SURF RIDERS

[Music] Hawaii, a land of perpetual spring, a land of adventure, fabled in song and story and filled with romance. The enchantment of the hoola. Hawaii would not be Hawaii without the dancing girls. They are the carefree spirit of the land. The hoola is a purely native dance. Its music and rhythm express the joy of living. Once it was danced to Polynesian gods. Today it is danced for the visitors and they have no trouble learning it. With teachers like this, who would [Music] ukulele play and hoola sway, it's time for a surf party. The Polynesians are children of the sea. Their outrigger canoe, the craft that brought the Polynesians to this aisle of paradise, is built to take rough surf and deep waters. Guided by the Beach Boys expert hands, they provide a rare thrill for the visitors. But the biggest thrill is surfboarding. The art of surfboarding is part of the Hawaiian culture. Owners take great pride in their favorite boards. They weigh from 20 to 50 lbs and vary in length from 8 to 17 feet. And for the discriminating sportsmen, accessory equipment is optional. This sport is not restricted to the natives. Visitors soon learn to paddle out and wait for the big one. Then you're off. in more ways than one. [Music] It's always easier to end a ride. Just fall off. The idea is to keep in front of the crest and ride off at an angle to the wave. As the balance shifts, so do you into the drink. What fun. [Music] Because of the coral reef formation here, the waves rise high, great distances from the shore. In crested swells, they speed to the beach at tremendous velocity. Using a surfboard here is out of the question, but you can still take a dip if you know what you were doing. [Music] You go body surfing. It's life surfboarding except you are the board. When the water is just too rough, you can pretend that you're an outrigger. Just put out an arm to study yourself. It's a rough and tumble sport when you travel on the swells. A little knowledge of surf navigation takes you a long way. And if you are real good, you can ride on your back. No wonder Hawaiians are superb swimmers. They have to be with pastimes like this. Then there's this group of champion surf riders. A mixture of skill, daring, and just plain lunacy. They come here to challenge the biggest waves of the season. When the waves are at their height, it's no place for the timid and trembling. Only champs dare to brave the surf. And they can't get there fast enough. [Music] [Applause] [Music] These waves rise up like a moving wall over 30 ft high and race toward the beach at about 25 mph. The tiny surfboards carry their riders at better than 40 mph if they don't lose their balance. But if they do, it's fun, provided you can swim. It's the only way to avoid total oblivion when that big one upsets the apple cart. [Applause] To a champion surfer, there's just no comparable sport unless you want to try standing on a toboggon and out racing an avalanche barefooted. [Applause] Heat. Heat. [Applause] If a philosophical-minded soul should ask what draws these aquamaniacs to the surf, the answer is simple. Because like climbing the highest mountains and exploring the deepest caverns, the surf is there and it's there to be challenged by man. [Music] A true surf rider is a devoted man. After being battered around all day, he'll be back tomorrow if the surf is still high. In fact, they probably would keep it up forever. But then, everyone knows what happens to old surf riders. They never die. They just get washed away.