From the innovative surf gear to maritime science, surfing has been collecting stories, records and achievements. Did you know that…
- The Hawaiian Islands are the most isolated archipelago on planet earth.
- The windiest surf city in the world is Wellington, capital of New Zealand.
- The tallest tsunami so far recorded was the 1958 Lituya Bay mega tsunami, which had a record height of 524 meters (1740 feet).
- Polyurethane foam was created during the World War II as insulation for refrigerators and airplanes.
- The first competition won by a thruster surfboard was the Bells Beach Classic, in 1981.
- Mike Stewart was the first to surf Teahupoo in 1987.
- Kelly Slater generally starts his day with hot water and lemon.
- Swells were used by Polynesian navigators to maintain course when no other clues were available, like in foggy nights.
- Tsunami waves can’t be surfed because they’re too fast and only made of whitewater.
- Archimedes discovered the law of buoyancy that applies to the surfboard size charts.
- Teahupoo, the world’s heaviest wave, has claimed the lives of five surfers since 2000.
- Surfing has been considered the 20th most dangerous sport in the world.
- A trained surfer can hold his breath for about four minutes, while the static apnea record holder does it for more than 11 minutes.
- The highest tides in the world can be found in Canada, at the Bay of Fundy. Sometimes the difference between high and low tide is 16.3 meters (53.5 feet).
- “Hawaiian Holiday” is the first animated short surf movie, released in 1937 by Walt Disney.
- Mark Foo, the big wave surfer who lost his life at Mavericks, had a passion for martial arts.
- Surf wax was first applied to a surfboard by Alfred Gallant Jr., a surfer from Los Angeles, in 1935, after observing the effect of liquid wax on the floors of his home.
- There’s a formula to calculate the number of waves you have surfed in your life.
- Pat O’Neill, son of wetsuit inventor Jack O’Neill, is responsible for spreading the surf leash, in the early 1970s.
- Tom Morey, inventor of modern bodyboarding, created the rolling skeg for surfboards.
Source: http://www.surfertoday.com/surfing/8836-things-you-didnt-know-about-surfing