Spiritual Journey to Some…

The Quest for the Perfect Wave

…A Quick Buck For Others

The Surfing Culture

The surf culture is made of the people, lifestyles, language, and fashions describing the sport of surfing. With roots in ancient Polynesia, the popularity of the sport spiked in the mid-50s and 60s, especially in the coastal waters of California, Australia, and Hawaii. Films, music, fashions and literature spread the progress and popularity of the sport throughout the world. Because of the necessity for nearby waves, the surfing culture was concentrated in but not limited to the coastal regions. Bikinis, surfboards, beachwear, baggies and surf-centered music highlight the universal popularity of the sport.

While riding on waves that can reach speeds over 60 km/h, the non-competitive sport highlights the skills and abilities of the single surfer, which led to a commitment to both the sport and the lifestyle. Variations in ocean tides and waves resulted in world-traveling surfers in search of “the perfect wave.” From Bali to Panama, from Ireland to Hawaii, the dedicated surfer trekked the globe with his board and his baggies. Today, advances in information technology and meteorological forecasting have turned the search for ridable waves into a science. This free and nomadic nature of following the waves led to a lifestyle committed to freedom and the pursuit of the perfect wave.

Regular surfers guard their favorite surfing spots with jealous territorialism. Some surfers have been known to issue verbal or physical threats to deter other people from cluttering up their favorite surf spots. So called “surf punks” or “surf nazis” are people so obsessed with guarding their favorite spots that they have resorted to violence to interlopers. Because “beach bums” spend their lives on the beach in pursuit of waves instead of professions, localities sometimes frown on the let’s sayunkempt and sometimes violent surfers. Surf gangs developed, such as the “Longos” in Long Beach, CA, the “Cito Rats” in Montecito, CA, the “Bra Boys” in Maroubra, Sydney Australia, and the “Wolfpack” in Honolulu. Unfortunately, the combination of gangs, poverty, and unemployment also led to drug use and criminal activities.

Sport and Culture



Learn and All