A history of surfing
· Members of Captain James Cook’s crew tried the locals’ surfboards in Hawaii in 1779
· Many wealthy Britons travelled to Hawaii in the early 1900s and learned to surf including Agatha Christie and Edward, Prince of Wales
· Surfing first became a popular beach activity in Britain immediately after World War 1, but only a few tried stand-up surfing – most rode wooden bellyboards
· Servicemen surfed in Britain during and after World War 2
· Modern surfing culture in Britain started in Jersey in 1958 when the first professional lifeguards from South Africa were employed.
Courtesy Museum of British Surfing
How surfing came to Bridlington
Bridlington has been named as the first place in the UK where surfing was recording
Two Hawaiian princes introduced surfing to UK in 1890
Documents found in Hawaii reveal that Bridlington was the birthplace of UK surfing