Surfing is a surface water sport in which an individual, a surfer, uses a board to ride on the forward section, or face, of a moving wave of water, which usually ...SurfingFromWikipedia,thefreeencyclopediaJumptonavigationJumptosearchSportofridingwavesThisarticleisaboutstand-upoceansurfing.Forotheruses,seeSurfing(disambiguation)."Surfer"redirectshere.Forotheruses,seeSurfer(disambiguation).SurfingMavericksSurfContest2010Highestgoverning bodyWorldSurfLeague(WSL),InternationalSurfingAssociation(ISA)CharacteristicsMixedgenderYes,separatecompetitionsEquipmentSurfboard,leash,wetsuitPresenceCountryor regionWorldwideOlympicWilldebutin2021BigwavesurfingatJawsinMaui,HawaiiSurfingisasurfacewatersportinwhichanindividual,asurfer,usesaboardtorideontheforwardsection,orface,ofamovingwaveofwater,whichusuallycarriesthesurfertowardstheshore.Wavessuitableforsurfingareprimarilyfoundintheocean,butcanalsobefoundinlakesorriversintheformofastandingwaveortidalbore.Thetermsurfingusuallyreferstotheactofridingawaveusingaboard,regardlessofthestance.Thereareseveraltypesofboards.TheMocheofPeruwouldoftensurfonreedcraft,whilethenativepeoplesofthePacificsurfedwavesonalaia,paipo,andothersuchwatercraft.Ancientculturesoftensurfedontheirbellyandknees,whilethemodern-daydefinitionofsurfingmostoftenreferstoasurferridingawavestandingonasurfboard;thisisalsoreferredtoasstand-upsurfing.Anotherprominentformofsurfingisbodyboarding,inwhichasurferridesthewaveonabodyboard,eitherlyingontheirbelly,dropknee(onefootandonekneeontheboard),orsometimesevenstandinguponabodyboard.Othertypesofsurfingincludekneeboarding,surfmatting(ridinginflatablemats)andusingfoils.Bodysurfing,inwhichthewaveiscaughtandriddenusingthesurfer'sownbodyratherthanaboard,isverycommonandisconsideredbysomesurferstobethepurestformofsurfing.Theclosestformofbodysurfingusingaboardisahandboardwhichnormallyhasonestrapoverittofitononehand.Threemajorsubdivisionswithinstand-upsurfingarestand-uppaddling,longboardingandshortboardingwithseveralmajordifferencesinclud