Surfing is a popular watersport that is practiced all over the world. Over the years, there have been many great wave riders that have pushed and tested the limits of the sport. While there are many known surfers, only a few have accomplished truly amazing feats within this discipline. Here are short biographies of five of the most famous surfers on the planet.
Kelly Slater
Kelly Slater was born in 1972, in Florida. He is known for
having truly redefined the sport of surfing with his surfing style and
maneuvers and is the youngest surfer to have won the Association of
Surfing Professionals World Championship. As of 2012, Slater holds the
record for the most wins at the world championship with a record of 11
titles. He is known as one of the most successful surfing champions in
the world. In addition to his surfing, Slater has done a few acting jobs
as well as being a spokesperson of suicide prevention awareness. He
works in collaboration with Surfers Against Suicide to increase
awareness and help save lives.
Laird Hamilton
Laird Hamilton is an American surfer born in 1964. He is known
to have revolutionized the surfing discipline with his co-invention of
tow-in surfing. This type of surfing consists of surfing while holding
on to a line attached to a helicopter or a boat. This technique is what
now makes it possible to surf on extremely high waves, which were
previously unattainable. While he is an excellent professional surfer,
he has been vocal in the past about not being a fan of the competitive
surfing world. Despite this, he has competed in many major championships
around the world.
Tom Blake
Tom Blake was born in 1902 and was raised in Wisconsin. He is
one of the pioneers of the surfing discipline. Tom's surfing career
began in 1924 while he was working as a lifeguard. A talented swimmer,
he quickly proved himself as one of the greatest surfers of his time.
His legacy is not only related to his amazing surfing abilities and
skills but also to his design of surfboards. Tom built the first hollow
board to be used in the sport in 1926. He set a new standard for surfing
equipment as the new boards weighed over 60 pounds less than the
traditional ones. He also contributed to the invention of the waterproof
camera as well as the surfboard fin.
Duke Kahanamoku
Duke Kahanamoku was born in 1894 in Honolulu, Hawaii. This man's
legacy resides in the fact that he represented modern-day surfing. Due
to his efforts, the sport became widely known and a strong fan base
started developing. He has been inducted in the Swimming and the Surfing
Hall of Fames. Duke reportedly rode one of the largest waves in history
(a mile long) in order to save eight fishermen. He was named Surfer of
the Century by Surfer magazine.
Layne Beachley
Layne Beachley was born in 1972 in New South Wales. She was the
first ever surfer woman to win seven world championships, six of them
consecutive. She started surfing professionally at the young age of 16
and she has since been inducted in the Surfing Hall of Fame, located in
California. In 2004, she was given a wildcard entry to surf in the
Energy Australia Open, an event for male surfers. She announced her
retirement in 2008.
The surfing discipline has evolved greatly over the years due to
the many men and women who have helped shape the style and design of
the sport. While there are many surfers around the world, the five
aforementioned famous surfers have all accomplished amazing things for
their sport. Whether it is regarding championship wins or the evolution
of the sport, these five people have made a significant contribution to
surfing. They are heroes in many people's eyes and they continue to
inspire surfers from all over the world.
