SURFING

When James Cook discovered the Hawaian Islands in 1778, he was astonished to find that the chiefs of the pacific tribes living there contended for their kingdoms in surf­ing competitions! Their surfboards were long and heavy and made of wood. At the beginning of the 20th century, surf­ing became popular along the Australian and Californian coasts thanks to the Olympic swimming champion Duke Kahanamoku, who gave spectacular demonstrations of what could be done on a surfboard. Modern surfboards are made of fibreglass, so they're light and easy to control.


Riding the waves on a board, without losing your balance, until you reach the shore. That's what surfing means! The most skilful surfers perform all sorts of acro­batics on incredibly tall waves, and the very best even turn somer­saults!

• The tallest wave a surfer has ever ridden: 15 metres in Hawaii in 1868!
• The longest waves are along the western coasts of Mexico. They're as long as 1.7km! 

Today, surfing is a very popular sport all over the world, from the coasts of California to Mexico, Peru, South Africa, the Atlantic coasts of England and Ireland, and above all along the Pacific coasts of Australia. The world champion­ships have been held in Sidney since 1964.

      

ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS IN ENGLISH

1. ¿Dóde y cómo surgió este deporte?

2. ¿Quién era "duke" Kahanamoku?

3. ¿En qué consiste este deporte?

4. ¿Donde se celebran los campeonatos mundiales?