Victoria Marcos - Discover Surfing: Level 3 Reader

The ancient Polynesians are the first known surfers. Although Hawaii, Australia, and California are considered the worlds surf headquarters, surfing has spread throughout the world. It has affected the clothes we wear, the music we listen to, films we watch and even the way we talk. Cowabunga!

There are different types of surfboards that are made for different uses. Their names give you an idea of what theyre like: longboards, shortboards, egg, fish and fun. Surfboards are made of different materials, too. Some are made of styrofoam and fiberglass while others are made of wood. They also have different shapes and number of fins depending on the use of the board.

This is a shortboard. It has a pointed nose, is short and moves quickly. It is easier to ride big waves with a shortboard. This is the board surfers use when you see them doing those amazing tricks on waves.

The surfer is waiting to catch a wave on his longboard. Longboards are usually longer than eight feet and wider and thicker than shortboards. You can catch more waves with a longboard and they are easier to ride than other surfboards. While riding a wave a surfer can walk to the front of the board and hang all his toes off the nose and literally hang ten!

Surfboards are made of a styrofoam core which allows them to float and makes them light. They are coated with fiberglass which gives them a hard surface and protects the styrofoam interior. Surfers use surfboard wax to coat the top surface so their feet dont slip when they stand up.

Surfboard wax, also known as surfwax, is applied to the top of a surfboard to keep the surfer from slipping off the board when paddling out or riding a wave. It is made from a natural or synthetic wax. To maintain a rough surface surfers either use a special comb to make grooves in the wax or rub sand into it.

In most places and most times of the year, you need a wet suit to keep warm in the water. This woman is wearing a winter suit which has long sleeves and long legs. Sometimes the water is so cold you need special wetsuit boots to keep your feet warm. A spring suit has short sleeves and short legs and is used when the water is warmer.

The leash is a cord that attaches the surfboard to the surfers ankle using a velcro strap. It is long enough that the surfer can sit as well as stand up. It keeps the surfboard from being carried away by waves when the surfer falls off. It keeps runaway boards hitting other surfers and swimmers. It also saves surfers a lot of time by keeping them from chasing a board after each wave!

Surfers wear sunglasses when theyre not in the water. Its very important to protect your eyes from the sun. They wear them when standing on the shore looking for good waves. The sun reflects off the water making it difficult to see without sunglasses. Surfers would wear them in the water if the waves didnt knock them off their faces!

Surfers need to warm up their muscles by doing light exercise and stretching before they paddle out. This prepares their bodies for the fast and difficult movements required to surf. This also helps them minimize the risk of injury while surfing.

These two friends just got out of the water. It must be cold since theyre both wearing winter wetsuits. They rode waves side by side. He rode on a surfboard and she rode on a boogie board. Do you see her wrist strap and fins? The waves knocked her off her board, but the wrist strap kept her from losing it. The fins help her keep up with the surfers!

This boy is kneeling on a boogie board. Its much smaller than a surfboard and you usually lay on it instead of kneeling or standing up. It is much easier to ride and can be just as fun. You pull up on either side to steer and kick your legs to go faster. You ride the wave all the way to shore. Then, it is time to swim back out and catch another one!

Surfers leave their surfboards upright in the sand when theyre not in the water. Surfing requires a lot of energy so they take breaks to rest and eat between sets, or group of waves. Sometimes there is a period where the waves arent good for surfing so the surfer has to wait patiently in hopes they improve.

This is the Huntington Beach pier in Huntington Beach, California. Every summer there is a big surf competition called the US Open of Surfing where some of the worlds best surfers compete.

Lifeguards watch over surfers and warn them of any danger in the water. If a surfer gets hurt, the lifeguard will swim out with a bouy and bring them safely back to shore. Lifeguards are trained in first aid and have a first aid kit at their lifeguard stands.