WAVES & WOMEN: Chapter 1 - The Origin Story of Surfing

Long before glossy surf mags, action cameras, or sustainable wetsuits made from Yulex™(up 80% less CO₂ emissions compared to traditional neoprene), surfing was a sacred art form. Its earliest traces come from ancient Polynesia , particularly Hawai‘i, where wave riding wasn’t just a sport but a true spiritual practice.

Kings and queens surfed on handcrafted wooden boards as a way to connect with the ocean and the gods. Surfing was their way of life and the first practice turned to for the settling of disputes, celebrating victories, and to prove oneself and their leadership. Women surfed too - powerfully and proudly - long before the world began to view it as a "man's game."

Captain James Cook's arrival

The Captain (1728–1779) born in Yorkshire, England was an explorer, navigator, and cartographer best known for his three major voyages across the Pacific Ocean during the 18th century. Through contact with cultures long isolated by sea, he dramatically expanded the Western world's understanding of geography, people, and nature.

James Cook marks a turning point in our story as one of the very first outsiders to witness and document the ancient art of surfing as practiced by Native Hawaiians. And yet, despite its deep roots in Polynesian culture, wave-riding wouldn’t truly make its way to Europe until the 20th century.

Like the ocean itself, once surfing arrived, it refused to be tamed.

As surfing reached California and Australia in the 1900s, it became associated with freedom, rebellion and youth culture. Once a sole sacred Hawaiian ritual, it now turned towards breaking free from norms, riding toward the unknown, and chasing something bigger than yourself. A world of difference.

The postwar economic rise, combined with advancements in surfboard design (lighter fiberglass boards) resulted in surfing being more accessible than ever.

The surf boom of the 1950s and ‘60s didn’t just change how people rode waves - it changed how they felt about them. Introducing movies, fashion, and music that turned surfing from a niche coastal activity into a full-blown cultural phenomenon, you could almost call it already the 'hype of a lifestyle', most particularly in places like California, Australia, and later Europe. Music became the emotional engine of surf culture, giving it rhythm, energy, and identity and the surf lifestyle exploded into mainstream surf rock and pop culture:

• 🎬 Films like Gidget (1959) and The Endless Summer (1966) romanticised the freedom of surf life.

• 🎶 Surf rock bands like The Beach Boys whose harmonies brought surf life to living rooms everywhere, spreading California's sun-drenched surf dream across the globe. For some nostalgia, here are two of their top hits: "Surfin’ U.S.A." and “Surfer Girl”.

• 👕 Fashion trends think boardshorts, bikinis, salt-bleached hair arose practically from the sea.

The sport and lifestyle however, also became a heavily male-dominated space. Women were often pictured on beaches, not on surfboards.

But that’s never been the full story.

While surf culture has long celebrated the classic blonde and tanned “surf dude,” female surfers have always shaped the sport. Icons like;

• Rell Sunn, the American world surfing champion, also known as the "Queen of Makaha" from Oahu, Hawaii showed that grace, power and aloha could ride the same wave.
• Joyce Hoffman, the 1960s surfing powerhouse paved a path for women in surfing as one of the first to gain international recognition. The Californian native broke barriers in a time where surfing was perceived as a boys' club.
• Lisa Andersen carved her own lines into history often against the current and brought as style shifter raw talent, grit, and femininity to competitive surfing. A four-time world champion in the 1990s, Lisa reshaped what it meant to be a female athlete - on and off the board.

Today, a new generation of women is reclaiming that space. Not just to perform, but to belong.

At WALLIEN, we honour that lineage and ride that wave with you.

Why It Still Thrills Us Today

So why are we still so drawn to surfing?

Maybe it’s the adrenaline rush. Maybe it’s the moment you become one with a wave. Or maybe it’s something deeper - a return to something ancient, wild, and wildly feminine.

Surfing makes us feel alive, focused and free. It's a full-body meditation and a bold, salty rebellion. It's a challenge. It’s joy. And it’s ours.

What’s Next in WAVES & WOMEN

In the next chapter, we’ll explore:

• What exactly makes surfing so addictive (hint: there’s science behind the stoke),

• How the ocean impacts our brain, body, and confidence ,

• And why so many women are drawn to it now more than ever.

Stay tuned for Chapter 2 - The Science of Stoke: Why Surfing Hooks You for Life.