When you think about surfing, chances are Lanzarote in the Canary Islands isn't the first name that pops into mind. Lanzarote is the easternmost island in the Canary chain. Though a part of Spain, it is located about 100 km off the coast of North Africa.
Declared a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 1993, Lanzarote has some of the most visually striking landscape anywhere. The whole island can be explored on foot, horseback or bike. Vacationers and tourists are well advised to do exactly that, as they will not be disappointed.
In particular, if you are lucky enough to vacation on Lanzarote, go see the Jameos del Agua. It is a stunning combination of art and nature, an intricate labyrinth of volcanic tubes where visitors can enjoy music and dance in a spectacular setting. The beaches are part of the spectacle. Some feature dazzling white sands, while others display dark volcanic sand. All step off into crystal clear waters.
Depending on the beach, the waters are either calm and restful or feature powerful waves that come crashing in with regularity. These waves have attracted surfers. This year the La Santa Surf Pro Lanzarote 2009 will take place between October 25 and November 2. More importantly, this year it has a 6-star Prime status in the ASP WQS Series. Because of this, many more talented and qualified surfers seeking to boost their world points on the surfing circuit will be coming to Lanzarote. This promises to result in quite a show.
Surfing as a culture and a sport goes back hundreds of years. It was a central part of ancient Hawaiian culture. The chief was generally the most skilled surfer in the community with a board made from the best trees. But by the end of the 19th century, with the arrival of missionaries and their negative view of surfing as hedonistic, the culture had almost died out entirely. Thanks to Captain James Cook and his journal, we know that surfing was also quite popular in the South Seas back in the 18th century.
In the 20th century, a dedicated band of surfers refused to give up the ghost and continued to roam the oceans of the world, seeking the ultimate wave. But it wasn't until mid-century that surfing once again came into its own. It took the California sounds of groups like Jan and Dean, the Surfaris and the Beach Boys to push surfing into the limelight. With songs like "Wipeout" (Surfaris), "Surfer Girl," "Surfing USA," "Fun,Fun,Fun" (the Beach Boys) and "Surf City" (Jan and Dean), among others, everyone under the age of 30 suddenly loved surfing.
The surfing mystique that grew up in California in places like San Diego and Santa Cruz developed with it a language and an image all its own. It didn't matter if you were from California or lived in a land-locked state in the Midwest. Everyone used terms like gnarly, radical, tubular, hang ten, wipeout, goofy foot and pop-up. And everyone knew what the terms meant. The long-haired blonde surfer dude in boardshorts trudging into the surf with his long board under his arm, ready to wait it out for the perfect wave became iconic.
If you were not actually a surfer, you surely wanted to look like one because that's who the girls looked at. For at least a brief period of time, "four girls for every guy" was more than just a song lyric. You heard it at concerts. You saw it at the movies. You watched it on TV. Living the surfing life was fun. It was exciting and a dream come true.
The popular image, of course, was not the complete image of the surfing lifestyle. True aficionados of the sport continued to search out the big waves from ocean to ocean. For them the sport was much more than beach parties and posturing. As the sport came more and more into its own as a truly competitive endeavor, a series of year-long meets and a system of ratings grew up around it.
As with other sports, the goal was to play in the bigs. Sponsors became an important element because without them surfers could not afford to travel the world. An entire industry built on surfing equipment and outfitting grew into multi-billion dollar enterprises. Every surf meet that was ASP WQS certified drew the biggest names.
That is why, in October of 2009, Lanzarote, which is always visually spectacular but not always the biggest vacation destination, will find itself drawing a new crowd. Fans of surfing will want to be there to see the pros do their thing. But regardless of the number of professional surfers that do show up in Lanzarote, spectators should see some great surfing.
