Surfing: more than a sport, an art with environmental awareness

Surfing: a sport that consists of sliding over the waves of the sea standing on a board, steering it using one or more fins located at the back of the board.

According to descriptions in encyclopedias, surfing is a sport that began in 1778, according to British explorer James Cook, in Polynesia and on the coasts of Hawaii, and then spread throughout the world. At the beginning of the 20th century, the popularity of this sport reached North America and Australia, where it began to develop gradually in those regions. Today, we enjoy true spectacles with elite athletes who make surfing an art.

At the free surf school, an initiative of Murciélago SC in conjunction with the Illustrious Municipality of Manta, there is a true breeding ground for talent, great surfers of tomorrow. They are taught by their teachers, young people with surfing in their blood, coming from the first surfers to bring this sport to our Manabí coasts. Raúl Muentes, with 8 years in surfing, son of Raúl Muentes, known among all his contemporaries as “Travolta”, tells his technique to teach lessons to students. “I have patience to educate. I start teaching them on the sand step by step how they should do it and in the sea I show them, already in practice.” This technique is shared by Jorge Rosero, with 10 years in the sport, brother of surfers. He comments that a good way to teach is to capture the attention of the kids, give them confidence. “We explain the parts of the board, why the clothes are as they are, light. How to put wax on the board and what it is for.”

Jorge Campos, 15 years old, student at INTERPAM school, current champion of the Intercollegiate surfing championship. He has been at the surf school for three weeks and tells us in detail about his training process. “I have learned how to ride a longboard (boards with a length equal to or greater than 2.75 m. This is the classic style of surfing), how to steer. “I started by learning the parts of the board: the fins, track, rails, the cord and the tip of the paddle (tip of the board). They also teach me on the sand. There are four steps: paddling, lying down, leaning and getting up. Now I can get up and be stable on the board.”

The development of recreational activities that have an underlying message of environmental preservation is what will allow raising awareness among all participants regarding the care of our natural courts: our beautiful beaches and their surroundings.