Where and when was surfing invented?

In Polynesian culture, surfing was an important activity. Modern surfing as we know it today is thought to have originated in Hawaii. The history of surfing dates to c. AD 400 in Polynesia, where Polynesians began to make their way to the Hawaiian Islands from Tahiti and the Marquesas Islands.



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Hawaiian's were banned from surfing Many Christian US missionaries began to arrive on the Islands. They saw surfing as sinful and began to prohibit the practice along with many other Hawaiin cultural practices. It was banned for many centuries as a way to get rid of Hawaiin culture, and Americanise the island nation.

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For this reason alone Hawaii should be considered the birthplace of “modern” surfing. Yet hardly the first place that people began riding waves for fun.

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But when it comes to epic waves, there's only one place on earth known as the “surf capital of the world.” The epic beach we're talking about is Pichilemu. Pichilemu is located in the center of Chile, right by the coast. It is a rough three-hour drive from Chile's capital, Santiago, to Pichilemu.

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1. Nazaré, the surfing capital of Europe. Nazaré, on the west coast of Portugal, is probably the most famous surfing spot in Europe. The town owes its reputation as the surfing capital of Europe to the Nazaré Canyon, an underwater ravine that reaches a staggering depth of 5,000 metres.

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