(1)
It is generally believed that the ancient Polynesians were the first to surf and to introduce surfing to the Hawaiian islands in the central Pacific Ocean. ln fact, early records show that surfing was at its height in the late eighteenth century. During the next century the sport declined, but by the beginning of the twentieth century its popularity had increased again and it gradually became an established water sport.

(2)
Hawaii has the best surf in the world but the beaches are among the most dangerous, partly because they are overcrowded. During October each year there are huge swells in which the waves can be almost twenty metres high. These waves then move to the southern hemisphere in April.

(3)
If a surfer gets sucked into the centre of one of these waves and then flung onto the shore as the wave breaks, the force can be life-threatening. And if the weight of the water does not make them unconscious, then the wave can drag them under water long enough for them to drown.

(4)
To most people, a twenty-metre high wave is Nature's way of saying: stay away. It's the oceanic equivalent of a lion's roar: get closer and you will be killed. But there are some surfers who actually find the se dangers one of the most attractive features of the sport.

(5)
ln the second half of the twentieth century one man in particular was responsible for fresh enthusiasm in the sport. He was a Californian surfer called Jack O'Neill who was determined to create a suit that would keep people warm in the waters of northern California, and at the same time would allow complete freedom of movement.

(6)
He experimented with various materials without much success until, during a plane journey in 1952, he came across a substance called neoprene. Using this material he created a wetsuit made of rubber which kept surfers warm and made surfing a year-round activity in climates which would otherwise be too cold for part of the year.

(7)
Over the years wetsuits have been used for everything from deep-sea diving to board sports which take place on land, like skateboarding. ln 1988 O'Neill's original wetsuits were used for the first ever snowboarding world cup event, reflecting O'Neill's belief that snow is only frozen water and snowboarding takes place over frozen waves.

(8)
One surfer who recently rode a giant wave off the Pacific island of Tahiti astonished onlookers by walking away without a scratch. This same man now wants to surf a wave called Jaws, which crashes onto the shore of Maui, one of the Hawaiian islands, for only a few days each year. Jaws can reach a height of over twenty-five metres and is known to the surfing world as the Mount Everest of surfing.