foam bodyboard,
which can be used in flagged areas. (MW) The original Boogie Board (a
brand name) was invented by Tom Morey in 1971. The most widely used
surf riding implememt of all time, ridden prone and with or without
swim fins.
Coolite n. 1) An Australian brand-name for a
Styrofoam trainee surfboard. (MW) 2) The first board of most
Australian grommets, including MR, Rabbit, and Barton Lynch. (SFG, 1989)
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This
picture appears on the page describing the hollow surfboard. The
caption reads:
hollow surfboard
Steve "Kine Kahuna" Malipin
with rare Tom Blake
hollow bellyboard
Photo: Trevor Cralle
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kneeboard n. A surfboard, usually short (fIve to six
feet In length), ridden on the knees. (NAT, 1985)
kneeboarder n. A surfer who rides a kneeboard.
kneeboarding n. Surfing on the knees on a
specialized board. The rider can maintain a compact and stable
position, good for quick, radical maneuvers, and tube riding.
lay down surfing n. BODYBOARDING
Lilo (lie-low) n. Australian brand name for an
inflatable vinyl SURF MAT. No Aussie ever talks about a raft.
McDonald's tray n. Cafeteria-type plastic tray used
for bodysurfing planing aide. First used by Hawaiians in Waikiki and
now used by many a surfer around the world. On Oahu, frequent
"borrowIng" of these trays caused the fast-food restaurants to drill
holes into them.
Morey Boogie n. The original Boogie Board invented
by Tom Morey in the 1970s; developed from aircraft foam. See
BODYBOARD, BOOGIE BOARD.
paipo, paipo board (PAY-po) n. A small
polyurethane-foam bellyboard used in the Hawaiian Islands.
skimboard or skim board n. A rounded plywood or
fiberglass board two or three feet across, used to slide over the
shallow water at the water's edge.
skimboarding, skimming n. Standing up on a flat
board and riding it along the shoreline on top of a thin layer of
water. Also called SANDSLIDING.
skitter board n. 1) A fast, finless, flat-bottomed
bellyboard or paipo board about farly-two Inches long and thirty inches
wide and around three-eighths of an inch thick--one of the fastest
wave-riding devices. 2) An old term for SKIMBOARD.
surf-o-plan n. [Note: I neglected to copy this one
down.]
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Ancient Hawaiian
Terms (PDF, 360KB)
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The Surfin'ary
provides a good, concise collection of ancient Hawaiian surfing terms
terms. The list relies heavily on secondary sources, such as the
listing of terms in the excellent Ben Finney and James D. Houston book,
Surfing--The Sport of Hawaiian Kings, and the
lexicon in the Gary Fairmont R. Filosa II book, "The Surfer's
Almanac: An International Surfing Guide." The list of terms relies
less on a close review of original source material such as the seminal
dictionary by Lorrin Andrews, "A
Dictionary of the Hawaiian Language To Which Is Appended an
English-Hawaiian Vocabulary and a Chronological Table of Remarkable
Events [1865]." For example, conspicously missing from this listing
are two terms, pae (to be carried along by the surf towards the
shore; to play on the surf-board) and aupapa
(losing one's board, or "wipe-out"). Nonetheless, this is probably one
of the best consolidated listings of ancient Hawaiian surfing terms one
will readily find.
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| Overall
observation. |
|
My
optimism on the overall potential of this book disappeared as I read
and browsed through it. Some of the definitions related to prone
surfing are almost hilarious, but upon a second glance would benefit
from a refreshing update. The book appears to be heavily influenced by
the author/editor's California and "pure, stand-up" roots. For example,
this passage from early in the book, "What is Surfing?"
"Surfing is a
thrilling water sport for persons of all ages thaI has been practiced
for centuries. The act itself involves riding across the face of a wave
toward the shore while standing on a special board, called a surfboard.
Modern surfboards are made of foam and fiberglass and come in various
shapes and sizes, from short boards to longboards and everything in
between.
Although the above definition
describes surfing at its purest, the sport takes several forms:
bodysurfing, the simplest variation, wilh just a body and a wave (some
people wear fins or use a hand-planing device, such as a swimmer's
klckboard); bellyboardlng, with, a small wooden or plastic board;
bodyboarding (also called boogie boarding), with a flexible foam board;
mat surfing, with inflated rubber surf mats; and kneeboarding, using a
smaller, specialized surfboard. Surfers also ride the waves on wave
skis, surf skis, and paddleboards and do boat surfing with dories,
canoes, sea kayaks, and catamarans."
A close attention to the ancient
history of surfing reveals a rich history of bodysurfing and board
riding prone, kneeling, and sitting, in addition to standing. There is
nothing "pure" about riding a board in the stand-up position. It also
strikes me as peculiar, or even naive, to call a kneeboard a
"specialized surfboard." There are probably about twenty derogatory
terms for bodyboarding sprinkled throughout the dictionary plus a
special section in the appendix, but there is no such attention to
detail for "stand-up statue riders." Nonetheless, there are several
highlights sprinkled throughout.
Note: I have not reviewed the first edition.
|
Dixon, Peter L. The Complete Book of
Surfing. New York: Coward-McCann, 1965.
|
| Overall
observation. |
|
See my comments
below. The 1st edition appears to be virtually the same as the 2nd
edtition. No material to add or change.
|
Dixon,
Peter L. The
Complete Book of Surfing. New York: Coward-McCann, 1967 (2nd
Ed.)
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Cover, Note
& Contents.
Ch. 1, The History
of Surfing
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|
 |
Just for
the record. Click here for
the Table of
Contents, (100KB, PDF).
Chapter 1, The History of Surfing
- p.12: There is a
picture of boards from the Bishop Museum but none are identified as
alaia, paipo or bodyboards, only as olo.
- pp. 17-18: Small
cameos of body surfing, mat surfing, boat surfing, bellyboard surfing,
skim boarding and wake surfing.
- "Bellyboard Surfng.
An enjoyable ride can be had with
a small wooden or
plastic board about the size of an adult's
chest. Right slides, left slides, and fast straight-ahead rides
are easily made with a bellyboard."
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|
| From Chapter 11, Surf
mats, Bellyboards, and Dories (800KB, PDF) |
|
Paragraph
two reads, "Bellyboards are really
little surfboards. Several types are now in use--some are simply flat
pieces of wood with a rounded nose and others have one or two skegs.
The modern commercially made bellyboard is like a full-size surfboard,
except the dimensions have been scaled down. Both mats and bellyboards
are propelled with swim fins on feet and arms paddling." (See the mat surfing pictures from p. 137.)
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|
"The
Bellyboard" section of the chapter begins on page 139, "The bellyboard
is really just a short surfboard. Years ago bellyboards were short
wooden planks with rounded ends. Surfers made the start while standing
on the bottom and always rode the bellyboard in the white water. The
modern bellyboard has grown a skeg, a covering of fiberglass and an
inner core of foam. These are very fast, and on the right wave they can
go faster than a surfboard. In Hawaii the bellyboards are called paipos
and are ridden right along with surfboards, even in the big surf at
Sunset Beach."
Note the comment in paragraph two, "On medium-size, well-formed waves
the little boards are ideal; in fact they're almost as much fun as
riding a conventional surfboard." [Editor's Note: Also as fun???]
Picture on page 141.
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| Glossary (260KB) |
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- Bellyboard - A
short surfboard propelled mainly by swimfins. Called a piapo in
Hawaii. (sp?)
- Paipo Board - The Hawaiian term for bellyboard, a short surfboard.
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| Overall
observation. |
|
The
book is written in a "popular-style" for a wide audience that covers
many of the bases for introducing standup surfing and other various
forms of waveriding, in particular mat surfing and dory surfing. The
2nd edition uses the terms bellyboard and refers to the Hawaiin name, paipo
board.
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Dixon,
P. L. (2001). Men
who ride mountains: Incredible true tales of legendary surfers.
Guilford, Conn: Lyons Press. (see first edition [1969] note below.
|
Cover & Contents.
Short excerpts.
Overall
observation.
Ch. 8, The History of Surfing |
|
Ch. 8, The
Aussies, and Ch. 10, The Competitors,
are two short acknowledgments of George Greenough's impact on the world
of waveriding. There are several references to Greenough's belly board,
but I suspect this is a kneeboard - no mention is made of Greenough
belly riding or knee riding. For example, on page 121, "The Aussies
couldn't fathom George at first. They were expecting some sort of cool
American cat, polished and citified, which George is not. They were
also troubled by the fact that George didn't ride a surfboard, but only
his radical, self-designed fiberglass belly boards." Later on page 164,
Skip Frye is quoted saying, "Then Greenough came back from Australia
with his mind blown free of all preconceptions and he started a lot of
us looking in new directions. Greenough stressed surfing on anything
people could ride - mats, belly boards, boats, anything that could
capture a wave and slide fast. George designs surfingvehicles. It's as
simple as that." See the excepts here
[PDF file].
Synopsis: Excellent book on surfing from the early modern years through
the shortboard revolution of the late-60s with other selective updating
of the original 1969 edition, in this 2001 new edition. Well worth the
read for general wave riding history, but very little on the prone
riding world of surfing except the references to "belly boarding" above.
Note: Bob Green, Paipo
Research Project, reviewed
the first edition (1969) and did not see any references to paipo or
bellyboarding.
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Ellam, P. (1956). The sportsman's guide
to the Caribbean. New York: Barnes.
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Forward
Chapter 2 section on surfing.
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In the Forward
the author notes, "The aim of this book is to give an accurate account
of the sporting facilities that are available throughout the islands of
the Caribbean; to show where they are, what they are like, who runs
them and what equipment they have."
Chapter 2, Participation Sports, in the
section titled "Surf Riding," the following:
SURF RIDING
Where to go: There is only one place where the
surf riding is good and that is at Trinidad. They have a good beach
facing directly into the Trade Winds with either side of it a headland
running well out to sea, forming a deep V-shaped bay.
In the middle of the bay the Atlantic rollers pile up on a series of
sand bars and travel for some distance before they break,
providing just the right conditions for a good ride.
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No instructors are available, but it is quite
easy to learn on your own and once you get the hang of it you will find
it a safe, pleasant and rather romantic sport that somehow fulfils the
dreams one has on cold winter nights of far-away tropic islands.
The beach: It is called Maraccas Bay
and lies on the North shore of the island about 14 miles from Port of
Spain. To get there you either rent a car or take ataxi, making a deal with the driver for the
round trip before you start.
But first you call at a timber yard in town
and get them to make you a board each. They use the short type there so
that all you need is a 4-foot length of cedar or similar wood about 15
inches wide, not too heavy and rounded off at one end (the front).
Any
yard will make them for you in a few minutes while you wait and the
usual charge is about 60 cents each, but make sure that they do not
leave any rough edges or splinters.
The road from town climbs up over
the mountains and drops sharply down on the other side, providing one
of the most scenic drives in the whole Caribbean, while Maraccas Bay
itself is strictly glamorous, with the sweeping curve of white beach
and the high green headlands stretching away on either side.
On weekends there will be a line of cars parked under the palm
trees and everyone from town will be out there but at other times it is
quiet, with just a few other people around.
Using a surf board the trick is to get started. In the beginning it is
best to wade out to the first sand bar, where the water is no more than
waist deep, face the beach and wait for a wave that is just about to
break as it reaches you.
Then you give a little jump and launch yourself down its steep front
face, keeping the rear end of the board at your waist and the front end
as flat on the surface of the water as you can without actually letting
it go under.
To avoid collisions with other bathers you can steer to a limited
extent by tipping the board down on one side and as you get better at
it you can start further out to get a longer ride, but be careful as
the sea is definitely rough.
What it costs: About 60 cents per board and your car ride out there.
Equipment: Get one board each in town before you go.
Tips: Do not go out beyond your depth in the breakers unless you
are a strong swimmer. Take drinks and sandwiches with you.
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| Overall
observation. |
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General
Observation: Basic
paipo boarding in the south Caribbean. The question one must ask is for
how long has the sport been practised and to what extent?
Special thanks to John Hughes of the Cocoa Beach Surfing Museum for
finding and sharing this story.
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Elwell, John C., Schmauss, J., and California Surf
Museum. (2007). Surfing in San Diego.
Charleston, SC: Arcadia Pub. |
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Great effort by the authors and the Californaia Surf Museum in publishing this pictorial history with words. Of relevance to the world of paipo riding are two pictures and captions of bellyboard/paipo boards.
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This picture features a young girl with a very small board, most likely a kipapa-style (prone riding) board.
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These
boards were most likely used for paipo riding as they are rather long
and heavy for skim boarding. San Diego County in 1924.
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Farrelly, Midget, and Craig McGregor. The Surfing Life, As
Told to Craig McGregor. New York: Arco Pub. Co, 1967.
McGregor, C., & Farrelly,
M. (1965). This
surfing life. London and Adelaide: Angus & Robertson in
association with Rigby.
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Cover, Note
& Contents (1.7MB)
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Just
for the
record. Editor's Note: I obtained a copy of the 1965 edition some
months after the 1967, and will make notations as appropriate. The
author's Note
is about half as long but the Contents are the same. The Title page
includes the same photograph. Pagination is different, horizontal
rather than vertical.
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| Page 142
from the chapter, The Story of Surfing (600KB) |
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The
chapter/story begins, "Where did surfing begin? Nobody knows for sure.
Ricky Grigg believes that it originated in the southern islands near
Tahiti, where the islanders found they could ride the waves lying on
small wooden boards or kneeling on them." No citations or further
discussion on Ricky Grigg's belief.
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| Ch. 15,
Other Surfing Methods, including, Mat Riding, Handboards, Belly Boards,
The Peipo, and Fins (3.5MB) |
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Caption for picture on p.177, "Belly-board surfing--and a young surfer
kneels on the board as the top of tbe wave loops over him." Note that
terms for bodysurfing, bodyboarding, kneeboarding and surfing are still
intermingled.
- p.180, Mat Riding. Two terms for mat riding are used: "The mat, or
surfoplane... ."
- p.183, Belly Boards. "The belly board, as the name implies, is rather
larger, and is designed to be ridden face down. It is usually about
four feet long, a little under two feet wide, and can be made out of
anything that floats well." There is no mention whether or not these
boards have skegs (fins).
- p.188, The Peipo. "The most advanced form of belly board I have seen
is the peipo, which has been developed in Hawaii. It's a thin board,
usually made of plywood or fibreglass; it has no fins, is only three or
four feet long, sometimes even shorter, and is wider at the back than
at the front. It has a square tail, and a rounded nose that is lifted
radically and dished out..." and "The first principle of the peipo is
the flat surface, which gives it its speed. Peipos have on occasions
travelled faster than surfboards, for they have hardly any resistance
to the water, and quite often become airborne."
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| Glossary
(1MB) |
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- Belly board:
half-size surfboard which is most commonly ridden lying on your belly
but can be ridden kneeling or standing.
- Mat: rubber float or surf-o-plane
- Peipo: form of belly board
- Surf-o-plane: inflatable rubber mat
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| Overall
observation. |
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The
book is written in a "popular-style" for a wide audience, but covers
all the bases rather well, written from the Australian experience. Chapter (7 pages) is dedicated to body surfing. Note
the spelling of "peipo" and that the peipo is classified as a type of
belly board. No other changes detected in review of paipo surfing.
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Finney, Ben R.,
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| -
Finney, Ben R. 1959 Journal of Poly. Surfing,
the Sport of Hawaiian Kings. Rutland, Vt: C.E. Tuttle Co, 1966. |
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-
Finney, Ben R., and James D. Houston. Surfing, the Sport of
Hawaiian Kings. Rutland, Vt: C.E. Tuttle Co, 1966.
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Title
& Contents (200KB)
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Just for the
record. (Note: most of the scanned PDF files below range from 60KB to
420KB.)
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pp.23-25
and
pp.32-34 from chapter 2, Pacific Origins
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"No
one knows who first realized the possibilities of riding the swells
that had always been so much a part of island life. It may have been a
weary swimmer bounced all the way to the beach in a white boil, or a
canoe full of fishermen straining to make shore in heavy seas, who
first knew the thrill of racing across the rising slopes. As for when
it happened, we can only guess. Simple surfing with a body-board may be
several thousand years old, as old perhaps as the settling of the
Pacific islands."
Terms cited from early European observors included, "wave riding,"
"surf-riding," or "surf boarding."
"With one exception, moreover, it is doubtful that wave-riding as a
popular recreation existed anywhere beyond Oceania before the 19th
Century. That one exception is the West Coast of Africa, in areas of
Senegal, the Ivory Coast and Ghana. Near Dakar, Senegal, for example,
African youths and young fishermen regularly body-surf, ride
body-boards and catch waves while standing erect on boards about six
feet long. These Atlantic skills seem in no way connected with the
Pacific, either historically or prehistorically. Evidently it's an old
pastime in west Africa; young Africans were seen riding waves while
lying prone on light wooden planks, as long ago as 1838, long before
surfing began to spread from Hawaii."
"Two basic board types are used in the surf. A bodyboard or belly-board
is usually from two to four feet long and used as an auxiliary aid in
sliding across a wave. The surfer is actually swimming and holding the
board in front of him as a planing surface. This is commonly a
children's pastime, not an adult sport. True surfing requires a
full-sized board, usually eight feet or longer, that can support the
rider entirely, allowing him to ride prone, kneeling or standing. Early
accounts mention long boards specifically in only two island groups-New
Zealand and Hawaii. Some New Zealand boards were six feet long, but
because they were only nine inches wide they probably didn't support an
erect rider and were ridden prone. Morrison says boards of "any length"
were used in Tahiti. Four-foot boards were known in the Marquesas. In
early accounts of surfing in Melanesia, Micronesia and western
Polynesia, all boards which were mentioned are only a few feet long."
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Some figures
from ch.3, Ali`i, Olo & Alaia and ch.5, The Revival
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1- Tahitian boy
surfing on a belly board (click
here)
2- Ancient Hawaiian surfboards on display at the Bishop Museum (click
here)
3- The Bishop Museum has the world's largest collection of ancient Hawaiian
surfboards (click
here)
4- Diagram of surfboards since
1907, arranged chronologically
(click
here)
5- Diagram of five ancient
Hawaiian surfboards (bodyboards, alaias and an olo) (click
here)
Shown
here are two of the figures, a diagram and a display, of ancient
Hawaiian surfboards
(click on pic for a larger image)
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Of
interest in these two figures is the typology for describing the
boards. The figure on the left describes three types of boards,
bodyboard, alaia and olo. The figure on the right describes only two
types of boards, alaia and olo. However, the figure on the right
displays one olo, many alaia and at least two bodyboards - the larger
boards lined up on the right could be ridden as stand-up style alaia or
or prone style bodyboards (kioe).
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pp.63-64
from ch.4, The Touch of Civilization
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"Today
all that remains is an occasional youngster skimming through small
waves on a body-board. Not a surfboard is seen on the waves that break
around this fabled south sea island. The changes wrought by western
civilization virtually eliminated a once popular recreation. In recent
years a few surfers have travelled there with modern boards and have
discovered good waves on many beaches. Tahitians are often encouraged
to try a board or to build their own, but their reaction is almost
always the same. It is a children's pastime, they say. No one seems
interested."
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| p.82
from ch.5, The Revival |
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The
author espouses a certain superior air of stand-up surfing over riding
prone, "During the ride itself the technique of lala, angling, is still
the most skillful, and standing is of course the only acceptable way to
ride. Although sitting, kneeling and prone riding positions were all
popular formerly, such postures are now used only for novelty,
amusement or by those who cannot stand." And, "From nineteenth century
reports, early surfers seemed content to paddle, catch the wave, stand
up and then speed ahead in one direction. New boards and modern
imagination have changed this. ... An experienced surfer can thus play
the wave as he rides it-speed up, slow down, turn, swerve, change
direction, ride in the trough or shoot along its thin crest. He can
turn to the left by shifting right foot behind left. He can swerve to
the right by placing his foot on the board's right edge and lean in
that direction. He can stall by stepping back on the board, or speed
forward by walking tothe nose. " Funny that these examples espoused as
superior were shortly thereafter trumpted by people riding prone or on
their knees, riding tightly in the curl, inside the tube, spinning 360s
and el rollos, moving faster across wave faces and performing other
more radical maneuvers. Oh well, this was the page that I call the
"paipo slam" (a play on words for the Zuma Slam).
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pp.96-98
from ch.6, Surfing Goes International
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"In
New Zealand, for instance, the revival of a long-dead pastime was due
to Australia's influence. As we have seen, surf sports were known to
early Maoris. Canoe surfing, body-board surfing and body-surfing, known
collectively as whakarerere, were all popular pastimes. They
declined and have virtually disappeared, however; and modern surfing in
New Zealand dates from the 1930's when Australian Surf Lifesavers
arrived with skis and cigar boxes."
"In 1953 the surf-lifesaving movement was established in England, and,
with the unique safety methods came the surfboard, surf-ski and all the
oceanic skills developed on Australia's beaches. With its time-honored
reputation for fog, foul weather and the frigid English Channel,
England seems an unlikely spot for a traditionally warm weather sport
like surfing. But the southwest coasts of Devon and Cornwall boast the
mildest summer climates in the British Isles... Body-board surfing has
been known there since the early years of this century."
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| Glossary,
Endnote Citations and Bibliography (500KB) |
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The appendix is
a glossary of ancient Hawaiian surfing terms. Of direct interest are
the following terms:
kaha, to surf or body-surf, and kaha nalu,
body-surfing;
kioe, a small surf board; and,
kipapa, the prone riding position.
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| Overall
observation. |
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The
book is written in a "scholarly-style" for a wide audience. Finney's
academic research credentials are clearly evident as he broke ground in
becoming a "surfer surfing scholar dude" and collaborated with several
noted scholars and researchers in Hawaii. Although Finney demonstrates
a clear bias towards stand-up surfing this doesn't interfere with
documenting the genesis of prone style riding and its dispersion
throughout the world. What is absent however is any mention of the term
"paipo" (or any of the derivatives of the word such as paepo) despite a
number of adults practicing the sport during the 1950s and early 1960s
in Hawaii (e.g., Wally Froseith making Pai Po boards in the 1950s).
Editor's Note: These PDF files were scanned at 150 dpi resulting in
smaller file sizes but also of lesser quality.
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-
Finney, Ben R. and James D. Houston. Surfing: A History of
the Ancient Hawaiian Sport. San Francisco: Pomegranate
Artbooks, 1996.
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Contents
and excerpt from the Forward
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From the Forward,
"This was the first book to chart surfing's Pacific origins in the
context of Polynesian culture. Its main outline was conceived and
developed by Ben Finney as his master's thesis in anthropology at the
University of Hawai'i. Much of the material was revised by James D.
Houston, who also added new details and interpretations. For this
thirtieth anniversary edition, a number of seldom seen drawings and
early photos have been added, along with appendixes of vintage writings
on the subject," including Lt. James King (Capt. Cook voyages), Jack
London, Mark Twain and others. "A few historical and cultural details
have been updated (e.g., pronunciation marks for Hawaiian terms and the
use of Polynesian place names, such as Rapa Nui and Aotearoa in lieu of
Easter Island and New Zealand)."
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|
pp.13, from ch. 1, The Wave, the Board, and the Surfer
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"Hawai`i's
gift to the world of sport is surfing-sliding down the slope of a
breaking wave on a surfboard. Long before Captain Cook sailed into
Kealakekua Bay, Hawaiians had mastered the art of standing erect while
speeding toward shore. Riding prone on a wave with the aid of a short
bodyboard was practiced throughout the Pacific Islands, primarily by
youngsters, and probably dates back thousands of years. The Hawaiians
took this ancestral habit, lengthened the boards, refined their shapes,
and developed techniques that moved Lt. James King, in the first
published account of surfing, to exclaim,
"The boldness and
address with which I saw them perform these difficult and dangerous
manoeuvers was altogether astonishing and is scarcely to be believed." [quote is from Lt. James King in Cook 1784, 3:
147.]
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pp.21-25, from ch. 2, Pacific Origins
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"No
one knows who first realized the possibilities of riding the swells
that had always been so much a part of island life. It may have been a
weary swimmer, bounced all the way to the beach in a white boil, or a
fisherman in a canoe, straining to make shore in heavy seas, or simply
a youngster playing in the waves who first knew the thrill of racing
across the rising slopes. Simple board-surfing -- in
which a swimmer uses a short plank or other aid to ride a wave just for
the fun of it -- was practiced throughout the Pacific Islands.
Recreational wave-riding was probably part of the general marine
adaptation pioneered by the first people to enter the open Pacific.
That would date the beginnings of the sport back to almost 2000 B.C.,
when the ancestors of the Polynesians and other Pacific islanders
started moving eastward from Southeast Asia to explore and colonize
this vast oceanic region. Recent archaeological finds suggest that the
first canoes reached Hawai'i by at least A.D. 400. Those first settlers
were probably already skilled in simple surfing, and perhaps after
several hundred years of riding Hawai`i's big waves they began to
develop the big boards, the art of standing up while riding diagonally
across a wave front, and other features of this uniquely Hawai`ian form
of the sport. A cautious guess would then date Hawaiian surfing back at
least a thousand years."
"The
other points of comparison -- board size and riding position -- are
closely related, since a board's shape and length determine how one
rides it. Two basic board types are used in the surf. A bodyboard (also
known as a belly board or a paipo board) is usually from two to
four feet long and is used as an auxiliary aid in sliding across a
wave. Surfers using bodyboards actually swim, holding the boards in
front of themselves as planing surfaces. This is commonly a children's
pastime. True surfing requires a fullI-sized board, usually six feet or
longer and at least around eighteen inches wide, that can support the
rider entirely, allowing him or her to ride prone, kneeling or
standing. Early accounts specifically mention long boards in only two
island groups: Hawai`i and Aotearoa. Aotearoa boards are described as
reaching six feet in length, but because they were only some nine
inches wide they probably did not allow a rider to stand up. Morrison
says boards of "any length" were used in Tahiti and that the more
expert Tahitians could stand up while surfing, which implies that some
of the Tahitian boards were approaching surfboard size. The next
largest boards in Polynesia -- four-foot planks in the Marquesas and
long reed bundles from Rapa Nui (where because of deforestation there
was little wood available) -- apparently did not allow the riders to
stand up. Elsewhere in Polynesia and the rest of the Pacific island
region the boards were short bodyboards, and there is no mention of
riders sitting, kneeling, or standing erect."
[Editor's Note: None of waveriders pictured appear to be youths.]
"Was
board-surfing limited to the Pacific islands? In all the world, we have
found only two other places where surfing may have developed
independently from the Pacific island sport: West Africa and northern
Peru. From Senegal, Ivory Coast, and Ghana come reports of bodyboard
surfing, which, particularly since they date back to the 1830s, may
indicate that African youths along this coast independently hit upon
the idea of using planks to ride the waves. From northern Peru there
are descriptions of fishermen who fish offshore sitting on reed
bundles, which they call caballitos (little horses). When done fishing,
they paddle back to shore (using a wooden paddle) and catch a wave or
two coming in through the surf, a practice that may be of great
antiquity since fishermen sitting astride and paddling their cabaIlitos
are featured in pre-Columbian pottery. However, in neither of these
cases did surfing develop into anything like Hawaiian surfing."
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From ch.3, Ali`i,
Olo & Alaia
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"The alaia
boards are round-nosed with a squared-off tail and very thin. The
larger alaia boards in the Bishop's collection range from seven to
twelve feet long, average eighteen inches in width, and are from a half
inch to an inch and a half thick. (The museum's shorter alaia-shaped
boards, which can be classified as bodyboards because of their lack of
buoyancy, are similarly proportioned.) Most alaia boards that have
survived are made from koa (Acacia koa), a fine-grained Hawaiian
hardwood, although various writers state that alaia were also made from
such light woods as breadfruit( Artocarpus altila) and wiliwili
(Erythrina sandwicensis)."
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| pp.52, from
ch.4, The Touch of Civilization |
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This photograph often is cited as
a surfer with a paipo board. The photograph is correctly captioned
above as a sufger with an alaia board. The surfer may have ridden the
board in the prone, kneeling, sitting or standing positions.
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| pp.60-61, from ch.5, The Revival |
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Surf-Bathing--Success?
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Two pictures used in the book that I downloaded from,
Twain, Mark. Roughing It, Part 8, Chapter LXXIII, "Surf
Bathing." Hartford, Conn.: American Publishing Company, 1872.
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|
pp.85-86
from ch.6, Surfing Goes International
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Notes from
various countries:
- Australia. Discusses
bodysurfing, stand-up surfing, boat surfing and use of the surf ski but
there is no explicit discussion of any form of prone board riding.
- New Zealand (Aotearoa). The
Maori were credited with canoe surfing, bodyboarding and body-surfing.
- Surfing By the 1930s,
however; traditional surfing apparently had declined significantly in
popularity. During that decade, Australian Surf Lifesavers introduced
their revision of the sport with surf-skis and "cigar boxes."received a
further boost in the late 1950s when Californians brought the first
balsa boards to Aotearoa, and since then interest in the newequipment
and riding skills has been growing rapidly.
- South Africa. No mention of
prone board riding. Although West Africans may still ride the waves as
their ancestors did in centuries past, their sport does not appear to
be linked historically with surfing around the Cape of Good Hope.
The Surf Life Saving movement was already established by 1938 when the
first surf-ski was built and development continued. "More recentlybalsa
and foam boards have arrived so that today South African surfersare
mastering modem riding techniques on Indian Ocean swells."
- England. "Bodyboard surfing
has been known there since the early years of this century." And, "In
1953 the Surf Life Saving movement was established in England, and with
the unique safety methods came the surfboard, surf-ski, andall the
oceanic skills developed on Australia's beaches."
- Israel, France and Peru: No
use of prone riding craft was mentioned in this section of the chapter.
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Glossary, Endnotes, and Bibliography
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|
Appendix
A is a list of Hawaiian Surfing Terms
that includes some new entries, uses diacritical marks and includes
word sources. A couple of words relevant to prone board riding:
- kīoe : a small
surfboard (PE, p. 153)
- kīpapa : prone position on a surfboard; to surf
prone (PE, p. 154); a style of riding (T, p. 110)
The Notes
are abbreviated references used throughout the book
The Bibliography
lists the books and articles cited in the text, along with research
publications on surfing by Ben Finney, which include more extensive
documentation than given here. Several new citations have been added in
this 30th anniversary update of the earlier book.
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| Overall
observation. |
|
The
book is an updated, coffee table style version of the Finney and
Houston book of 30 years earlier. It maintains its easy reading
scholarly approach in a wide page, glossy format.
On special interest is the introduction of the term
"paipo" although there is no mention of 20th century prone board riding
despite a
number of adults practicing the sport during the 1950s and early 1960s
in Hawaii (e.g., Wally Froseith making Pai Po boards in the 1950s).
Several observations in the book would seem to limit the riding of
bodyboards (paipo boards) to youngsters. However, the general writings
and sketches of the period would seem to indicate widespread use of men
and women of all ages (e.g., see sketching earlier in this section).
The authors provide an excellent discussion on the decline of surfing
early in the 19th century and the rebirth of surfing at in the early
20th century, in Hawai`i
and elsewhere. The discussion does a good job of discussing the
evolution of stand-up surf boards used during this 100 years and into
the 1960s. Absent, however, is a record of bodyboarding. Did
bodyboarding disappear for a hundred years only to reapper in the
mid-1950s?
Many thanks to Finney and Houston for their scholarly contributions to
the surfing world.
|
Gardner, R. (1972). The art of body surfing.
Philadelphia: Chilton.
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Cover page, Contents and Author Note
and some history from Ch. 1, the "Reckless Breed" |
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from page 2:
Let's get one thing clear immediately. Big surf body surfing is an art
apart. People who go to the ocean in the summer number in the millions.
Board surfers number in the hundreds of thousands. But there aren't a
hundred proficient big surf body surfers in the world. They are a small
, select world--a skilled, talented, and reckless breed of men.
History does not disclose the identity of the first man who look
advantage of the onrushing surf to get to the beach faster than he
could swim. Neither does it identify that first daredevil with the
"Hey, Mom, watch me" attitude who dropped down the face of a giant
breaker to lie (temporarily, we hope) on the bottom of the ocean, while
tons of seawater attempted to flatten him by natural hydraulic action.
But we do know that from time immemorial, puny man has been trying to
bend the surf to his will by many means -- by surfboards, outrigger
canoes, surfboats, belly boards, kayaks, even by air mattresses.
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But to the surfing purist, body surfing will always be the supreme test
of man's ageˇold struggle to conquer his most ruthless, dangerous, and
implacable enemy -- the sea. This is because the body surfer challenges
the sea at its most violent moment -- the thunderous breaker -- and he
does it without artificial help or assistance. As Candy Calhoun, one of
the very few good female body surfers, once said, "Body surfing is the
ultimate in onesmanship." Or to quote [from page 3] Mickey Munoz, one of body surfing's immortals, in a more earthly approach, "It's just you and that damned wave."
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| Swim Fins |
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from
page 6: The history of body surfing falls into Ihree rather sharply
defined parts, or periods -- preˇswim-fin, post-swim-fin, and the
present.
In the pre-swimˇfin days - roughly prior 10 World War II -- the art of
body surfing was severely limited by the inability of the surfer, no
matter how skilled, to generate enough quick speed to control the wave.
Thus, in the 1920s and the 1930s, it was "straight off" or "over the
falls," with a reckless disregard of consequences, a fine arch of the
back, a great gasp from the crowd on the beach, and
inevitably--disaster.
But with the invention of swim fins, body surfing developed into a true
art. Now the body surfer can develop enough speed to cut across the
face of the breaker on the diagonal, or get on a shoulder of green
water and stay jusl ahead of the soup or white water, or "hot dog" it
with all of the modern tricks and techniques of spinners, outriggers,
and layouts.
from page 11: It is not
historically accurate to pick World War II as the advent of the swim
fin. Fins had been developed several years before, and the body surfers
had grabbed them instantly, realizing their great contribution to the
art. But it was during World War II , and particularly through the use
of fins by the Amphibious Scouts and Raiders and the underwater
demolition teams of the United States Navy, that their popularity began
to spread.
And so it was that by the late 1940s and early 1950s, swim fins were
becoming widely used. Still, the technique was basically the same --
straight off. Fins were great for transportation -- to get out of the
trough, to catch a wave from outside -- but the surfer still went
straight off.
from page 24: Next,
we come to the most important part of a body surfer's equipment -- his
swim fins. The fin is here to stay. Its existence makes body surfing so
much easier.
Probably the most popular fins in bodyˇsurfing circles are Duck Feet.
These are the long, slim fins with a strap over the heel. They are
manufactured by a number of companies, but those made by the Voit
Company seem to be the ones seen most on experienced body surfers.
Probably 8 out of 10 body surfers at the Wedge wear Voits. Duck Feet,
when properly fitted, are comfortable and secure (in everything but big
surf), but be sure to get a pair that fits. If they are too big, you
lose them; if they are too small, your feet will cramp, and it's no fun
floundering around in the trough trying to pull a cramp out of your
foot. So don't be embarrassed. Make the clerk open the boxes and try
the fins on until you get a size that fits. Don't let him tell you that
because you wear size 10 shoes you automatically wear fins of a certain
size.
Another popular fin is the Churchill -- triangular in shape, rather
than oblong as in the case of Duck Feet. These fit just like Duck Feet,
with a strap over the heel, and it's just a matter of personal choice
between the two. A few years ago everybody wore Churchills. Now, most
surfers seem to be using Duck Feet, although those who use Churchills
swear by them.
Another popular type is the shoe fin, in which the entire foot is
enclosed -- like a pair of loafers with fins attached. The most popular
of these kinds is the Italianˇmade CressiˇRondine, ordinarily called [page
25] Cressis. These have great thrust, but for the body surfer, they
come off too easily. Just about the time you are screaming down the
face of a good wave, water gets in the shoes and the fins pop off.
However, there is a rubber gadget, which goes by the trade name of
Fixe-Palm, that fits over the instep and under the sole of the fin.
This will keep the fin on. Its use is strongly suggested for anyone
using the Cressi-type of fin for body surfing, otherwise he is going to
spend most of his time diving for his fins. In big surf a Fixe-Palm is
a good idea for Duck Feet or Churchills, too. Big surf will tear off
the best.fitting fins. Some people secure their Duck Feet or Churchills
by shoelaces through the strap and around the ankle (for obvious
reasons, you can't do that to a Cressi). It's a good idea in big surf
to secure the fins by one means or another. There must be dozens of
fins floating around the bottom after a big day. They are supposed to
float, but none seems to float very well. They appear for a moment in
the soup and then disappear, and they don't reappear until they wash up
on the beach the next day. It's a pretty good idea to be the first
person on the beach the morning after a big day. Most of the fins
eventually wash in and the pickings are good. Unhappily, people who
have drowned the day before have a tendency to drift in the next
morning too, but, you get your name in the paper if you find a body.
|
| Summary |
|
The discussion
on swim fins was included because of its special relationship in riding paipo boards Note the reference to UDT (underwater
demolition team). The belly board is mentioned as one means of bending
the surf to the rider's will.
|
Kampion, Drew. Stoked: A History of
Surf Culture. Santa Monica, CA: General Pub. Group, 1997.
Kampion, Drew. Stoked!: A History of
Surf Culture. Salt Lake City: G. Smith, 2003.
|
Page 34 from the chapter, Seed
Culture
|
|
The
second edition has a sidebar titled, "Olo, Alaia and Paipo" and a
picture of olo, alaia, and paipo boards displayed in the Hawaiian Hall
of the Bishop Museum inHonolulu. The first edition did not include
the paipo or this picture.
|
| Pages 37, from the chapter, Seed Culture |
|
One
of the infamous historic pictures of a waverider holding a board in
Waikiki gazing out to the surf with Diamondhead in the background. Part
of the caption reads, "This turn-of-the-century photo of a lone surfer
with his short paipo board at Waikiki speaks volumes." [Rod Note:
Whether this board is a paipo or not could be a subject of debate. The
two ancient forms of Hawaiian surfing boards were the olo and the
alaia, classified as such based upon the shapes of the riding plank and
the boards' cross-sections and their thickness. The alaia was usually a
shorter board and for this reason is often called a paipo.
Additionally, the alaia was much thinner than the olo and was the
ancient day equivelent of a performance short board. The alaia was
often times ridden prone style.]
|
Overall
observation.
|
|
A nice glossy,
coffee table survey of surfing history and culture through the ages.
Loaded with rich color pictures.
There
are a couple of short references to "soft belly board," "boogie board,"
and "volksurf board" usually accompanied with a discussion of Tom
Morey's invention of the "boogie board," now commonly called a bodyboard.
|
Kelly, John M. Surf and Sea.
New York: A.S. Barnes, 1965. (PDF files unless otherwide noted and
range from 600KB to 2MB.)
|
Cover page, Forward
and Contents
|
|
Credits include
paipo rider, Val Valentine. Note chapter titled, Body, Mat and
Belly Board Surfing
|
Page 18 from chapter 2, Riding
Waves
|
|
This section of
the book is setting the stage for what is to follow.
|
| Pages 50-53, from Chapter 4, Body, Mat and Belly Board Surfing |
|
The chapter
begins, "Tales of bodysurfing and belly board (paipo) surfing abound
in the ancient legends of Oceania." Much of this section focuses on
bodysurfing although a reference is made to using mom's halved wooden
ironing board as a paipo for first-timers.
|
| Pages 62-66, from Chapter 4, Body,
Mat and Belly Board Surfing |
|
These
pages include sections called, Fast Belly Boards, Mat
Surfing, and Safety Hints.
The belly board section begins, "Surfers riding conventional boards not
only have to contend with slower bodysurfers nowadays, but with faster
belly board riders as well. A new belly board that skims the surface
has put in its appearance, first in Hawaii and now spreading to other
parts of the world. Developed and perfected by John Waidelich and Jim
Growney, it has speed capabilities in excess of the fastest gun
surfboard." [Editor's Note: This "fast belly board" has a shape similar
to those made
by Hawaii Paipo Designs and is referred to as a "skim board." It is
made of plywood with a fiberglass and resin coating.]
The chapter concludes on the right note, "Bodysurfing, mat surfing and
belly board surfing are safer, easier, and more fun when the rider uses
swim fins. All three are among the most healthful of water sports. At
their simplest, you need only baggies or a bikini, some waves and a
little free time to have just loads of good clean fun." |
|
|
| Pages 152-153 and 156-157, from Chapter 7, Surfboards |
|
These pages
include excerpts
on board design features. Page 157 includes the passage, "Support for
this view was given when the fast skim boards of John Waidelich and Jim
Growney began passing guns in Hawaii's big north shore surf in
1961-62." What has since evolved into the Hawaii Paipo Designs shape
was referred to as a skim board.
|
Page 193 photograph.
|
|
Photo by Val
Valentine of a paipo being ridden standup style.
|
Glossary of Terms
(excerpts)
|
|
Terms such as
belloomer,
board, paipo, skim or skitter board are defined. It notes that the term
paipo is from popular usage but may stem from pae, to ride a
wave to shore, and pu,
the sea at midtide (Hawaiian). Several other treats are included in
these pages such as bluebird, bone yard, box seat, sea pussy and surf
chaser.
|
Overall
observation.
|
|
This is a
well-written book
that includes two major parts, the sport and the sea. The chapter
titled Surfboards includes lots of good information on board design.
Well worth taking some time to read through this book.
I loved the references to "catching a wave in the box seat," "edge
takeoffs," and "catching a blue bird" (large wave). The box seat is the
most critical part of the wave. "Catching the wave in the box seat
enables the rider to develop his speed which he uses to beat the break
and get into trim for sliding in the slot of the wave. But from the
edge take-off, a rider risks, on his drop, a collision course with
riders who have already caught the wave at the box seat and are on an
angular course across the wave."
Further research areas include Oceania history and culture for insights
to the sport of paipo board wave riding.
|
Klein, H. Arthur. (1965). Surfing.
Philadelphia: Lippincott.
|
| Cover page & Contents
and Set I, Wave B, Brief Introduction |
|
|
"Surfing
includes every kind of surf-propelled motion, ranging from body-surfing
to group surf-riding in the largest outrigger canoes or surf boats."
"Surfing for many has meant only "stand-up" surfing on boards. This
kind is best known, and generally the most spectacular. For some
readers it may continue to seem the only kind worth mentioning or
learning. Those readers are urged especially to concentrate on the
sections of the book leading up to board-surfing and to try in the surf
what they learn there."
"The book seeks to emphasize what seems likely to be lasting in surfing
rather than that which may be temporary and faddish. It also stresses
safety -- not as an unfortunate concession to integrity of life and
limb but as an essential ingredient of sound, skillful surfing."
|
|
Set II,
Reviewing the Past
Wave F
- Fins, Finders and Founders, pp. 41-46. |
|
Photo by Dr. Don James.
|
On page
43, in Wave F, Fins, Finders and Founders,
Kleim makes a interesting proposition: "We can suggest here a sort of
Surfing Law of Lightness: 'The lighter a surfboard is, compared to the
weight of its rider, the greater the role of fin area in providing
either course stability or ease of turning.'
There are inevitable limits to efficient fin area. The bigger a fin,
the greater its skin friction, or drag, when the board moves fast over
the water. Tom Blake recently warned that fins in general have become
too big, for "they hold the rider back when he needs speed to beat a
fast break."
In fact, fin areas have noticeably decreased on the popular "gun," or
"elephant-gun," boards designed especially for big-wave riding. The gun
boards are not only longer, heavier, and narrower (especially toward
the tail) than the Malibu or hot-dogging boards, but also their fins
are far smaller, more tapered, less obtrusive. They sacrifice the
maneuverability suited to smaller, slower waves in a beach-type surf
for the speed essential to escape a wipe-out when the white water
threatens to pour down from the crests of truly big waves.
A few advanced surfboard designs now permit interchangeable fins and
enable the surfer to adapt his board to the particular type of surf
awaiting him."
|
|
Set III, Know
Your Surf:
Wave L - List of
Swimming Skills for Surfers pp. 85-87. |
|
From Wave, L:
"This section
also introduces a most useful supplement to these basic swimming
abilities -- a supplement commonly called "swim fins." These can add
greatly to ease and enjoyment in mat-surfing, belly-board-surfing, and
body-surfing. (Fins are not suitable for full-board surfing.)
What hind of fins for surfing? Anyone about to buy, beg, or borrow a
pair of fins for surfing should try to get a pair suited not only to
his foot size but also to actual surf conditions. Unless he is a very
special case, he will probably do best with rubber fins that are fairly
flexible and fairly short.
Long, deeply ribbed, and rigid fins such as trained frogmen wear in TV
productions are not suitable for surf. They are tiring because they
impose a heavy strain on leg muscles; they are clumsy in a turbulent
swash; and they are not suited to the short, sharp sprints the surfer
will want to develop for wave take-offs.
A pair of fins whose tips project no longer than 6-1/2 or 7 inches
beyond the big toe are best. When checking fins for flexibility, the
surfer should note whether or not the fins return to their original
shape when releasef from tension. Good surfing fins may be quite
"floppy" -- but they shouldn't be "sloppy" in the sense of remaining
distorted or bent. And, of course, they should fit snugly but not
tightly.
The best all-around surfing fins, in the author's opinion and the
opinion of many people he respects, were once made by the Voit Rubber
Company and bore the identifying name of the designer, "Owen Churchill,
Los Angeles." Regrettably, the past tense is necessary: for some reason
this particular model is no longer offered. The same manufacturer makes
other fin models, but none nearly so well suited to the surf."
|
| Set IV, First
Things First |
|
This section
features three parts: Wave
M, Making the Most of Surf Mats and Floats; Wave N, Not-Quite-Full-Size
Boards; and Wave O,
Only a Body to Surf With - But It Suffices.
Interestingingly,
bodysurfing gets 21 pages of coverage, surf mats get 14 pages and paipo
boards get 11 pages.
Wave M, Making
the Most of Surf Mats and Floats (excerpts): "Real
surf-ridding starts here on a modest but admirable "vehicle." It
consists mostly of air, s lightly compressed and retained by a
leakproof skin, usually of stout rubberized cotton fabric. Though its
appearance probably is familiar, it is known by various names in
different surf areas. Sometimes it is called a surf "mattress,"
sometimes merely a "mat." Along the Atlantic coast it is more likely to
be known as a "float." In Australia the fancier name of "surfoplane" is
used. And sometimes it is referred to as a "raft."
Many of these mat maneuvers, including a genuine headstand, were shown
in photographs taken at Redondo Beach in 1963. They illustrated an
article appropriately entitled "Here Come the Matresses" in the first
issue of Surfing magazine that year.
Some truly stellar performers have spent substantial parts of their
surfing apprenticeship on mats. One instance among many is Bud Browne,
now known as the pioneer photographer and producer of major genuine
surfing movies. Before he assembled his first cinematic surfing
thriller, he had twice won the mat-surfing championship at famed Makaha
Beach, on the western shore of the island of Oahu.
Wave N, Not-Quite-Full-Size
Boards (excerpts):
"Board-surfing begins now in a form somewhat abbreviated but ancient,
honorable, and admirable. For here we find the less-than-full-size
boards. These are the surf vehicles that lack the size and buoyancy to
enable a rider to float entirely free of the water when he paddles, or
when he simply rests while waiting for a wave.
Names for such boards differ according to size, shape, and the part of'
the world in which they are used. Some common names are "arm boards,"
"belly boards," "half-boards," "paipo boards" (a Hawaiian name),
"kneel boards," and so forth.
The entire family could be called simply "semi-boards." This may be
understood as applying to anything from the smallest arm board to the
largest kneel board, which in everything but length may resemble rather
closely a full-sized foam-plastic surfboard of modern design.
Many readers, like the writer, grew up using the plain old name, "belly
board." This can be confusing because some people think that " belly"
is a rather vulgar way to refer to the abdomen. However, it means the
front part of the human body, extending from the breastbone to the
pelvic region. Therefore, it could be said that most riders do "belly"
on such boards.
A striking photograph by Dr. Don James, which appears on the jacket of
this book and again on page 56 (shown below), shows four surfers riding
at Sunset Beach, on Oahu. Three stand on full boards. Above them rides
the fourth, on a paipo semi-board. He is at the moment above
and behind the full boards. Yet a few moments later he may be farther
down the wave than his companions, for his board is small and, above
all, swift. Surfers call a slow board "mushy." There's nothing mushy
about a paipo or a modern belly board when it is handled by a
master.
Another of' Dr. James' great surfing photogra phs on page 110 (see
below) reveals a basic secret of paipo speed under big-wave
conditions -- once again at Hawaii's famed Sunset Beach. The paipo
rider's body is completely
clear of the water. He has arched his body like a swan-diver, so that
his legs and even the fins on his feet ride clear of the surface. The
speed of his slide is marked by the wake of white foam leading all the
way back to the peak.
Small as his board is -- and its thin forward edge is easily seen -- it
is skimming so fast that not over two thirds of its undersurface is
actually in contact with the water. It seems almost as though it might
take off and fly fully free of the wave. The rider's reason for angling
to his right is clear. The peak from which he shot downward lies to his
left, and already the crest from that peak has spilled down the wave
front a distance as great as the paipoboardsman has descended,
but it is safely separated from him. (His gesture of exuberance --
lifting his left arm -- is not essential to his sliding form. It's more
like the traditional hat-holding gesture of rodeo riders, who seem to
be fanning the ears of their bucking steeds.)
The weight of a modern belly or paipo semi-board thus may be
held to as little as 7 to 10 pounds, and that of a larger kneel board
to around 12 or 14 pounds.
Here again we see the great lightness and buoyancy of new foam plastic
materials. A 10-pound semi-board of such construction, including a
protective fiberglass and resin jacket plus a fin of suitable size,
should be capable of supporting about 75 or 80 pounds additional weight
before it is forced under the surface of the sea. A 14-pound semiboard
should support correspondingly greater added weight. Yet the board's
inherent buoyancy is not the main factor that enables it to
uphold most or even all the body weight of its rider during the
swiftest part of his ride. The main factor is the hydroplaning effect
created as the bottom of the board slides over the water.
On page 113 (see below), this effect is seen again in another classic
photograph by Dr. James, also taken at Sunset Beach. The paipo
board (right) appears to be about three quarters out of the water as it
and also the standard surfboard (left) slide in a race to escape the
mountainous white water.
Since speed is so
essential in surfing on big, steep waves, the subject of hydroplane
action deserves closer consideration.
Hydroplane action in board-surfing. Recent years
have taught millions what wonders of weight-carrying can be
accomplished by small wood or metal surfaces if they are forced to move
fast enough through water. The swiftly growing sport of water-skiing
supplies the best known instances. A heavy water skier, plus a
"passenger" posing ornamentally on his shoulders, may ride on a single
ski of moderate size, provided it and they are pulled along at
sufficient speed. The ski may be formed of aluminum or iron. It need
not float. In action, its hydroplane "lift," not its buoyancy, does the
work.
From Piraeus, the port of Athens, Greece, to Aegina, Ydra, and other
history-rich islands of the Aegean Sea, passengers now ride a motor
vessel with metal fins, or hydroplanes. mounted below its hull. At
sufficient speed, the entire heavy vessel simply rises above the blue
sea waters, supported entirely on these small hydroplane surfaces.
Similar effects are at work when a semi-board moves fast enough over
the water. The surf mat is, so to speak, the balloon of surfing
vehicles. Thanks to its great buoyancy, it floats and bears weight,
motionless or moving. The semi-board, however, is more like the
airplane. It generates lift as a result of its motion.
Conceivably, a semi-board could be built of a heavy solid, dense enough
to sink in sea water if not otherwise supported. It would not be a very
practical piece of hardware, for it would often be lost to its rider
and he would have to turn diver in an effort to recover it. However,
even such a board, with its negative rather than positive buoyancy,
could provide strong lifting effect if properly handled during a swift
surfing ride.
Speed through the water is what makes the difference. For a deeper
understanding of surfin g, both on semi-boards and full-sized boards,
let us consider the subject of speed. [Editor's Note: see the text of
the document to read more.]
The modern paipo board and its somewhat larger cousin, the kneel board,
show notably less surface friction in the water than do full-size
boards. A full plastic-foam surfboard may have as much as 10 to 15
square feet wet at the slow start of a ride. Its fin, which has two
sides in the water, may add to the total a full square foot or even a
bit more.
In contrast, a modern paipo or belly-style semi-board probably
has no more than 5 square feet in the water, and its small fin presents
not more than half a square foot additional surface. The somewhat
larger kneel board is likely to tot al no more than about 7 square feet
of surface in the water, including fin.
When big surf runs and waves break fast, the smaller resistance of the
semi-boards may give them that extra speed which makes the difference
between a narrow escape, followed by a getaway -- or a wipeout.
Considerations such as this make it ridiculous to regard all semiboards
as if they were simply "kids tuff." It is a fact, however, that their
use at this time is relatively limited on the beaches of the
continental United States. They come into their own more definitely
under conditions found especially at great surfing areas of the
Hawaiian Islands. However, signs of a belly-board "revival" appear
rather distinctly now on the surfing horizon.
Many paipo or kneel boards are in important respects smaller
examples of the construction used in full-size surfboards. Some of the
best are even reinforced with a wooden stringer and are jacketed with
as many as two layers of fiberglass fabric. However, any engineer knows
that the breaking and twisting stresses are far smaller in boards 3-1/2
to 4-1/2 feet long than in those 8 to 10 feet long. Semi-boards of
whatever material are relatively stronger (as well as lighter and
smaller) than full boards of comparable proportions.
|
| Overall
observation. |
|
First,
it should be noted that the author is a mat rider. Klein does a great
job of covering the "world of surfing" organized in sets of waves,
e.g., Set I is Preliminaries and Set II is Reviewing the
Past. Set II includes 4 "waves" including Captain Cook
Encounters Surfing and Dark Days Almost Wipe Out Surfing.
Throughout the book the author emphasizes safety and fun.
You have to love the term Klein uses for hard surface wave riding
boards that are not meant to be ridden stand-up style: not-quite-full-size boards, less-than-full-size boards, semi-board or half-boards. Nonetheless, most frequently used terms
are belly board and paipo. It appears that whenever there is a
reference to bellyboarding in Hawaii the term paipo is used.
Klein makes an interesting use of mathematics in discussing board
displacements and fin (skeg) surfaces.
Of special note, Kleim mentions a hasake, an Israeli life
guard's boat that is also used for
waveriding but much smaller than a standard boat - more akin to an old
style paddleboard or a stand-up paddleboard, but larger.
|
Krauss, B. H. (1993). Plants in Hawaiian
culture. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press.
|
Cover page and
excerpt from Ch. 8, Games and Sports and an appendix, Description of
Plants
|
|
|
Chapter 8
contains a two page
discussion
of the role of plants, i.e., the two principal trees used in the
building of surfboards, the alaia and olo. Much of this section is
taken from Surfing, the sport of Hawaiian kings, by Finney and Houston (1966).
See the Description of Plants for more
information on the koa and wiliwili trees used in the building of the
alaia and olo boards, respectively.
|
|
Kreeft, P. (2008). I surf, therefore I am:
A philosophy of surfing. South Bend, Ind: St. Augustine's
Press.
|
Click here for the Cover page & Contents and a Brief Introduction.
|
|
|
This book
makes many claims but for me comes across as a cross between pop
culture and pseudo philosophy with a surfing connection. The
advertisement reads something like this: "This is the first book about
surfing ever written by a philosopher." and "It gives ten compelling
existential reasons why everyone should surf: reasons from the great
philosophers: Moses, Buddha, Confucius, Lao Tzu, Socrates, Plato,
Aristotle, Jesus, Machiavelli, Freud, and George Morey. It explains how
surfing is the easiest and most delightful way in the world to attain
what you most deeply long for, for it can make you good, mystical,
peaceful, wise, heavenly, happy, sexy, and even rich." Huh? The most
intriguing aspect of this book is that it "contains a manifesto
defending bodyboarding as true surfing, not “sponging.” Huh?
Bodyboarding needs a manifesto defending the sport? Originally, I had
read about "the bodyboarding manifesto" and thought this would be
interesting, but a "defense?" NOT. The American HeritageŽ Dictionary of
the English Language, Fourth Edition, defines manifesto as "a public
declaration of principles, policies, or intentions, especially of a
political nature."
|
No doubt the author is an accomplished
scholar. Nonethelss this book comes up short except for a tidbit
quoting Jack London's experience with surfing. "Like love, stoke is
both indefinable and irresistible. Your first wave will hook you
forever, like a fish. Listen to the classic account of how it happened
to Jack London in Hawaii:
One after another
they came, a mile long, with smoking crests ... these bull-mouthed
monsters, and they weigh a thousand tons, and they charge into shore
faster than a man can run . . .. I watched the little Kanaka boys. When
a likely-looking breaker came along, they flopped upon their stomachs
on their boards, kicked like mad with their feet, and rode the breaker
into the beach. I tried to emulate them. I watched them, tried to do
everything that they did, and failed utterly. The breaker swept past
and I was not on it ... away the little rascals would scoot while I
remained in disgust behind. I tried for a solid hour, and not one wave
could I persuade to boost me shoreward.
Then, finally, at the end of the day, Jack caught his first wave, and (in his own words)
.. . from that moment I was lost." (See pages 16 and 17.)
A Defense of Bodyboarding: A Manifesto.
Read it yourself and draw your own conclusions. I could quote excerpts
but that would not do justice. For me it is a mixed bag.
|
Kuhns, G. W. (1963). On surfing.
Rutland, Vt: C.E. Tuttle Co.
|
| Title page
and Contents |
|
|
In the
Foreward, Kuhns writes, "As a sport, surfing has no set of rules. In
fact, the term "surfing" is nebulous in the respect that it is never
quite clear as to what type of action constitutes the performance of
the sport. What is considered surfing by one person may not be
considered surfing by another.
Perhaps it should be made clear to the non-surfer that surfing does,
however, entail more than j ust riding a wave to shore while standing
on a surfboard. To say that the object of surfing is merely to ride a
wave to shore would be like saying the object of a bull fight is simply
to kill the bull. If this were true, it would be difficult to
understand why the matador does not use a rifle from the press box.
Actually, the test of the matador is how he kills the bull; and the test of the surfer is how he rides the wave."
|
The author writes, "It is the author's
intention that this book should not only furnish the general
information through which the reader may become acquainted with a new
and remarkable sport, but that it will help establish in the surfer the
skill and knowledge through which he will gain the maxirnurn
satisfaction from the sport by making the wavemore a servant than a master." |
Ch. 1, An Introduction to Surfing and Glossary
|
|
Kuhns treats
bodysurfing and paipo boarding as evolutionary steps to riding a
surfboard while standing erect: "We can only theorize as to how the
sport of sliding down a wave while standing on a somewhat buoyant
object developed. Perhaps the idea was first conceived by some obscure
islander as he watched driftwood being washed ashore; or, perhaps, the
idea evolved from swimming to body-surfing to belly-boarding until,
finally, the surfer was standing erect. It is quite understandable,
though, that such a sport would be conceivedby a fun-loving and adventurous race of people such as the Polynesians."
There is no other discussion, or photographs, of paipo/bellyboarding.
Glossary:
belly-board: a small board used in body surfing to
add buoyancy and maneuverability to the participant; usually a board
that is less than three feet in length; sometimes a skim board.
skim boord: small rectangular or disk-shaped board,
usually plywood, used to skim over the shallow water washed up the
beach from the force of the wave; belly board.
|
| Overall
observation. |
|
An introductory
book on surfing with scant mention of other forms of wave riding. The
term "paipo" never appears throughout the book and the bellyboard and
skim board are mostly treated as one and the same.
|
Margan, F., & Finney, B. R.
(1970). A pictorial
history of surfing. Sydney: Hamlyn.
|
Cover page, Note
and Contents
|
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The title
is a bit misleading. The title should probably be something more like
this: A Pictorial and Narrative History of Australian Surfing, Its
Roots and Influences.
The book features tons of figures ranging from 18th century engravings
to modern color photographs, from bodysurfing and boat surfing to
modern shortboarding (ca 1970). The first couple of chapters cover the
early beginnings of the waveriding sport and throughout the remaining
chapters are bits and pieces of surfing from around the world [Finney].
However, this book is really a history of Australian surfing, and the
factors influencing its development and how Austrialia externally
influenced surfing, mostly countries of the former British empire
[Margan]. There is a considerable amount of narrative and photographs
dedicated to the documentation of the early beginnings of beach bathing
and the formation and spread of the surf life saving movement.
The narrative and figures are disjointed. Read the pictorial and
narrative stories separately - you will never be able to match them up
as you turn the pages.
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Pages 13- 24
from ch. 1, Surfing's
Hawaiian Past and ch. 2,
and Surfing's 18th Century Peak.
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"Three
main ways have been developed to surf such waves: body-surfing, canoe
surfing and surfboarding. Surfboarding was in ancient times and is
again today the most popular, spectacular and exciting of the three.
Kneeling or lying prone on a surfboard, the surfer uses his hands and
arms to paddle out to where the surf peaks. Just before it breaks. he
paddles before a moving wave until he has enough speed and the wave's
slope is steep enough for him to slide free. The surfer then stands and
manoeuvres the board with his body weight and footwork to stay at the
edge of the breaking wave, darting in and out of its curling edge as he
surfs toward shore.
The first step in developing this form of surfing may have been the
discovery by a swimmer that a wooden plank held before a breaking wave
was a handy device for speedily returning to shore. Such a discovery
could have led to the simplest form of surfing -- belly-board surfing
-- using a short board held against the belly or chest to ride prone on
a wave. Because of its simplicity, belly-boarding may
easily have been invented many times and at many places around the
world, but there are only two areas where it was widely practised
before modern times: along the shores of West Africa from Senegal to
Nigeria, and along the beaches and reefs fringing the many islands of
the Pacific. African surfing seems to have been independently developed
by the water-loving Africans living along the Atlantic shores of that
continent, though it never seems to have evolved much further than
belly-boarding, or to have spread to other peoples.
Although it is impossible to say exactly when man first began to surf
in the Pacific, the wide distribution of the sport throughout the
islands of this vast ocean indicates a considerable antiquity for the
sport. It probably dates as far back as three or four thousand years
ago when the ancestors of the present-day Pacific Islanders were
sailing from the shores of South Asia and surrounding archipelagos out
into the Pacific to discover and settle new lands.
Practically everywhere these maritime people settled -- from, for
example, the north coast of New Guinea to tiny Easter Island off the
South American coast -- there is evidence of a presumably ancient
surfing tradition. Surfing skills varied among the Pacific Island
populations, however. Along the shores of New Guinea and the other
islands of Melanesia, and on the islands of Micronesia and those of the
western half of Polynesia, surfing remained in the simple
belly-boarding stage. Boards were usually just a few feet long -- only
big enough to allow a surfer to ride prone -- and typically only
children and youths surfed. It was among the main islands of East
Polynesia -- New Zealand, Tahiti, the Marquesas and Hawaii --
that longer boards were developed and the sport became something
more than just a casual recreation of the younger set. In Tahiti, for
example, the first explorers found that Tahitians of all ages and
social classes were enthusiastic and skilful surfers, and that mature
men and women prided themselves on their surfing prowess. Captain
William Bligh was able to watch Tahitian surfing first-hand when he
anchored the Bounty at Matavai Bay on his ill-fated expedition
to gather breadfruit in Tahiti, and wrote the following description of
Tahitian surfing in his log:
'The heavy surf which
has run on the shore for a few days past has given great amusement to
many of the Natives, but is such as one would suppose would drown any
European. The general plan of this diversion is for a number of them to
advance with their paddles to where the Sea begins to break and placing
the broad part under the Belly holding the other end with their Arms
extended full length, they turn themselves to the surge and balancing
themselves on the Paddles are carried to the shore with the greatest
rapidity.'
Although it is not clear from
Bligh's description how large the Tahitian boards, or 'paddles' as he
called them, were, or in which position the Tahitians rode their
boards, another early observer indicates that Tahitian surfing was
considerably advanced in terms of boards and riding positions. James
Morrison, the boatswain's mate on the Bounty who was stranded
for several years on Tahiti after the mutineers took over the ship and
sailed away to exile on Pitcairn Island, makes it clear in his
description of Tahitian surfing that boards might be longer than a few
feet in length, and that a few of the Tahitian experts were able to
stand at least momentarily on their boards. These Tahitian surfing
experts had their counterparts among the men who excelled at surfing in
New Zealand and the Marquesas island groups where a similar trend
toward the development of larger boards and more sophisticated surfing
techniques was evident. But none of the Polynesian surfers from south
of the Equator could ever have challenged the surfing champions of
Hawaii who rode standing up on full-size surfboards and mastered the
waves as no othe Polynesians or other Pacific Islanders ever had."
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| Selected figures
from pp. 22-25, ch. 2, Surfing's
18th Century Peak. |
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| Pgs. 44, 47, on
surfboard types from Hawaii's past. |
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"A surfboard was
a papa he`e nalu, a 'plank for wave-sliding', and the surfer
had two main types of board to choose from, the short, thin alaia,
and the long, narrow, olo. Each, as we shall see, was adapted
to a particular type of surf and demanded a particular style of surfing.
As the first migrants to Hawaii, and their Hawaii-born descendants,
began to concentrate their sporting energy on surfing, they developed
boards that were larger and more finely designed than the short, simple
bellyboards used elsewhere in Polynesia and the Pacific. They evolved
the first true surfboards that allowed riders to stand and manoeuvre at
will on the slope of a wave. The two main types of Hawaiian surfboards,
the alaia and the olo, were thus the result of hundreds
of years of experimentation and testing by generations of Hawaiians to
develop boards suited for maximum performance in the surfing breaks
around their islands.
The alaia boards remained closest to the original belly-boards
in that they were fairly short, thin and probably could not fully
support a rider until the board was planing on a wave. An average alaia
board was perhaps six to eight feet long, fourteen to eighteen inches
wide and an inch or so thick. The nose was usually wide and rounded.
and the sides tapered towards a squared-off tail. In cross-section,
both decks were apparently convex, meeting with narrow and sometimes
sharp siderails.
Although some observers reported olo boards twenty-four feet in
length, most were probably in the fourteen to eighteen-foot range."
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Selected figures
from pp. 137 & 138.
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Surf mats
were called "surf floats" in 1930s Australia.
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Selected figures
from pp. 152, 153, 154, 156, 224 and 309, looslely from the chapter, Styles
of Riding
Machines
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The pics are
grouped together in one file [PDF, 600KB] and are shown below with
titles.
The first board riders outside California to try out the
Malibu took it easily.
With
a flipper
to get momentum, a belly board -- a very short version of the Malibu --
proves highly menoeuvreable in good surfs.
A
sight not
often seen, body surfer and belly board rider on the same wave. The
beaches of the world have become so crowded, board riders and body
surfers are today in separate areas.
There's
a crash coming, Two winter surfers get their lines crossed.
Screaming
across the face of the wave on a belly board makes for exhilarating
riding.
Two
belly board riders having fun as they skip down the face of a wave at
Cronulla Point, N.S.W.
Trapped
inside,
a surfer about to go over the 'falls', while Ken Williams drops down
the face of a big wave at Cronulla Point, N.S.W. [Editor: Looks like the paipo rider is in a critical
position for a good ride if not for the longboarder dropping-in.]
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Bonus Figure, p
167.
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You won't
find one of these on your paipo board!
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Glossary of Terms,
pp. 313-319. [PDF, 3.5MB]
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Interesting
notes: The terms bellyboard and bodyboard are not listed. However,
"paipo board" is listed (although this term is not used anywhere else
in the book) and defined as "a small bellyboard used in theHawaiian
Islands."
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Overall
observation.
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This
is a well-written book
that includes two major parts, a history of the ancient sport of
surfing (Finney) and a history of surfing in Australia (Margan). The
Australian history provides an in-depth description of the sport's
early beginnings, including the groundbreaking surf bathing (swimming),
previously taboo during daylight hours, the beginnings and evolution of
the surf life saving movements and its spread to other areas of the
British Empire. The book has a huge collection of pictures of surf
dories, surf skis and surf shooters (bodysurfers). Although published
in 1970, the book has scant coverage of the shortboard movement.
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Muirhead, D. (1962). Surfing in Hawaii: A
personal memoir. Flagstaff, Az: Northland Press.
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Title and Table of Contents
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Book
description: "First printing. This book interweaves a history of
surfing on Hawaii with an account of his learning how to surf himself.
While not a 'how-to" book, it includes a lot of helpful information on
philosophy, technique, wipe-outs, choosing a board, and dealing with
"The Big Surf." It also includes notes on Australia, California, Peru,
and other surfing countries. Thirty-seven full-page black and white
photographs, most by Dr. Don James , but a few by Muirhead himself.
Small oblong format, measuring approximately 6 1/4 inches tall by 9
inches wide. Two appendices on California and Australian surfing
beaches. Shortly after publishing this book, Muirhead went on to become
one of the most influential and innovative golf course designers in the
world; he is responsible for coining the term "golf course community"
where the golf course shapes the development around it, and he
emphasized the beauty and vistas which unfold on the golf course both
for those using it, but also from the roads winding past it."
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| Pages 1, 2 & 10, Ch. 1, History of Surfing in Hawaii |
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"Surfing is a
very old sport, so old that its actual beginning cannot be traced. In
ancient Polynesia there was no written language, since both history and
legend were handed down by word of mouth from parents to their
children. This exchange was usually in the form of chants which were
called meles in Hawaii. There is ample evidence, from the many
references in these chants, that the art of surf-riding was one of the
most widespread of the Polynesian sports, practiced in one form or
another throughout the Pacific region, from New Zealand to Hawaii, and
from Easter sland to New Guinea."
"On most of the Islands of Oceania, the boards used for surfing were
small, less than five feet long, and the modern practice indicates that
these would not support a man other than in the prone position; they
were merely a gradation above what we call body surfing boards today.
It is significant that boards greater than five feet in length were
found only in New Zealand, Tahiti, and Hawaii, and it is in
Hawaiian chants alone that we find frequent reference to the positions
of sitting, kneeling, and standing on the boards, as the surfers rode
down the surfaces of the advancing waves."
"Sophia Cracroft and Lady Franklyn, the widow of the famous Arctic
explorer, visited the Kona coast with Kalakaua just before he ascended
the throne. In her letters to her family in England, Miss Cracroft
describes a surfing meet. It is obvious from the text that Kalakaua had
already started his campaign to revive Hawaiian sports and customs."
"At twelve we started in our litters to a bay a little way below this,
to see some surf riding." And, "We alighted at a very nice native house
belonging to a chief of the lower grade, a very good looking man whom
Mr. Kalakaua had introduced to us yesterday. He is an excellent surf
rider and joined in the succeeding sports, which was also witnessed by
a great number of people belonging to the village, who clustered all
round the house. I fear that I can hardly give you a correct idea of
surf-riding but I will try."
[Description of riding paipo and erect style.] "A man or woman swims
out to the line of breakers, having before him a thin board from 4 to 6
feet long and about 15 inches wide; this in swimming he carries before
him with one arm, swimming with the other.The curling waves are
nothingˇto these swimmers - they either dive under them or ride up the
face of the liquid wall and appear on the top of, or behind it. They
choose their wave according to its height and the direction it will
take in reaching the shore, and then instead of facing it they turn
about, place the surfboard immediately in front, rise to the crest of
the wave, and literally ride upon it with extended limbs until it has
spent itself upon the beach. But if they perceive that it will cast
itself against the rocks, then they turn around again and stop
short. It is a really wonderful sight, and some are so expert that
during their flying progress they can spring upright on the surfboard
and come in erect! We saw one man do this."
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| Page14, Ch. 2, Surfing in Modern Times |
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[Alaia and olo boards; alaia used for body surfing.] "The ancient Hawaiians used two types of boards, the alaia (thin) board and the olo (thick) board. The alaia was used for body surfing but the olo
might be 20 feet long and weigh 180 pounds. Large boards were needed to
hold 400 pound chieftains. Boards were made from koa, the sickle-leaved
Hawaiian acacia, from the breadfruit and from other species. The chiefs
often had boards of a light, balsa-like wood called wili-wili, a
Pacific relative of the Tiger's Claw, the symbolic tree ofIndia."
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| Page106, Ch. 10, Larry Goes Fishing and Pupukea |
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[Bodysurfing and
paipo boarding affinity. Could also be a reference to a hand board.]
"After wipe-outs at Pupukea and other big wave beaches you will get
plenty of opportunity to body surf, a form of entertainment much
practised at Makapuu on the other side of Hawaii Kai where many
enthusiasts use a small board and swim finsto help them." |
| Notes |
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Use of the term,
"body surfing boards." Alaia boards for riding prone-style aka "body
surfing." The book made scant use of footnotes and did not contain a
bibliography.
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Patterson, Otto B. Surf-Riding, Its
Thrills and Techniques. Rutland, Vt: C.E. Tuttle Co, 1960.
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Page 31 from chapter 2, Building
Your Board
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In
the first paragraph of the chapter: "In 1957, the Bishop Museum in
Honolulu displayed fifteen surfboards covering a century of surfing in
Hawaii. One of these collectors' items, probably the oldest surfboard
in existence, was a small body-surfing board said to be several hundred
years old." Also of note is the following, "In early times there were
two types of surfboards generally made in Hawaii. The alaia
(thin) board, made of koa or breadfruit wood was considered to
be for body-surfing. The olo
(thick) board, a log-type such as that used by Chief Paki were
generally made of lightweight wood." [Rod Note: Other sources will show
that the alaia was used for "performance" surfing, i.e., sliding
sideways on the wave whereas the olo was hard to maneuver and usually
ridden straight in towards the shore.]
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Pages 123-133 from the
chapter, Ancient Surfing Legends
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A couple of
stories. Of mystery are the references to two konane boards in the poem beginning on page 124 (konane is a game of Hawaiian checkers):
"The small konane board is at Hono-kau-pu,
My friend on the highest point of the surf.
There is a good surf for us.
My love has gone away.
Smooth is the floor of Kou,
Fine is the breeze from the mountains."
and on page 125:
"From the top of the tossing surf waves,
The eyes of the day and the night are forgotten.
Kou has the large konane board."
In The Legend of Kelea, there are two references to what might
now be called body boarding, or paipo riding, in surf-bathing and
surf-swimmer:
"...and enjoying the cool breezes of that district, and the pleasure of
surf-bathing; and that with him was his sister Kelea, the most
beautiful woman on Maui and the most accomplished surf-swimmer." and
"...the messengers offered to ride the canoe through the surf--a sport
as exciting as that of swimming on the surfboard."
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Overall
observation.
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Not a bad book
to pick up and read. Sprinkled with Hawaiian terms such as malihini
(newcomer, or beginner) and pukas (holes, or dings in the
board).
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Santa Cruz Surfing Club
Preservation Society., Santa Cruz Surfing Museum., & Hickenbottom,
T. (2009). Surfing
in Santa Cruz. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Pub.
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| N/A. |
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This book does
not have any information relevant to paipo boarding. There is one pic
of someone riding a matt with the following caption, "A mat rider
braces for a hard landing at the bottom of a reeling Steamer Lane slot
wave. Mat surfing was popular in the 1960s as an alternative to board
surfing. Sometimes on huge high-tide Middle Peak days, the only takers
in the water were mat surfers and bodysurfers." The book was 100
percent stand-up, mostly longboarding. Thanks to Kim Green of Santa
Cruz for reviewing this book in a special room of Californiana.
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Severson, John Hugh. Modern Surfing Around
the World. Garden City, New York: Doubleday, 1964.
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Title
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Just for the
record. (Note: most of the scanned PDF files below range from 60KB to
420KB.)
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p. 19 from
chapter 2, How It All Started
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"The
fraternity of surfboard riders and surfers is growing each year and
what used to be a desolate beach is now someone's favorite surf spot.
An even closer look will reveal that not all surfers ride surfboards.
There are quite a number of different methods of riding the surf and
each method has its own group of devoted followers who will swear and
argue the point that their particular type of surfing is the only way.
The popular ways of riding waves include surfboarding; mat surfing
(with air-inflated rubber mattresses); bellyboarding, paipo boarding;
riding kayaks, canoes, and low-powered craft; and body surfing."
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| pp. 15-16 from
chapter 1, Surfing Today |
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"Although
surfing is considered a new sport, it's actually an old one
experiencing a renaissance. It is generally believed that the ancient
Polynesians were the first to surf and introduced surfng to the
Hawaiian Islands. Peruvian artifacts show that the Incas were also
surf-conscious and that they practiced the sport of surfing on reed
mats in the surf of Miraflores, near Lima, where surfing was again
introduced in the 1940s by Carlos Dogny, a Peruvian, uponhis return
from a visit to Hawaii."
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pp. 130-131 from
chapter 15, Different Kinds of Surfing and A Note on Equipment
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"A popular
misconception of the beginning surfer is that surfing is riding the
surf with a surfboard only. This is not true though a great many
surfers know only board surfing and have never had the thrill of
bellyboarding, mat surfing, or body surfing and have never enjoyed the
unequaled pleasures ofbeating the curl in a kayak, canoe, or
catamaran."
"Caption: The art of hanging five (fingers) on a bellyboard is
demonstrated by John Severson while riding at San Clemente Pier. Where
surfing "hours" are imposed, the bellyboarders can take advantage of
the unused waves." |
BELLYBOARDING:
The name bellyboard comes from the way in which you ride the board - on
your stomach. The boards are made in a variety of sizes, shapes, and
designs, ranging from the surfboard construction on down to the simple
sheet of plywood. In Hawaii these small boards are known as paipo
boards. The bellyboarder catches the wave by holding on to the nose of
the bellyboard with one hand and paddling hard with the other hand. At
the same time he kicks furiously, usually with fins. If the bellyboard
is large enough, sometimes two-arm paddling can be used. However, if
one-arm paddling is used, it's desirable to paddle with the arm on the
side in which you wish to angle. For example, if you're going to take a
right slide you would paddle with your right arm. When riding in the
curl or on the shoulder of the wave, it's sometimes advisable to have a
small skeg or rudder on your board. Some bellyboarders prefer a small
skeg on both rails. If you are riding without a skeg and wish to stay
"locked in," dragging your leg in the wave may keep you from
sideslipping. Turning is done by shifting your body weight and dragging
a leg on either side. On many beaches, small bellyboards are allowed
where surfboards have stricter hours. It might be a wise idea to
include a bellyboard and a pair of fins with your surfing equipment.
With more and more beaches closed during the "rush hours," you can take
advantage of a few of the previously wasted waves."
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| pp. 165, 172,
175, Surfing Terminology |
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bellyboard
- a small-sized surfboard or flat piece of wood used to ride the waves
while lying on your stomach.
body surfer - a surfer who rides the waves with his
body alone. Occasionally uses swim fins to help propel into the wave.
mat - a rubber mattress inflated and used to ride
the waves. Some of the newer mats are constructed of plastic foam.
mat surfer - a surfer who rides waves with a rubber
surf mat.
paipo board - a small bcllyboard used in the
Hawaiian Islands.
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Overall
observation.
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A concisely
written book that covers a wide range of topics and does it fairly
well. Severson was rode a paipo.
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