While women did not break into the sport of suring off the coast of California until the mid 1970's, Hawaiian women had taken up the sport centuries earlier.
"With roots entwined amongst the royalty of Ancient Polynesia, surfing
has been called The Sport of Kings. But to use this name alone is to
deny the full and rightful history of the art of riding waves. It has
always also been The Sport of Queens. Surfing has been part of Hawaiian
culture since the fourth century when Polynesians settled the islands
and brought wave riding with them.
In pre-contact Hawaii, surfing was for everyone; mothers, grandfathers,
warriors, princesses, children.
Woven deep into the chants and lore of our surfing culture’s roots are the stories of revered women who rode waves with utmost grace and athleticism. Surfing was of such value to early Hawaiians that it was forbidden to work or war during prime surf season – everyone took a full three months off over winter for social bonding via play and playful competition -- called The Makahiki Festival. The ecological abundance of the Hawaiian islands meant food was easily accessed, and so leisure was also abundant.""