surfresearch

Rain Causes Postponement

SURFERS DISAPPOINTED

The Bondi carnival was officially opened by Lieut. Waller Murks, M.H.R., yesterday afternoon, but owing to tho rain the management decided to postpone the competitive events und side-shows until Monday night.

The carnival, which was promoted for the purpose of establishing a local St. John Ambulance depot, and to help the Voluntary Workers' Cafe in their humane cause, gave promise of eclipsing previous records.

Everything conducive to amusement was arranged for.
There were over 60 side-shows, and posters such as "Crazy Cottage" and "Giggle Ville" were calculated to draw anyone.

At an early hour a large crowd assembled.
Rain cannot daunt the enthusiasm of surf bathers for their favorite sport.
They came clad for the occasion, but were disappointed, as it was decided that the main event of the day- the surf carnival- would be postponed until January 31.
However, on Monday night, if the weather permits, the show will be in lull swing.

"The St. John Ambulance," he said, "when started 12 years ago, was accommodated in a room at Randwlck 10ft. by 15ft.
In the year of its inception 16 cases were treated, and the patients were conveyed to hospital in a two-wheeled handcart.
To date over 6000 cases have been dealt with."

"There is no better body of men in the world," added Lieutenant Marks in conclusion, "and you could not give your help to a more worthy cause."

Trove
1920 'BONDI CARNIVAL', The Sun (Sydney, NSW : 1910 - 1954), 18 January, p. 9. , viewed 29 Mar 2016,
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article221385622

Surf-riding is a strenuous sport; it is also a dangerous one.
Last week the Prince of Wales viewed a great exhibition by some of the world's mos brilliant exponents at Honolulu.

He also had the exciting experience of riding in a surf boat under the guidance of Duke Kahanamoku,
who is so well known in Australia as a great water-sportsman.

RUSHING TOWARDS THE BEACH AT SURPRISING SPEED.

THE most thrilling of all sports!
That's what it is.
Nowhere in this world can be found anything more exciting and fascinating than that rush shoreward at the speed of an express train — always in front of an immense roller, its crest towering above your head, until when nearly inshore the wave breaks and you finish your ride with the surf seething and hissing behind you.
But it takes a good deal of nerve and a lot of patience and skill to master the art.
When surfboard-riding was born, no one knows; but the early missionaries to Hawaii in their memoirs recount bow the Hawaiians used to come in before the waves on portions of the trunks of the cocoanut palm.

Later, as the white man began to settle in the islands, the surf board of to-day was designed, and now every day of the year surfers can be seen off Waikiki.
Waikiki is the popular beach of the Honoluluans, and lies some three miles from the city.

BUT to return to surfing,
For years the sport had been almost abandoned, until one day a 'malihini' (newcomer) was sitting under a cocoanut (sic) palm talking to a number of local lads about the possibilities of starting a beach club and reviving surf-riding.
The founding of the outrigger club was the outcome.
This was ten years ago.
To-day the same club is the principal beach club in Hawaii, has over 500 members, and surfing has justly come once again into its own.
Duke Kahanamoku is a member, and can be seen there every afternoon.

The surfboard is made of Californian redwood, well planed and varnished, eight feet in length, 20 inches to two feet in width, and four inches thick; it is squared off at one end, while the front comes to a rounded point.

TO reach the surf one has to paddle out about half a mile or so.
This is done by lying flat on the surfboard and propelliiig oneself along with the hands.
It is the 'hoy-ing' (as the local boys call it) out to the waves that tells on the beginner, and very often discourages him from further attempts to master surf-riding.
In the first instance, the weight of the body is supported on the lower ribs, while the head is held up 'turtle fashion.'
This is very tiring until one gets used to it.
Then the act of paddling brings certain muscles into play that have never been used before; but they are quickly developed, and after a week's practice one can 'hoy' all day without feeling it.
Another penalty the beginner has to pay is the sufferings of sunburn, for the direct rays of the tropical sun burn hiinplaces on his arms and legs that have never been exposed to 'Old Sol' before.
Then there is the general 'wear and tear' that the beginner has to suffer.
Being unable to manage his board properly as he paddles out, he is thrown hither and thither by the incoming waves, sometimes losing his hoard and having to swim quite a distance to recover it.
To go through these waves is an art the beginner must learn early in the game if he wishes to avoid the discomforts of frequently losing his board.

There are many ways adopted by surfers paddling out to the reef, one of the most popular being to drop off the board and sink down behind it, at. the same time pushing it directly through the oncoming wave.
This is all right in small surf; but when the waves are running high the chances are that the board will be wrenched from his grasp and sent rushing shoreward.

The most certain and the safest way is to get up in front of the surfboard just as the wave arrives.
This causes the nose of the board to sink, so the wave passes harmlessly overhead, the surfer emerging safely into the calm water beyond.

ALL these obstacles are trying to the beginner, and it is no wonder that many abandon it after their first attempt.

But to the man who will stick to it, let his muscles get hardened and body tanned, great is his reward, for he will soon learn the art of surfing - 'the sport of kings,' Jack London once described it.

Now we may add, 'and of princes.'
As Jack London visited Honolulu and tried it, he was in a position to speak.

Arrived at the reef, one sits astride the board and waits for a wave to come along.
Not every wave that rolls in, however, can be ridden.
The right kind' of a wave is the one with an apparently sharp feathery edge to it, that .seems as .if it were going; to break every minute,. but doesn't; and the higher the wave the more force, and consequently more speed, it has.
Finally, after about 'fifteen minutes' waiting, a. good wave will come in; but the surfers will let it pass —-they know that it will clear and smooth the. surface of the water - and prepare to catch the next, which follows in the space of a couple of minutes or. less.
The 'good' waves always come in groups of three or four, so if one misses the second he is bound to catch the third or fourth.

TO catch a wave, the board is pointed shorewards, and, lying flat, with only the toes hanging over the end of the board, everybody paddles furiously, windmill fashion, propelling the board as fast as possible, for unless a certain amount of momentum is attained the wave will sweep on alone.

It is the hardest task of the beginner to catch a wave.

Time and time again lie will 'hoy' for a roller, only to be left-behind in a shower of 'wind-driven' spray.

On other occasions the wave may curl preparatory to breaking, and he is caught in that.
To be caught in the curl means that , the would-be surfer takes a swift free trip to the coral gardens at the bottom of the Pacific, while his board is tossed high in the air by the breaker, as if in derision.

It is herein that about the only danger of surfing lies, for woe betide the unfortunate beginner who fails to remain under the water until he is sure his board has finished its aerial flight.

The writer has known several beginners, and also some good surfers, too, who have had the misfortune to reach the surface from below at the identical moment and at the same spot as their surfboard.

Being caught in the wave and taking a trip below is popularly known among the Honolulu boys as 'pearl-diving.'

ONE soon learns how, when, and where a wave will break, and places himself and acts accordingly.

Having 'caught' the wave, the finished surfer 'slides' across it, standing erect, and is borne towards the beach at surprising speed.

Once the beginner has gi'aduated and can harness any wave, he is to be seen there day after day.
From thence the call of the surf is always ringing in his ears, and he simply cannot resist from 'hoy-ing' out to the reef and catching a few waves

— Reg. M. Clutterbuck.

An Expert at the Game.

Rising to the Occasion at Waikiki.

[Boxed]
One day only was spent in Honolulu by the Renown, but enough romance, interest, and unusual entertainment were compressed into the brief visit of the Prince to suffice for a week.

A whisper went round early in the day that the Prince purposed to try surf-riding on Waikiki Beach quietly by himsel.

Everybody in the city heard the whisper within half an hour, as if it had been shouted by the San- Diego magna vox.

A large proportion of the entire population of Honolulu assembled in bathing costumes on the beach late in the afternoon, bathing being entirely suspended.

The jetty from the Manoa Hotel was packed from end to end.

Photographers and cinema operators erected machines on native outrigged canoes, and waited in the surf at the imminent risk of catastrophes.

Cheers went up when the Prince emerged for a little quiet enjoyment.

He wore an ordinary dark blue costume edged with red.

Duke Kahanamoku, the famous Hawaiian swimmer, attended with a native outrigger canoe.

Amid an enthusiastic cheer the Prince and party shoved off, the Hawaiian taking the steering paddle.
The Prince occupied the thwart, taking the paddle next the Hawaiian.

The party paddled out a mile , coming back with the speed of an express train, surrounded by cinema and camera men.

Frequent runs were made, members of the crew declaring that it was like tobogganing.

The Prince afterwards enjoyed a swim.

— cable message,

                If the weather is propitious, the surf-bathing season
                will commence to-morrow.
 
Eight-Hour Day has
                always been recognised as the first day of Summer,
                though it is often marked by gales of wind and dropping
                temperatures.
 
But given sunshine and
                not too much wind, Sydney's thousands of. surfers will return to
                their favorite beaches to-morrow for the first time this
                season.
 

There are likely to be many blistered legs and shoulders to-morrow night for the tan of last season has faded.

Where surfers hibernate during the Winter has never been definitely known

Certain it is they sigh for the return of the sun during the whole length of the cold weather.

Some hardy souls who live in close proximity to the beaches surf all the year round, and decline to recognise Winter's right to take charge of the sea shores and pound them with his gales and storms.

With many it amounts almost to religion; others do it for health, though a warm bed on a cold morning offers many allurements, it must be admitted.

By Lantern Light

If you have the hardihood to venture out you may see these enthusiasts taking their morning dip.
Few admirers have they and fewer spectators.

You see them wrapped in several overcoats and towels, with goose-flesh and tinged blue noses, bearing a storm lantern through the pale dawn, and armed with pick-axe to break the ice.

Of course, it is not so bad as that, but that is the mental picture of a Summer surfer who has to ride for an hour in trams filled with lightly-clad but perspiring humanity to reach a beach.

Surf bathing as a sport has one fundamental attraction which others lack— it is so essentially clean.

Its effects, too, are different.

There is not the resulting tiredness and aching muscles which other sorts leave as a legacy an reminder of a game well played.

Swimming tends to loosen the muscles, and the actual process of shooting the breakers brings a feeling of elation which no, other pastime supplies.

This applies more particularly to the tall shoots breaking in deep water.

There is no bump in them, but the surfer falls with the speed of an express train, head, shoulders and chest clear of the water; the rush through the air, and the stinging massage of the water as the body tears through it is more heady than good champagne.

The influences of mock modesty and prudery did their best to kill surfbathing in its infancy.

They declined to recognise its health and mental attributes.

It was contended, with other things, too, that the past-time was very dangerous.

FIRST RESCUE OF THE SEASON AT BONDI.

                But the surf
                clubs have lessened the risks.
They were inaugurated
                by a few big hearted men in the various ocean-side
                suburbs.
 
As surf-bathing became
                more popular and the tens of swimmers became thousands,
                they had, of necessity, expanded accordingly.
 
They invented methods
                of rescue and taught the do's and don'ts of life-saving
                to all who would learn. 
 
Soon the State
                Government recognised the value of the work, and a small
                sum was included in the Estimates to subsidise the
                pioneers.
 
Though it was
                hopelessly inadequate, it helped, and drew attention to
                the need of funds.

DO YOU KNOW ANYTHING BETTER THAN THIS?

Now, there is scarcely a beach without its life-saving club.

The big beaches, like Bondi and Steyne, have two, and their membership is increasing rapidly.

Some already have 150 to 200 members.

The majority of the life-savers are ex-soldiers.

Unofficially, this is a qualification for admission to many of the clubs.

Young men who were not old enough to enlist, or those whose family affairs forbade it, are not ruled out; but the slacker is black-balled or expelled for a breach of regulations.

Eagerness for Rescue

The Surf-Bathing Life-Saving Association is the outcome of their affiliation

This Association has done its utmost to foster the esprit-de-corps in the clubs, for from this spirit - the desire to be first in efficiency and top of the list in the number of rescues - come better-trained and keener members

Shields and medals are competed for annually in premiership tests, which are conducted much like football and cricket competitions.

Carnivals are held on every beach which boasts a club, and teams from all other clubs in the Association arrive with their partisans and strive for victory

Newcastle sends its representatives to Sydney, and the compliment is returned.

Hard-and-fast rules are made which members must observe.

Exemplary conduct and refusal to recognise danger are necessities, and swimming power must be proved to the satisfaction of elected examiners.

Until he has passed life-saving and resuscitation tests, a club member is not allowed to undertake patrol duty.

During the workaday week an official life-saver guards the surfers; but on Saturday afternoons and Sundays the clubs give this duty their special attention.

From 6 a.m.to 6 p.m. a team is in constant attendance, handy to their reel.

They work in two-hour shifts, and failure to appear on patrol incurs a penalty.

This matter is regarded in a very serious light by the life-savers, for a man absent may mean a surfer drowned, and it is their desire To produce a nil death roll at the end of the season.

For practice purposes, six men comprise a team.

Five do the work and one acts as the victim.

Six men are therefore always on duty, so that the extra man can swim but unhampered by the belt and support the person in difficulty until the beltman arrives.

 
They may appear to the
                unthoughtful to be a little officious, these brown men
                with club badges on their costumes ; but this is seldom
                the case.
 
When they say, 'Don't
                go in there,' it is because they know what they are
                talking about; know the tricks and treacheries of the
                rollers on their beach.
 
There are people who
                affect to regard these men with derision, as poseurs
                earning easy glory ; but they have vindicated their
                existence, and the total of human lives saved by their
                efforts is impressive

Last Sunday the North Bondi Club made the first save of the season.

They rescued a man who had been washed out by a side current and had swallowed more water than he could conveniently carry.

Municipal Councils are at last beginning to recognise the value of the beaches in their suburbs, and not any too soon.

Dressing-shed accommodation is inadequate on nearly every one of them, and the rectification of this will have as much to do with increasing the popularity of a beach as the excellence of its shoots.

For a long time the popular idea of the correct method of surf-bathing was to leap over the combers after they had broken, or to be knocked, over and rolled by them if they were sufficiently strong.

Opinions differ concerning the identity of the man who first shot the breakers in Sydney; controversies about it still rage, so no names will be mentioned. But one morning bathers at Manly were startled to see a man riding in on the foam.
Others to whom they related the incident were frankly incredulous - until they saw for themselves.
Emulation followed, and other beaches saw the same spectacle, until - as at present - the majority of surfers have acquired the art.

It is simplicity itself - merely a matter of judgment and picking the right wave,

The pull of the water at the base of the wave and the slight curl in its centre tell the surfer when to mount.
All he has to do is to propel himself for a few strokes, stiffen his body, and - go forward and downward.

But beware the deadly dumper!
This may be recognised by the manner in which the flat water rushes out and adds itself to the volume of the breaker.
Then the wave, instead of having a back sloping front wall, describes a half-circle, and the surfer who boards it sees an expanse of hard sand, covered by very few inches of water, waiting to receive him.

Down he goes, willy-nilly, generally with arms flung wide for self-preservation.

When the dumper hits the sand it rebounds all ways at once, and the would be shooter goes with it.
And as hi arms and legs cannot leave his trunk, he finds that each limb wants to take a separate course, while his head does not seem to be anywhere in particular.

Crowning ignominy, when he regains the surface and gasps for air, he notices that everyone within range is staring and laughing at him, for, to the surfer, the spectacle of another being dumped is as humorous as is the sight of a man slipping on a banana skin to the urchin who laid the trap.

The Daring Spirits

Boards long and short and canoes have become favorites with the more daring men of the combers.

Here, again, practice makes perfect.

THE TRICK OF THE BOARD.
[Reprinted in Le miroir des sports, Paris, 2 December 1920, below.]

The short board is held by the hands in front of the head, and helps
                when the shoots are not very forceful.
 
But they are more
                dangerous than useful,and a blow from one, borne along
                by a wave, is staggering.
 
 
The 9ft. long boards are an imported
                idea.
Honolulu invented
                them, as far as the surf
                is concerned; but many Sydney siders are now proficient
                in their use.
 
Their main advantage is
              to free the body from the water and retain the shoot until
              it is a mere froth of foam.  
 
The board shooter lays on
                his board and
                uses his hands paddle fashion to mount the shoot.
 
Then, if he is
                proficient, he kneels or stands on it and guides it with
                his feet.
 
This involves niceties
                of balance, and is a hard and painful occupation for the
                beginner.

If he gets too far forward the board nose-dives, and is thrown clear of the water; the surfer goes with it.

If he stands on the extreme back edge, it will probably rise up and hit him violently on the nose.

In any case, the change to the upright position must be accomplished quickly or the wooden steed will reel sideways and throw its rider.

A few - a very few - have mastered the art of standing on their heads on the boards.

Canoes have the same strange ways.

"One dumper, one canoe," has become a proverb, for they are necessarily of light fabric, and if they hit the sand with any force, crumple immediately.

DON'T BE FRIGHTENED, OLD SON!

A HAND RAISED FOR HELP.

Of the beneficial effects of the sport there can be no doubt.
Some blame ear trouble to the sand which may gather on the ear-drum ; but that is easily obviated by inserting cotton wool or rubber-plugs.
Small, weedy children have become barrel-chested giants by constant surfing, and the crowds of husky youngsters that may be seen on any beach is sufficient answer to a query regarding its effects on the rising generation.
Sun-baking, also, must open the pores of the skin and free excrescences that are better out of the body.

Nothing is perfect, and surfing is not all blue water sunlight and white foam.

It has its drawbacks, the chief of which are marauding sharks who raid the beaches in hopes of a satisfying meal

.

Fortunately they can be seen before they get too close inshore, but the 'sharkbaits,' the surfers who wait on the extreme breaker line for big shoots, run many risks.

Some of the life-saving clubs have skeleton towers in which are stationed a man and a bell.
It is his duty to watch for man-eaters and warn the surfers by ringing his bell should they appear.

Blue-bottles are uncomfortably intimate and affectionate.
They delight in draping their long, cotton-like antennæ around bathers' shoulders, much to said bathers' disgust, for the touch stings, and a half-yard of antennæ around the neckleaves a necklace of blisters.
Ammonia and blue-bags are generally employed to stop the pain.
The poison seems to affect some people seriously.
Ladies have been known to collapse after having been stung.

 
Undertows and currents
                must not be forgotten.

                They are the greatest danger of all, and make their
                appearance on a beach overnight.

                The changing positions
                of sandbanks create them, and they will exhaust the
                strongest swimmer if he knows not how to beat them.
          
It is quite useless to
                fight against the main strength of a current; always try
                to swim across or around it, and, if your strength is
                going in the struggle, raise one hand and float on your back.

Just as fast as leg and arm muscle can propel him, a life-saver will be on his way towards you and your troubles will soon

be over.

Our Best Girl

The main adornment of our beaches;that which makes the water seem more blue and the sun more bright, is the Australian surf girl.

Love of life and vitality are expressed in her every action, and the mere male can only envy the sea's privilege of kissing her with his spray and putting his figurative arm around her very material rounded limbs and body, with their soft curves and winking dimples.

The typical surf girl worries little about pink and white complexions.
Red, sun-burned noses are prevalent during the early Summer months, but dabs of powder cover them.
As the seasonprogresses, they become as brown as themen, and it is good to see the wetgleam on their tan skin as they race

along the firm beach or laze luxuriously on the warm sand, laughing for the sheer joy of life.

Bathing girls have evolved, too, along with life-savers and surf boards.
Originally they were rather unbeautiful and frumpish, with loose wisps of wet hair draggling across their faces and brightred, ill-fitting costumes spoiling the lines of the best figures.
Short-legged,Canadian costumes of good cut, and close-fitting rubber caps later presented the female as a trim, neat creature, but they have blossomed still more.

Skirted costumes have re-appeared, but with what a difference.
They are of unshrinkable material, cut to fit and tastefully embellished with harmonious colors.

Newer ones are made of jersey cloth, all in one piece, with a skirt hanging from the waist.

Bathing caps, too, have assumed fantastic and alluring shapes, with tassels, knobs and rubber flowers appearing in the most unexpected places, while large, oiled fabric umbrellas exclude the would-be pirate.

Surf shoes protect soft feet from coke and stones on the beach, but the American idea of stockings finds little favor.

Cretonne sunshades are the latest beach fashion; they are more durable than the paper ones, which are apt to be ripped by strong breezes.

Water proof capes are also expected to make an appearance.

To carry towels and, we presume, powder puffs, there are bags of diverse shapes and colors, gaily flowered and lined with waterproof material.
But in any costume, cap or cape, the Girl on the Beach is adorable.