Although "western" knowledge of surfing dates from the sea voyages of Captain Cook in the 1770s, Polynesian artifacts and legends record the sport's occurrence as early as the 1500s and they imply a much earlier beginning. If you wish to learn more, please visit the websites shown below. They are all excellent brief resources.

• From Polynesia with Love
  The History of Surfing From Captain Cook to the Present
  By Ben Marcus

• The Sport of Kings
  University of Florida, Interactive Media Lab,
  Project site by Veronica Britton

• The History of Surfing
  By Les Drent

Evolution of the surf board

They started off in Polynesia and weighed up to 200 pounds. Learn how and why they've changed.

• The Evolution of the Surfboard
  By Sonnen Sloan

• The Evolution of the Short Board
  Bruce "Snake" Gabrielson

• WoodSurfboards.com
  Surf History Preservation Collection
  399 E. Kawili St. #201
  Hilo, Hawaii 96720

Who's Who: From the past and present

Learn about the people and events that led the way in surfing including some from here in Central Florida.

Surfing today

The websites listed below will tell you everything that you ever wanted to know about surfing and more.

• Surfline: Visit their Surfology section for "everything you ever wanted to know about surfing but were afraid to ask."

• StormSurf.com: Surf Forecasts, Surf Reports,  Buoy Reports, Buoy Forecasts, Wave Models and Weather Models. Understand the dynamics of surf conditions with tutorials that provide learning opportunities for beginners to experts.

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