Surfing

One of the most popular surface water sports, surfing is both spectacular and fun. It highly depends on the structure of the waves for great performances, but the skills of the surfers are crucial too. Mostly known as wave riders, surfing fans have a whole range of special gear that helps them stay safe in the water before getting on the waves: there are body boards, kayaks, kneeboards, water skis and so on. Though there is a pretty large number of surfing-related sports, none has as many enthusiasts. Sportsmen generally embrace two forms of stand-up surfing and the differences are usually reflected in the riding style and the design of the surfboards.

The interest in surfing has generated a whole movement in beach tourism with a more intense promotion of open ocean adventures, yacht cruises and surf camps. The best surfing locations are in the tropics where the mid-latitude cyclones create the swell by the intense blowing of the wind over a water open area. Surfing experts know how to read the weather conditions, the underwater topography and all the other factors that determine the quality of the swell. Ocean coastlines will therefore make the ideal vacation places for surfing fans.

For some people, surfing is a mere recreational activity, whereas for others, it is a life style and all they have to look for in the future. California, Hawaii, Australia, Costa Rica and other beautiful locations are real centers of the surfing culture. A real speaking proof of the importance of surfing for thousands of Americans is the mainstream presence of special clothing available on the market. Surfing retailers bring not only good clothes designed for water sports purposes but they also set trends in the field. This sport speaks modern, adventurous, adrenaline-addicted and beautiful.

To some, surfing has become a career opportunity, there are surfers who depend on sponsorships, receive massive support for competing in contests and are even part of special training programs taught to surfing beginners. The surfing practice has reached such an extent that some surfers have actually come to turn this sport into a life philosophy: they speak about the return to the natural, the identification with the wave pattern and the vibrating in the same beat with the very heart of the planet. Less than a religion, but surely more than a sport, surfing changes and shapes the lives of those who take it seriously.