When you think of surfing what comes to mind? Is it “yo dude,” or the beauty of a majestic wave breaking on the shore with the sun setting on the horizon? Surfers today receive very little respect for the sport, sometimes referred to as an art, that they participate in. Despite what most people think, the surfers are a rare breed let alone the soul surfer. However if you believe that surfers are just a bunch of beer drinking, marijuana smoking, partygoers then you have something coming your way.
Surfing first came about in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s at the time of the ancient Polynesian rule over the East Indies. To the Polynesians it was only a royal sport in which only the royal family can participate in. The boards they used were 10ft long planks made out of redwood trees. The peasants were told to make different shapes and styles of the board than the royal family. They also would not paddle out to the same waves as the royal family.
For it wasn’t until the 1950’s that the surfing craze developed, and that’s when the “spicoli” trait first came about. The “spicoli” trait is the perfect example of stereotyping a surfer, the trait is classically defined as one who is ignorant and is involved with the usage of drugs, or most often referred to as the “beach bum”. When people look at surfers all that comes to mind is ignorance, drugs, parties, so forth and so on, but little do they know that surfers are always amongst them doctors, lawyers, teachers, and even their own kids.
Surfers are one of the most peace minded and charismatic types of people. Ten percent of the Australian population surfs. Most Doctors are repeatedly saying, “surfing is the ultimate stress reliever. ” I will tell you one thing though, if I ever have a problem it automatically disappears from my head the minute my board touches the water. Surfing is probably the world’s best medicine. Surfing is basically branched off into four major types of surfers.
One of the surfers is referred to as the expo surfer, a surfer that primarily surfs for the money, fame, and endorsements. The true surfer the other type is referred to as the soul surfer, this is a very special surfer. This is the only surfer that surfs for the right reason passion, devotion, beauty, and appreciation of what God has given us, the swell of the ocean breaking on reefs or sandbars. He is also the most respected.
In addition the third surfer is known as the “snake” surfer, he is the one that steals everybody’s waves, meaning that if you are in the correct section of the wave which is in the curl, he would just drop in on your wave and not care. Lastly the cruelest surfers are the local boys the territorial ones. If your not from that part of town you better watch your behind because if you screw up the whole town gangs up on you and you are basically finished. The most common place for these actions are in the city of Rio De Janeiro in Brazil.