Longboards are the original, and very first variety of board used in standup surfing. Ever since the sixth-century the anciant hawaiians have used 8 to 24 foot solid wooden boards when practicing their ancient art of he’e nalu. Surfing was brought to the Hawaiian Islands by Polynesians and has since become popular worldwide. The ancient boards were carved and fashioned out of solid wood, reaching lengths of ten to fourteen feet long and weighing as much as 150 pounds. Replicas of these ancient boards have been made and surfed by Roy Stewert and Tom Wegener. Both men and women, royalty and commoners surfed. But the longest of boards (the Olo) was reserved for royalty. During the 19th century, some extreme western missionaries actively discouraged surfing, viewing it as sinful. Surfing almost died out completely.By the early 20th century, only a handful of people surfed, mostly at Waikiki. But there, it started to grow again. Beginning in 1912, Duke Kahanomouku, a Hawaiian Olympic swimmer in the early 1900s, brought surfing to mainland US and Austrailia. Because of this, Duke is considered the “Father of Modern Surfing.” From that point on, surfing became an integral part of the California beach lifestyle. In Malibu (in LA county), the beach was so popular amongst the early surfers that it lent its name to the type of longboard, Malibu Surfboad.
In the 1920s boards made of plywood or planking called Hollowboards came into use. These were typically 15 to 20 feet in length and very light. During the 1950s, the surf trend took off dramatically as it obtained a substantial amount of popularity as a sport. The design and material of longboards in the 1950s changed from using solid wood, to balsa wood. The length of the boards still remained the same at an average of 10.5 feet, and had then become widely produced.It was not until the late 50’s and early 60’s when the surfboard design had closely evolved into today’s modern longboard. The introduction of polyurathene foam and fiberglass became the technological leap in design. In the 1960s, the longboard continued to remain popular as its material changed from balsa wood to fiberglass and polyurethane foam. In the 1960’s, the introduction of the shortboard, averaging 6.5 feet, allowed surfers to make tighter turns, quicker maneuvers, and achieve faster speeds, thus radically changing the way people surfed. This “shortboard revolution” nearly made longboards obsolute for all practical purposes. But in the early 1990’s, the longboard returned, integrating a number of the design features invented during the shortboard revolution. Surfers rediscovered the grace and poise – the “glide” – of the longboard, and the fun of classic manouvers that are not possible on a shortboard. In some circles the battle between longboards and shortboards continues. But many surfers live by a philosophy of finding the joy of surfing a mix of boards and surfing styles to suit the waves of the day.
The Irish coastline is one of the most prolific and beautiful surfing backdrops in the northern hemisphere, if not the world.. For the past few years the world’s amateur surfers and best professionals alike have flocked to surf the secret emerald coastline and enjoy the hospitality of the Irish. Ireland is blessed with a huge variety of quality surf spots and some really uncrowded areas – meaning that you will get the best out of your surf trip.
The best time to surf Ireland is during the period from September to May each year when the swells are plentiful. The only real drawback to the Ireland surfing experience is the cold water, but if you are prepared to overlook this little problem you are in for a treat.
If you are considering a trip to Ireland then start out by heading to Donegal Bay – it is like a swell magnet and there are spots dotted all over. There really is a wave for everyone, with a huge variety of uncrowded reef and beach breaks with predominant offshores. If you are into big wave surfing there are also some spots that will hold up to 20ft+.
According to VNUNET.com global shipments of GPS-enabled mobile phones are expected to more than quadruple between 2006 and 2011, market watchers predict.Research firm iSuppli said that GPS mobile handset shipments will jump from 109.6 million units in 2006 to 444 million units by 2011.Nearly 30 per cent of all mobile phones shipped by 2011 will have GPS capability, up from 11.1 per cent in 2006.
On Co. Clare’s doorstep lies, Aill Na Searrach, a recently discovered wave hosted under the majestic yet foreboding backdrop of the Cliffs of Moher. These are classified as big wave spots and require a whole different approach to conventional surfing. Big waves move too fast and are simply too huge to paddle into. The only alternative to surfing them is called tow in surfing. Surfers use jet sky assistance to pull them onto growing hills of swell, which evolve into waves as they hit the reef.On October 15th 2005 the weather charts predicted the perfect conditions for Aill Na Searrach to break. A team of surfers including John McCarthy, Dave Blount and Rusty Long launched a jet sky from Doolin pier and headed south along the cliffs to surf a virgin wave for the first time. This has all shot been shot by two cameras over three different dates.Even on an international scale it’s an increasingly rare and magical occasion when a new and perfect wave is discovered. Even rarer still are the hand full of humans marked with the privilege, honor and ability of carving down the face of a virgin wave and looking into her untamed eyes for the first time.This simple act of indescribable beauty is considered the ultimate nirvana bestowed upon a surfer…The historical relevance and importance of what happened on that day is enormous. Aill Na Searrach has been breaking here for thousands of years, exploding perfectly, un-tamed, un-riden. How many jaw-dropping monstrous waves must the cliffs have faced? If a wave breaks in the ocean but nobody hears it does it still make a sound? On this day she gave up her secrets and allowed the privileged the honor of surfing her. The fottage speaks for itself!Already surfing magazines all over the world are stunned by Aill Na Searrach, their reader’s drool and fantasize over her perfect majestic beauty, power and potential. It will not be long before top professional surfers from around the world are queuing up to surf this wave. Irish surfing culture from weekend novices to big wave chargers has reached a monumental and pivotal point in history. Now truly is the time to tell a story of such unflinching dedication and joy, an entire culture so passionate about riding waves.
GPS Magazine: If you still don’t own a GPS unit, then you are truly a step behind. Tribes across the Amazon Basin have begun acquiring these portable navigation units and using them to map out their lands.
These tribes have begun mapping the 20 million acres of land that they traditionally charted by foot and canoe in order to avoid getting overran by developers, ranchers, loggers, miners, oilmen, and biopirates. Much of the help in this effort has come from the Amazon Conservation Team, a Virginia environmental and cultural preservation organization, which provided equipment, cartographic expertise, and financial assistance.
In addition to GPS mapping, tribes are also using Google Earth as a tool to track their territories. They have been using Google Earth’s satellite imagery to identify threats such as an encroaching soy farm or a river stained by the runoff from a gold mine. A few tribes in Brazil with Internet access are marking the coordinates of surreptitious activity they see in the images, then investigating on foot or passing the information to government enforcers.
If you need more proof that GPS is the wave of the future…look no further.
