In the early 1900’s in Australia no one had ever heard of surfing. No one even liked the idea of mixed bathing in the ocean, as it was morally wrong. Surfing in Australia still had a long way to go, but things were about to happen which would change our lives forever. It all started in Sydney, Manly beach.
The Beginning of the Surf Club
Bathing between 6am and 8pm at Manly beach in 1901 was illegal until a group protesting against the ban were successful and the law was removed in 1903. Despite moral dispute, swimming at the beach was very popular after that. Body surfing or ‘surf-shooting’ was also very popular, brought to Australian beaches by South Sea Islander, Tommy Tanna. With bathing during daylight allowed, hundreds of more people were swimming and many needed to be saved from rips, waves …show more content…
Aboriginals may have surfed before or maybe even people in remote coastal areas. We do know that surfing in Australia has been around since 1906 at least. It began in body surfing to boogie boarding then finally to stand up surfing. People knew about stand up surfing and some had given it a try but no one had ever shown Australian how to do it. The event that really got surfing popular was Duke Kahanamoku’s visit to Australia in 1914. Duke Kahanamoku was an Olympian swimmer from Hawaii who came to Australia to swim and give a surfing demonstration. Upon arriving to Australia, he asked a timber yard to cut out a surfboard, which he designed. He says in the foreword of the book The Surfrider, ‘A few Australians had tried the boards but they hadn’t got the knack, so I pencilled out a design and ask George Hudson’s timber yard to make up a board for me. I finish off the board by hand myself and at Freshwater beach on Sydney’s north side, showed the Australians how it was done.’ His board ended up being 8 foot 8 inches long and 23 inches wide, a model on which all Australian surfers used to make their own
The Beginning of the Surf Club
Bathing between 6am and 8pm at Manly beach in 1901 was illegal until a group protesting against the ban were successful and the law was removed in 1903. Despite moral dispute, swimming at the beach was very popular after that. Body surfing or ‘surf-shooting’ was also very popular, brought to Australian beaches by South Sea Islander, Tommy Tanna. With bathing during daylight allowed, hundreds of more people were swimming and many needed to be saved from rips, waves …show more content…
Aboriginals may have surfed before or maybe even people in remote coastal areas. We do know that surfing in Australia has been around since 1906 at least. It began in body surfing to boogie boarding then finally to stand up surfing. People knew about stand up surfing and some had given it a try but no one had ever shown Australian how to do it. The event that really got surfing popular was Duke Kahanamoku’s visit to Australia in 1914. Duke Kahanamoku was an Olympian swimmer from Hawaii who came to Australia to swim and give a surfing demonstration. Upon arriving to Australia, he asked a timber yard to cut out a surfboard, which he designed. He says in the foreword of the book The Surfrider, ‘A few Australians had tried the boards but they hadn’t got the knack, so I pencilled out a design and ask George Hudson’s timber yard to make up a board for me. I finish off the board by hand myself and at Freshwater beach on Sydney’s north side, showed the Australians how it was done.’ His board ended up being 8 foot 8 inches long and 23 inches wide, a model on which all Australian surfers used to make their own