The Origin and Evolution of the Surf Board

No-one really knows when surfing first started at Muizenberg. A local legend states that an Australian visiting in 1910 picked up a plank of wood on the beach and demonstrated to the locals how to “catch a wave”. But, we have found records showing that boards for “surf bathing” were being manufactured in Muizenberg as early as 1904. The earliest boards were heavy, crude, and rectangular in shape. By the second decade of the 20th century photographs show that more streamlined boards were in use - thin, narrow, smooth, and featuring a rounded nose. The form and manufacture of boards has been revolutionised by new materials, and today there are boards that suit the experience, preferences and style of all surfers.

Join Cobus Joubert, founder and owner of WAWA Surfboards, as he explores the origin of surf boards, their evolution, his focus on sustainability in manufacture, and why Muizenberg continues to be one of the centres of the surfing universe.