Bodyboarding

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Bodyboarding is a form of wave riding. The board consists of a small, rectangular piece of hydrodynamic foam. The board can be shaped to different riding styles, and size of rider. Bobyboarding has been growing very rapidly over the last couple of decades.

Contents

[edit] History

Bodyboarding is the earliest known form of surfing. Though existing for centuries before European contact, Lieutenant James King of the Discovery wrote the first European description of surfing in the ship's log upon seeing it for the first time in Hawai`i:

"But a diversion the most common is upon the Water, where there is a very great Sea, and surf breaking on the Shore. The Men sometimes 20 or 30 go without the Swell of the Surf, & lay themselves flat upon an oval piece of plan about their Size and breadth, they keep their legs close on top of it, & their Arms are us'd to guide the plank, thye wait the time of the greatest Swell that sets on Shore, & altogether push forward with their Arms to keep on its top, it sends them in with a most astonishing Velocity, & the great art is to guide the plan so as always to keep it in a proper direction on the top of the Swell, & as it alters its direct. If the Swell drives him close to the rocks before he is overtaken by its break, he is much prais'd."

Prior to the 20th century, boards were made from paipo wood. Modern popularization of the sport was made possibly by Tom Morey who designed the first mass produced bodyboard coined the "Morey 'Boogie' Board".

[edit] The Board

The bodyboard differs from a surfboard in that it is much shorter and made of foam. The board consists of a foam 'core' encapsulated by a plastic bottom and a softer foam top known as the deck. The core is made up from dow/polyethylene, arcel or, more recently, polypropylene. Each type of foam gives the bodyboard a different amount of flex and control for the rider. Dow/polyethelene cores are best suited to cooler waters as they can be too flexible in warm water and the board does not flex properly.

Some boards contain one or two rods (usually of carbon or graphite) called stringers to strengthen the board, reduce deformation, and add stiffness and recoil to the core, giving greater speed from bottom turns. If a single stringer is used, it is placed in the center of the board running parallel to the rails. If two are used, they are placed symmetrically about the y-axis. Knowing the number of stringers and their placements is important to prevent damage to the board when punching a hole for a leash plug. Adding a stringer to a polypropylene/arcel core can make it too stiff for cool water. Speed from the bottom turn is increased when a bodyboarder bottom turns and the board flexes and recoils, releasing energy. If the board flexes too little or too easily, speed is lost.

Most modern boards are equipped with channels that increase surface area in the critical parts of the board which, in turn allow it to have greater wave hold and control, the use of these channels also means that the tail of the board is free to move. Rarely, skegs are installed to decrease slippage on a wave face. However, it also decreases the looseness and maneuverability required for many tricks, leading to a decrease in their use. Skegs are very rarely used and even then almost exclusively by drop-knee or stand-up bodyboarders.

Crescent tails provide the greatest amount of hold (keeping a rider on the board) in steep waves but makes it difficulty to slide the tail deliberately. Crescent tails are generally preferred by drop-knee riders because the shape interferes less. A bat tail is better suited for prone riders because it's easier to slide the tail. The bat tail also makes the bottom of the board slightly longer in the middle, helping to keep the rider's legs out of the water, reducing drag.

Glued, or more recently, bonded via a hot air lamination technique, to this core is a thick plastic bottom (known as the 'slick') which gives the board strength and speed. Two main types of 'slick' are present in modern day bodyboards, the first and the better performing of the two is surlyn providing much more strength and projection. Another cheaper type of slick is known as High Density Polyethylene or HDPE, which does not perform to the same standard.

The top of the board (the deck) is made from a softer foam to give grip and cushioning to the rider. Bodyboarders frequently wax their boards to increase the coefficient of friction on contact surface areas.

ATD PXL Bodyboard
ATD PXL Bodyboard

The shape of the board affects how it works. If the wide point of the board is near the nose, the board is best suited to prone riding as the riders weight is further up on the board. Boards with rails that are more parallel or ones with a wide middle and a narrow nose are ideal for dropknee and stand-up riding as the rider's center of gravity is further back.

[edit] Bodyboarders

Mike Stewart with 9 world titles and 11 Pipeline victories, is still regarded as the absolute master of the sport. In the early years of the sport, riders like Ben Severson, Pat Caldwell and Keith Sasaki led the way to making the sport a mainstream hit. Over the last few years, riders such as Ben Player, Jeff Hubbard, Michael Eppelstun, Taz McKeough, Andre Botha, Guilherme Tamega, Matt Lackey, Dave Winchester, Mitchell Rawlins and Ryan Hardy have brought the sport of bodyboarding more into the mainstream.

[edit] Aspects of the Revolution

Old school bodyboarding praised a more fluid and easy going style of surfing. The standard tricks were spinners (360° spin) on the wave face either in normal or reverse direction, cut backs and the bodyboarding trademark El Rollo.

Modern bodyboarding, while still praising huge attention to style, is mainly focused on critical aerial manoeuvres in heavier and bigger waves, in which the waves become launching platforms for these manoeuvres. Spinners are now aerial, some bodyboarders managing to execute complete reverse 720° in the air (Jeff Hubbard and José Otavio are notable examples). El Rollos are mostly aerial too, and this basic trick evolved into critical variations, like the ARS (Air Roll Spin) pioneered by Michael Eppelstun (where the bodyboarder connects an ordinary aerial El Rollo with an 360° spinner in the air.

The modern day bodyboarder aims to draw tighter lines and involve a montage of tricks on the one wave. Predominant moves of the modern day include inverts, forward and reverse spins in the air, reverse spins on the face, spins in the barrel, ARS's and backflips.

Note: Although the world tour and world women's tour changed names in the timespan the world titles below were recorded, this article assumes as world tour and world women's tour titles those earned after the establishment of the world tour by the current International Bodyboarding Association and its former incarnations.

[edit] Dropknee

Dropknee in another form of wave riding on a bodyboard. It consists of putting your preferred foot at the front of the board while the other knee rests on the tail of the board. Notable riders such as Matt Lackey, Scott Carter, Jack Lindholm, Paul Roach, & Aka Lyman have been experts of this bodyboarding style, spending more time riding drop knee than prone.

[edit] Standup

Standup style is another form of wave riding on a bodyboard. It consists of standing upright on the board. James Pappas, Cavin Yap, Chris Won, and Danny Kim are probably the best known stand-up bodyboarding professionals of the last ten years.

[edit] Famous bodyboarding locations

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Many surfing spots around the world are famous for their hollow, tube-like waves which are favored by bodyboarders. In general, spots favorable for longboard surfing make for poor bodyboarding, whereas most advanced- and expert-level surf spots are also good for bodyboarding. Some particularly hollow or dangerous waves such as Sydney Australia's Shark Island and Perth's Trigg Point are ridden almost exclusively by advanced bodyboarders due to it being far harder to access such waves while needing to stand up.

[edit] Aruba

[edit] Australia

  • Black Rock.................(NSW)
  • South Broulee................(NSW)
  • Boneyards....................(TAS)
  • Bill Clarke's Hide away...USA
  • Curl Curl....................(NSW)
  • Gunamatta....................(VIC)
  • Pink Rocks................NSW
  • Cyclops.....................(WA)
  • Box Beach....................(NSW)
  • Duranbah..................(NSW/QLD)
  • Deadman's................(NSW)
  • Froggies Beach...........(QLD)
  • Indicators..................(NSW)
  • Knights Wedge...........(SA)
  • Barney's..................(WA)
  • Luna Park..................(VIC)
  • Mitchell's Wedge........(WA)
  • North Point...............(WA)
  • Port Mac Break Wall....(NSW)
  • Mirrabooka Pipe aka Goonbag Funnels....(WA)
  • Port Mac LHB.............(NSW)
  • Redsands..................(NSW)
  • Rondogs...................(WA)
  • Munty McGee's..............(WA)
  • Shark Island ..............(NSW)
  • Shipsterns Bluff..........(TAS)
  • Stradbroke Island........(QLD)
  • Supertubes.................(WA)
  • The Box.....................(WA)
  • Trigg Point.................(WA)
  • Turri.........................(NSW)
  • Yossi's Reef..................(NSW)
  • Palmy 19th Ave Reef..................(QLD)
  • Meats.........................(WA)
  • Copa..........................(NSW)
  • Secrets.......................(NSW)
  • Buggs..........................(NSW)

[edit] Brazil

[edit] Japan

[edit] Mexico

[edit] South Africa

  • Cave Rock, Bluff, Durban Spot Photos
  • Donkey Kong Island, Rocky Bay, Southern Kwa-Zulu Natal Spot Photos
  • The Wedge, Plettenberg Bay, Southern Cape Spot Photos
  • North Beach, Durban, Central Kwa-Zulu Natal Spot Photos
  • Hoek, Noordhoek, Western Province Spot Photos
  • Kalk Bay, Western Province Spot Photos
  • Lucien, Margate, Southern Kwa-Zulu Natal Spot Photos
  • Llandudno, Cape Town, Western Province Spot Photos
  • Gas Chambers, Western Province Spot Photos
  • Baggies, Warner Beach, Southern Kwa-Zulu Natal
  • Jeffreys Bay, Eastern Cape

[edit] Pacific

[edit] Peru

San Pedro (Lurin - Lima) Explosivos (Punta Negra - Lima) Caplina (Chorrillos - Lima) Villa (Chorrillos - Lima)


[edit] Portugal

  • Cave in Ericeira, Portugal. - A very quick reef break right, where you make the tube of your life or you will know the rocks from a different angle.
  • Pedra Branca in Ericeira, Portugal. - A point-break left with world class quality.
  • Reef in Ericeira, Portugal. - Right reef break where you can't make basic errors.
  • Crazy Left in Ericeira, Portugal.
  • SuperTubos in Peniche, Portugal. - Like the name says, a beach break where tuberiding is the word of order.
  • Praia Grande in Sintra, Portugal. - Home of Sintra Portugal Pro
  • Praia do Norte in Nazaré, Portugal. - If you want it big...
  • Troll in Porto, Portugal.
  • Calhau in Carcavelos, Portugal.

[edit] Puerto Rico

[edit] Spain

[edit] United Kingdom

[edit] USA (Mainland)

[edit] USA (Hawaii)

[edit] References

[edit] Further reading

  • Severson, Ben with Jake Grubb (1986). Bodyboard Handbook. Newport Beach, California: Grubb Stake Media Ltd. ASIN: B000GKJSQ6

[edit] External links

[edit] Media

[edit] See also