Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1908-07-17
By ALEXANDER HUME FORD,
President Of the Hawaiian 0utrigger
Canoe Club.

PRESIDENT Of the HAWAIIAN VutrlSSer
Canoe Club.
As a boy I used to sit In school Id
ling away my time building air cas-
ties over the picture In my geography
book of Hawaiian men and women
Tin impossible attitudes) who. stand
ing on the tiniest of boards. stood
poised upon the crest Of monster roll
lers. longed for Hawaii and sighed
to read the brief statement that only
native Hawaiians OF all the people In
the world ever accomplished the art
of standing on the waves.
Thirty years later stood on the
beach at Waikiki and saw that my
boy dreams might be realized.
White men of all ages were racing In
upon the foam, and !, too. In time be-
came one of their number. while
young girls not in their teens seemed
to learn the art of standing on their
tiny boards after couple of trials.
while old men found no difficulty In
mastering the art.
My geography had merely lied
about Hawaii, as many an otherwise
good book has done since. Surfboard
riding is an art easy of accomplish
ment to the few and difficult to the
many. 1t is at its best when the roll
lers are long In forming. slow to
break. and. after they do. run for a
great distance over a fiat. level bot
tom, such as the coral beds at Wal
kiki, which is perhaps the all-year-
round ideal surfboarding bit Of wa
ter in the whole world. There are
three surfs at Wakiki--the big surf
toward Diamond Head In front Of
Queen Liliuokalani's summer resi-
dence. where the most expert surf
board riders and the native boys dis
port themselves. The canoe" surf.
nearly in front Or the Moana Hotel,
where the majority of those who
stand on the board dispute rights
with the outrigger canoes that come
sliding in from mile out at sea be-
fore the monster rollers. The begin
ners, or cornucOpia. surf is the series
Of gentle rollers before the Outrigger
Canoe Club grounds and the Seaside
Hotel. Here. as a rule, beginners
learn the art OF balancing on the
board. The water for several hun.
bred yards out Is but waist deep. SC
that the "malihini", can stand beside
his board, wait for a wave, give his
board forward pushs jump on. and
Trace In toward the beach before the
foaming crest. He quickly learns. ly-
Ing down, to guide the board by NOV
Ing his legs. like "a rIdtler. from one
side to the other. There is nothing
difficult In mastering this portion OF
the art OF surfing, but out in the deer
water It is quite another proposition
There you have no foothold from
which to gain a start. which must
row be given the board by the power
of the hands. II is half mile out
to the big waves, or ''nalu nui," and
o long hoe" as the overland wind.
mill stroke that takes you out Is
termed. The intending surfer
launches his board by grasping it in
both hands by the edges, SO that 1,
balances. rushes down the slightly
sloping beach, and throws himself
upon the board as he casts 1t upon
the waters with forward movement,
that gives It a good start and send,
1t beyond the first row Of little break
ers, then begins that constant. stea'
dy. windmill movement OF the arms
the hands acting az paddles. and tn,
six or seven-foot plank Of light wool
swiftly glides out to sea. To the be
ginner the exercise soon ties to ex
haustion. the neck and back ache
and the points of the ribs that toucl
the board seem to cut through tn,
flesh. Perseverance, however, over
comes all obstacles. and after a few
days new muscle is developed and TIL,
stiffness is forgotten.
Out In the deep surf, the board goe
outward under the waves. a divinI
tip being given the board Just as |
bucks each onrushing breaker. Ono
out where the waves foam. the surfe
either sits on his board. which. o
course. sinks until only an inch o
so of the tip Is above water, an,
waits for THE wave; several ma
pass; then afar off he notices the on
he wants; II Is coming onward
great green roller with a ridge @
almost imperceptible spray along II
entire length; this is the wave tina
will curl and break to perfection
then rush on for hundreds OF yards
Niagara OF foam. The line OF surfer
prepare. as the base of the mountai
of water reaches them. there Is
vigorous and deft padding with a
the strength that skill can put int
trained arms and the strait is mad,
. some rise rapidly to the crest OF tn
billow and sink behind 1t, they hay