:03:01
... with the arrival
of the Calvinist missionaries.
:03:06
Shocked and outraged
by the state of undress...
:03:08
... and the easy mixing of the sexes
that surfing fostered...
:03:11
... the missionaries banned the sport.
:03:17
The extinct Polynesian pastime
was then reintroduced...
:03:20
... in the early 20th century
by Alexander Hume Ford...
:03:23
... a globetrotting promoter, who set
about reviving island tourism...
:03:27
... by romanticizing surfing at Waikiki.
:03:32
In 1912 came surfing's
first international icon...
:03:36
... Waikiki beach boy and celebrated
Olympic swimming champion...
:03:39
... Duke Kahanamoku, the only surfer
to ever appear on a U.S. Stamp.
:03:46
While traveling the globe
giving swimming demonstrations...
:03:49
... Duke became surfing's
Johnny Appleseed...
:03:51
... introducing his favorite sport
to far-flung places like California...
:03:55
... New York and Australia.
:03:59
One of the fans enthralled
by the Duke was a young Wisconsin...
:04:02
... swimming champion
named Tom Blake.
:04:04
Relocating to Hawaii,
Blake would go on to become...
:04:07
... one of the 20th century's
most influential surfers...
:04:10
... through his innovative surfboard
design, but most importantly...
:04:14
... through his advocacy
of surfing as a way of life.
:04:29
By 1948, surfing had taken root
along the California coast...
:04:33
... where a skinny 10-year-old from
Hermosa Beach named Greg Noll...
:04:37
... found himself immersed
in the emerging subculture.
:04:42
Following in the footsteps
of pioneers like Pete Peterson...
:04:45
... and Lorrin Harrison,
Noll eagerly joined the ranks...
:04:48
... of these eccentric sportsmen,
carving out an entirely new...
:04:52
... and free-spirited lifestyle.
:04:54
Those guys were all
kind of gentlemanly.
:04:56
It was a different era.
:04:59
Something went to hell
in the early '50s.