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Bodyboarding
A bodyboard is an instrument of wave riding consisting of a small roughly rectangular piece of foam, shaped to a hydrodynamic form. The bodyboard is ridden predominantly lying down, (or 'prone'). It can also be ridden in a half-standing stance (known as 'dropknee') or can even be ridden standing up. The vast majority of bodyboarders usually wear swimfins on both feet to aid in paddling out and taking off.

The bodyboard differs from a surfboard in that it is much shorter, and made of lighter material. A bodyboard typically ranges in length from 40 to 42 inches for men, and from 38 to 40 inches for women, with a squared-off nose, angular rails and a tail which is usually crescent-shaped (however 'batwing' style tails have recently become more popular). They are designed to be flexible, and board builders tend to be more experimental with materials than with their stand-up cousins. The board is made up of a 'core', made from dow/polyethylene, arcel and more recently polypropylene. These are types of plastic, and each gives a bodyboard a different amount of flex and control for the rider. Glued, or more currently, heat-bonded, to this core is a thick plastic bottom (known as the 'slick') which gives the board strength and speed. The top of the board (the deck) is made from softer plastic to give grip and cushioning to the rider. Unlike a surfboard, there is no fin or skegs allowing the rider to rotate the board. But, like the surfboard, a bodyboard can be made with a stringer (or two) to further increase its stiffness. If one so desires, a skeg can be purchased and installed in about 1 minute. A skeg can minimize the looseness that is required for many tricks. This has led to a large decrease in the presence of skegs. It is bad to call a bodyboard a boogie board unless the bodyboard is actually a Boogie brand bodyboard. 'Sponge' or 'Esky lid' are derogatory terms used to describe bodyboards.

Although bodyboarding is often mistakenly considered surfing's easier cousin, watermen, knowledgeable in both disciplines, hold that beyond the beginner level they are equal in the time, dedication, and skill required to become proficient.

Bodyboarding is arguably the earliest form of surfing, and is ultimately derived from the ancient Hawaiian Paipo board, which was ridden lying down. The modern invention of the bodyboard is credited to Tom Morey, who sold very basic bodyboards, (known then as Boogie Boards ) by mail order. They were very crude by today's standard, but were easy to ride and became popular.

Bodyboarding is also popular as an amateur activity among travelers. Many towns along coastal areas (e.g., Bethany Beach, DE) have several beachwear shops that sell amateur grade boards ranging from $10 to $50.
The Radical Revolution
Bodyboarding went through a revolution in the 1990´s. It was mainly led by bodyboarders like Jacob Reeve from Santa Barbara, CA, with its innovative tricks breaking all the established rules, and the new generation of Australian, Brazilian and Portuguese bodyboarders.

It must be acknowledged that the big names of the sport faced the new standards with an open mind, embracing the revolution rather than denying it. It was men like Mike Stewart (Hawaii)and Guilherme Tâmega (Brazil) that helped establishing the revolution set forth by the newcomers.

Most top bodyboarders from the first age fell to the radical revolution but are still praised today as heroes from the old school. Men like Ben Severson, Pat Caldwell, Kainoa McGee , Fabio Aquino , Xandinho, Jay Reale, Keith Sasaki and many others will always remains respected as pioneers of the bodyboarding we know today. Mike Stewart is the only bodyboarder from the old school who is still considered a world class top bodyboarder today; although not anymore the absolute master of the sport, he is still regarded as the "king", with an unbelievably beautiful surfing style, managing to bring together the fluidity of the Old School with the extreme tricks of today's bodyboarding.
Aspects of the Revolution
Old school bodyboarding praised a more fluid and easy going style of surfing. The standard tricks were spinners (360° spin) on the wave face either in normal or reverse direction, cut backs and the bodyboarding trademark El Rollo.

Today bodyboarding, while still praising huge attention to style, is mainly focused on aerial critical maneuvers heavier and bigger waves. The wave is a ramp! Spinners are now aerial, some bodyboarders managing to execute complete reverse 720° in the air (Jeff Hubbard and José Otávio are good examples). El Rollos are mostly aerial too, and this basic trick evolved into critical variations, like the ARS (Air Roll Spinner) where the bodyboarder connects an ordinary El Rollo with an 360° spinner in the air, and the Backflip .
A Few Notable Bodyboarders
Old School

• Mike  Stewart (considered unanimously to be the king of the sport)   

• Ben  Severson (a pioneer of the sport, second to none but Stewart in his time)   

• Pat  Caldwell  

• Kainoa McGee  

• Paul  Roach
  

New School

• Guilherme Tâmega (six-time world champion and the greatest name in the  sport after the revolution)  

• Ben  Player (Current world champion from Australia also the editer of  Australias Movement Magazine)  

• Damian King (two times world champion from Australia)   

• Jeff  Hubbard (the "air man" who sets the standards for aerials today)   

• Andre Botha (youngest world champion to date, two times world champion  at the age of 17)  

• Ryan Hardy (One of Australia's best body boarders,  winner of Teahupoo challenge)  

• Alistair Taylor  

• Andrew Lester  

• Mitch Rawlins  

• Sean Virtue  

• Alex  Walker  

• Micheal Epplestun
  

Famous bodyboarding locations
Many surfing spots around the world are famous for their hollow, tube-like waves which are favored by bodyboarders.
USA

• The  Wedge (surfing) in Newport  Beach, California,  USA.   

• Pipeline in Oahu,  Hawaii, USA.  
  

Australia

• Duranbah in NSW/QLD Border, Australia   

• "The  Box", WA, Australia   

• "North Point", Margaret River, WA,  Australia   

• Shark  Island, Cronulla Beach, Sydney, NSW,  Australia - site of the prestigious  Shark Island Challenge  

• Shipstern  in Tasmania, Australia  

• The  Zone on the Central Coast of New  South Wales, Australia   

• Luna  Park in Australia  

• Gold  Coast , Queensland, Australia   

• Alexandra Headland,  Queensland, Australia  
  

Brazil

• Itacoatiara, Niterói, Rio de  Janeiro, Brazil   

• São Conrado beach, Rio de  Janeiro, Brazil (famous for numerous Rocinha  bodyboarders)
  

Japan

• Kugenuma ,Kanagawa,Japan  

• Chigasaki,Kanagawa,  Japan   

• Kamogawa,Chiba,Japan   

• Kujukuri,Chiba,  Japan  
  

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bodyboards
BZ Bodyboards
Mike Stewart Bodyboards
Morey Bodyboards
Custom X Bodyboards
Manta Bodyboards
Unit X Bodyboards
Cartel Bodyboards
NO. 6 Bodyboards
Drop Knee Bodyboards
Big Guy Bodyboards
Bodyboards
Bodyboard
NMD Bodyboards
BZ Bodyboards
Elemenohpee Bodyboards
Manta Bodyboards
Morey Bodyboards
Custom X Bodyboards
Ion Bodyboards
Ballistic Bodyboards
Mike Stewart Bodyboards
Toobs Bodyboards
Cartel Bodyboards
Vortex Bodyboards
Discount Bodyboards
World Class Bodyboards
Drop Knee Bodyboards
Bodyboards For Sale
Bodyboard Shop
Bodyboard Video
Bodyboard Bag
Bodyboard Fins
Bodyboarding
Bodyboarding .US manufacturer reviews
Bodyboarding - Offical Site of USBA
Bodyboard Shop
Bodyboards Shop
Boogie Board - Boogie Board Review

 
   Bodyboarding (aka Boogie  Boarding)    
  
   "F#$&in' spongers!" Now that we've expressed the feeling of most upright surfers, we  are free to discuss bodyboarding. There is no easier way to engage in  surfing (i.e. the sport of riding the crests of waves, especially, but not  necessarily, on a surfboard). No vehicle on earth rides more waves. Tens  of millions of people have lain on their bellies, kicked their feet and  giddily harnessed nature's forces toward the shore. Bodyboards are  available at surf shops, tourist traps, even drug stores. In a sense, you  could say bodyboards rule. For thousands of years, Polynesians rode waves  in the prone position on short slabs of wood, bundles of reeds, palm frond  stems or anything else that would float them and plane across the water.  "Paipo," a Hawaiian term referring to a small board, 4 feet or less in  length, was long considered a pastime for children before progressing to  true surfing. Stand-up surfing, on a board usually over 6 feet, gained  acceptance in Hawaii and found its way around the  globe with Duke Kahanamoku in the early 20th century. Also known as  bellyboards, paipos weren't as widely used but remained in existence  through the '60s. The idea of prone surfing would soon find its ultimate  medium.On July 7, 1971, the bodyboard was born. Tom Morey, a surfboard  builder with a background in math and engineering, had left his California surfboard business to relax and design on  the island  of Hawaii. On that  fateful day, staring out at the surf without a board to ride, Morey  borrowed an electric carving knife and a household iron, whittled some  scrap polyethylene foam into a small rectangular mat and covered it with  newspaper. He found his invention (first dubbed S.N.A.K.E. -- side, navel,  arm, knee, elbow) easy to produce and even easier to navigate. In 1973, he  trademarked the name Morey Boogie for $10 and scrounged together enough  money to place a quarter-page ad in Surfing magazine. Demand for Morey's boards was incredible. By 1977, he was producing  80,000 per year, mainly sold in the United  States. The next year, Morey-Boogie was  purchased by Kransco (and later resold to Whamo, Inc. in 1998, with Morey  hired as a consultant). Here was an activity that, unlike surfing, offered  a gentle learning curve and could be enjoyed immediately by even the most  sedentary of people. Boards were affordable -- less than $100 for the top  of the line and 10 bucks for a drugstore special -- and the sport caught  on worldwide. As lineups become congested with bodyboarders, many of them  incompetent, resentment toward the sport quickly grew. Most surfers looked  upon them as second-class citizens, refusing to yield on a wave and  creating derogatory monikers such as spongers, cripples and speed bumps.  Like it or not, bodyboarding was here to stay, and it soon found its way  into competition. The first professional bodyboarding contest was the 1979 Morey/Gap  event at Huntington Beach, won by Californian Mike Lambresi, who evolved  to conventional surfing and went on the become a three-time U.S.  professional champion. From there, the Surecraft/Coca-Cola Challenge was  held at Pipeline the next year, boasting a $5,000 purse and won by John  Patterson. In 1982, Pipe became host for an event known as the World  Bodyboarding Championships, an annual gathering determining the king of  the sport and continuing to this day. Bodyboarding found its first hero  the next year in blond-haired, blue-eyed Hawaiian Mike Stewart. Dominant  under any conditions, Stewart was a maestro at Pipe, winning that event a  record 11 times, not to mention being an eight-time U.S. champion. Considered the  world's premier big-wave barrel, Pipeline was merely survived by stand-up  surfers, while Stewart made it his personal playground. He rode it deeper  than any other human and launched unfathomable aerials and barrel rolls on  sections other people avoided completely. Still among the world's top  riders at the end of the '90s, Stewart eased into semi-retirement. His  legacy, however, remains as bodyboarders routinely ride deepest and fly  highest of all waveriders. In contrast to surfing, which remains dominated by the  United States and  Australia, bodyboarding has  acquired more multicultural control. While those countries still produce  some viable contenders, many of the world's top bodyboarders now hail from  Brazil,  South Africa,  Portugal, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Panama and the Canary  Islands. Guilherne Tamega from Brazil set the pace by rising  to topple Stewart in 1995, becoming the first Global Organization of  Bodyboarding World Champion. Unable to crack the upper echelons of the ASP  (except for Brazil), these countries  embraced bodyboarding, promoting it through extensive television and  magazine coverage. Meanwhile, U.S. surfwear companies  withdrew their support during the difficult period in the early '90s and  have yet to reinvest. It didn't take long for bodyboarding to usurp surfing in terms of  numbers; the cheap and easy road will always be the most trodden. But  bodyboarding has gone a step further. The most progressive-minded surfers  in the world, led by Kelly Slater, are now pursuing bodyboarders when it  comes to defining future performance standards. For example, Slater  attempted an A.R.S., or aerial reverse spin, during the 1999 Pipe Masters.  Where Slater goes, so goes surfing. In that case, we'd better keep our  eyes on those f#$&in' spongers. --  Jason Borte, November  2000

There are now many manufacturers of bodyboards, such as BZ, Mesa, Sponge, Ballistic, Cartel, Custom-X, Ion, J L Designs, Mike Stewart, Manta, Nui Nui, Town & Country, Unit X, and other related products, such as, Swim Fins, Leashes, Rash Guards, Wet Suits, Booties, Gloves, Board Bags and don't forget to wear your Sun Screen and SeaSpecs Xtreme Surf Sunglasses.

When hitting the surf, don't forget to sport
a pair of SeaSpecs! They help block out harmful UVA and UVB rays that can
harm your eyes and reduce tons of glare off of that crystal blue water
you'll be boogying on!