Surfing

Surfing involves riding and maneuvering on a surfboard over ocean waves. The two main disciplines are longboarding and shortboarding, which are differentiated by the type of surfboard used, as well as the style of surfing.

Surfing requires balance, strength, and technique, making it a highly competitive and physically demanding sport.

Shortboard Surfing

• High-Performance Surfing: Shortboards are smaller and more maneuverable, allowing surfers to perform rapid directional changes and tricks. They're typically used in larger, faster waves.

Longboard Surfing

• Traditional Surfing: Longboards are larger and provide more stability, making it easier to catch waves. It's often associated with 'noseriding' where surfers walk to the front of the board while riding a wave.

Big Wave Surfing

• Extreme Surfing: This involves riding exceptionally large waves, some over 20 feet high. It requires a high level of skill and physical fitness, and often involves being towed into the wave by a jet ski.

Stand Up Paddle Surfing

• Hybrid Sport: A combination of surfing and paddleboarding, surfers stand on a larger board and use a paddle to propel themselves in the water. It's typically done on smaller waves or flat water.

Tow-In Surfing

• High-Speed Surfing: Surfers are towed into a breaking wave by a motorized watercraft. It allows surfers to catch faster moving waves that are typically unrideable by traditional paddling.

• Surfing made its debut in the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, with events in both shortboard disciplines for men and women.
• There are also world championships organized by the World Surf League (WSL) and International Surfing Association (ISA).

Surfing - Wikipedia: Description and types of surfing https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surfing

World Surf League: Information on surfing competitions https://www.worldsurfleague.com