🌊 Surfing: A swell sport

Getting its due More than a century after legendary surfer Duke Kahanamoku [first floated]( the idea of including surfing in the Olympics, and [20 years]( since International Surfing Association president Fernando Aguerre started pushing hard for it, the dream has finally crested. Surfing will be represented in the [Olympic Games for the first time]( in Tokyo by [20 men and 20 women]( from 17 countries. It’s about time the sport got its due—from preserving the cultural heritage of Hawaii to stimulating local economies, surfers have done more than just hang ten from the very beginning. Come ride this wave with us. 🐦 [Tweet this!]( 🌐 [View this email on the web]( [Quartz Weekly Obsession] Surfing July 21, 2021 Getting its due --------------------------------------------------------------- More than a century after legendary surfer Duke Kahanamoku [first floated]( the idea of including surfing in the Olympics, and [20 years]( since International Surfing Association president Fernando Aguerre started pushing hard for it, the dream has finally crested. Surfing will be represented in the [Olympic Games for the first time]( in Tokyo by [20 men and 20 women]( from 17 countries. It’s about time the sport got its due—from preserving the cultural heritage of Hawaii to stimulating local economies, surfers have done more than just hang ten from the very beginning. Come ride this wave with us. 🐦 [Tweet this!]( 🌐 [View this email on the web]( By the digits [4:]( Number of ribs Patrick Swayze cracked while filming a surfing scene in Point Break [26:]( Number of days Bethany Hamilton took off from the water after losing her left arm to a tiger shark while surfing [41.3 miles:]( Longest distance spent surfing a wave (made by a wave-creating boat) [80 ft:]( The largest wave ever surfed, by Rodrigo Koxa at Nazaré, Portugal (in 2018 Tom Butler surfed [a wave believed to be 100 ft](, but the height has not been confirmed) [2014:]( Year Peru passed Ley de Rompientes, or “law of the breakers,” making it the first country to grant legal protection to waves [647:]( Surfboards in the world’s largest collection, belonging to Donald Dettloff, who used them to build a fence [$75,000:]( Median yearly income for people who surf [1769:]( Year Joseph Banks wrote the first Western description of surfing during British explorer Captain James Cook’s first voyage giphy Gold medal question Surfing at the Olympics --------------------------------------------------------------- Many elements of surfing can’t be controlled by athletic prowess, like wave size and weather patterns. So how will the Tokyo Olympics create a level playing field… err, ocean… so that surfers can be fairly judged? During the competition, which will take place at Tsurigaskai Beach, about 60 miles away from Tokyo’s Olympic Stadium, each surfer will have 30 minutes to catch as many waves as they can. They will be given a score based on a scale from 0-10 for each wave. Each surfer’s top two waves will be calculated into their final score. Because it’s impossible to control the waves, judging is based on [these criteria](: 🏄🏾‍♀️Commitment and difficulty The type and riskiness of each move, along with the degree of difficulty of the moves and how committed the surfer was to performing them. 🏄🏽‍♂️Innovation and progression Points are awarded for “those who push the boundaries of modern surfing with progressive moves such as aerial or tail slide variations.” 🌊Variety Surfers should show they are well-rounded with a variety of moves. 🏄🏾‍♀️Combination Seamless transitions and connections between maneuvers. 🏄🏽‍♂️Speed, power and flow How well the surfer can react to changing conditions while maintaining control. giphy Surfonomics Big waves = big money --------------------------------------------------------------- It’s [hard to make a living]( as a pro surfer—there are only about 100 people in the world who can pay their bills through sponsorships and competitions. There are, though, an estimated 17 to 35 million surfers worldwide hitting the waves on a regular basis, and pay the tired stereotype no mind—surfing isn’t just for broke stoners sleeping in their run-down vans. Chad Nelsen, environmental director for the Surf­rider Foundation, conducted a study that [concluded]( that 3.3 million people in the U.S. alone surf, contributing at least $2 billion to the U.S. economy annually. And that means waves are valuable commodities that must be protected. So, in 2014, the Save the Waves Coalition set out to quantify the impact surf waves have on a local economy. The first success story came from Mavericks in Half Moon Bay, California, where surfers and wave-watchers spent an average of $56.70 on each visit, contributing [$24 million]( to the local economy annually. The point has been proven over and over again, in surf spot after surf spot, all around the world. In the UK, Surfers Against Sewage found that surfing gives as much as [$2.5 billion]( back to the economy every year. In 2007, a wave break at Mundaka in Spain contributed [$4.5 million](. And Lobitos, a surf spot in Peru, drew in [$3.6 million]( in 2019—a substantial portion of the municipality’s annual budget. REUTERS/Rafael Marchante Explain it like I’m 5! The science of heavy waves --------------------------------------------------------------- When you think surfing, you might think Southern California, Hawaii, Australia—not a small Portugese fishing village. But surfers know that Nazaré in Portugal is the place where [records are made](. There are numerous geographic, meteorological, and topographic reasons that make this location such a hot spot for massive waves, but one of the biggest is that Nazaré Canyon is one of the largest underwater canyons in the world. Why does that matter? [Here’s the breakdown]( from the Portuguese Hydrographic Institute: - Wave refraction: The difference in depth between the continental shelf and the submarine canyon leads to a change in the waves’ direction and speed. - Steep vertical variation. Overtopping a topographic barrier results in shorter waves, but higher heights. - Positive interference between waves. Waves from the canyon intersecting with the waves that propagate across the northern continental shelf = increased wave height. - Littoral drift. The waves promote a current; the current is enhanced by water pile-up in the cove. That current flows in the opposite direction of the wave propagation, which means much, much higher wave heights. Add in the right wind speed and direction, and you’ve got waves so large that the locals refuse to mess with them. “There are maybe 100 people on Earth who can surf these waves,” local bodyboarder Dino Casimiro [told]( Surfer magazine. “But everybody on Earth deserves to see them. They’re a natural wonder of the world.” Quotable “These waves are our Yosemite Valleys. We think of these as national treasures.” —[Chad Nelsen,]( surfer and professor of environmental studies Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports Take me down this 🐰hole Team Hawaii vs. Team USA --------------------------------------------------------------- Hawaii is considered the [spiritual and cultural home of surfing](. In the 19th century, American colonizers on the islands viewed the sport, an important element of [native Hawaiian life](, as a sign of laziness. During the same period, up to 90% of the native population died, largely of disease imported by newcomers. In 1893 the US annexed Hawaii. In modern surfing, Hawaiian surfers compete separately from the US. The two teams, along with Australia and Brazil, dominate the sport. At the Olympics, however, the US will surf as one team, with two Hawaiians and two mainland Americans on Team USA. The team’s makeup has not only stirred up tensions around the sport’s cultural history, it has also sidelined some of surfing’s biggest stars, including Kelly Slater (US) and Seth Moniz (Hawaii). “Hawaii is different within the surfing world,” Fernando Aguerre, president of the International Surfing Association [told The New York Times](. “But in the geopolitical world, Hawaii is part of the United States.” Fun fact! Kathy Kohner Zuckerman, the woman who inspired the book and movie Gidget, [continued to surf]( into her 70s. giphy Pop quiz What does “kahuna” mean? HamburgerPriestGodfatherQueen Correct. By itself, “Kahuna” is a sacred word to Hawaiians. When the Dodge Kahuna was unveiled at the 2003 Detroit Auto Show, thousands protested the name, which means priest or shaman in Hawaiian. The model, targeted at surfers who needed space for their boards, was ultimately canceled. Incorrect. If your inbox doesn’t support this quiz, find the solution at bottom of email. REUTERS/Hugh Gentry Person of interest Duke Kahanamoku --------------------------------------------------------------- What Hawaiians call a classic “waterman,” Duke Kahanamoku was a [three-time Olympic gold medalist]( (and two-time silver medalist) in swimming. After his impressive Olympic career, the Father of Modern Surfing traveled the world participating in swimming exhibitions—and, while he was at it, hopped on a surfboard to showcase his wave-riding skills as well. Crowds were duly awed and inspired; Kahanamoku is credited with introducing the surf craze to Southern California [in 1912]( and to Australia two years later. The worldwide fascination with the “human fish” also resulted in a handful of movie parts. Duke’s legend only grew when he helped save 13 people from drowning after a boat capsized off Laguna Beach [in 1925](. He later became the sheriff of Honolulu for 13 consecutive terms from 1932-1961, then served as Hawaii’s official state greeter until his death in 1968. Watch this! The physics of surfing --------------------------------------------------------------- From the way waves form in the ocean and then break on the shore to how a surfboard works, surfing is a deep dive into fluid dynamics. This TEDed video provides an excellent visual overview of the science behind catching a swell. Or, to truly submerge yourself in science, the 16-part series “[Surfing Explained](“ really rides the rip curl. Poll Do you have plans to watch Olympic surfing? [Click here to vote]( Wouldn’t miss it.I might try to catch some waves.Nah, not interested. Let the Games begin --------------------------------------------------------------- If you’re an Obsession lover, you’ll find a lot of room in your heart for our newest daily(ish) email. Hit the button below to sign up for Need to Know: Tokyo Olympics, and keep up to speed on the people, politics, and profits behind the Games. 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