Bodysurfing is the art and sport of riding a wave without the assistance of any buoyant device such as a surfboard or bodyboard. Bodysurfers typically equip themselves only with a pair of specialized swimfins that stay on during turbulent conditions and optimize propulsion.

Technique[link]

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To get on the wave, bodysurfers must time their launch, pick a direction, kick and stroke hard with feet and arms, then use their back and outstretched arm, to ride the wave both sideways and downward. Turns can be performed by digging the shoulder into the wave, causing the person to slide to the side of the wave and accelerate. Exiting the wave is key to safety, In shallow water the safest maneuver is roll sideways out of the wave letting the feet tumble forwards. In stronger waves a person must drop the head and execute a very rapid tumble forward to exit the wave, flipping the feet over as fast as possible. This must be done with no hesitation, to avoid injury. Advanced techniques include spins and barrel rolls.

Porpoising/Dolphin Technique/Spermin[link]

Another variation is using the underwater takeoff and ride technique known as "Dolphin Pop", "Spermin" or "Porpoising". Unlike standard body surfing, which involves the surfer sliding with gravity down the face of the wave, porpoising/Spermin utilizes the same wave energy as a dolphin or seal uses when they ride 'inside' of the wave; within the wave's energy pulse other wise known by Spermers as the pocket of the wave. In order to achieve this technique, the exponent starts out a meter or two further out to sea than one would for a 'standard' body surf technique. As the wave passes, one dives into the 'back' of the wave and gives a quick kick (with fins) or single crawl-stroke, and then tucks the body into a 'dolphin shape' by tucking the chin to the chest, hunching the shoulders, bringing the hands into the inner thighs or even pockets, stiffening the whole body, and creating a concave 'air bubble' in the chest. By flexing forward or back from the hips, one can control the depth of the body within the wave - too deep and one crashes into the sand (which could be painful and even dangerous) - too high in the wave and one 'pops' out the top (which in Spermin is the main objective). Once 'grabbed' by the wave's energy, to minimize drag and turbulence; the body must be held rigid and still, without kicking or attempts to use the arms - or the hydrodynamic forces that make the technique possible will break down and the wave 'lost'. Done correctly, the wave energy then takes over and pulls the surfer along at an ever accelerating rate - allowing the exponent who has experience to either literally fly out through the face of the wave (and somersault back underneath the wave) or come up in front of the white water and ride to the beach.

The Wedge[link]

One of the most famous bodysurfing spots in the world is The Wedge, located in Newport Beach, California. Wave faces there can reach upwards of 30 ft and more on big southern hemisphere and hurricane-generated swells during the spring, summer, and fall. Known mainly for high performance bodysurfing and intense jaw dropping rides and wipeouts, these waves are created by swells hitting the jetty and "rebounding" into oncoming waves, creating the "wedge effect," which results in peaks that can "jack up" to incredible sizes and shapes. When it is "on," The Wedge is for experienced riders only. The Wedge is to bodysurfing what the Pipeline is to surfing: the best bodysurfers prove themselves at The Wedge, as do the best stand-up surfers at Pipeline.(Pipeline is also a fantastic bodysurfing wave, and the first contest at Pipeline was the Pipeline Bodysurfing Classic - see below)

Contests[link]

Annually, the Pipeline Bodysurfing Classic competition runs at the world-famous Banzai Pipeline. This event is considered^{[by whom?]} to be a world-class pro-am competition, and yet is also considered one of the truly unique^{[citation needed]} underground surf contests around. Among the bodysurfing population at large, the event is considered the premier event internationally. It is one of the only times bodysurfers have access to the cream of the Pipeline's waves.^{[citation needed]}

The World Bodysurfing Championships along with the Pipeline Bodysurfing Classic are the two biggest bodysurfing competitions in the world according to the Encyclopedia of Surfing. It started in 1977, and runs every August in Oceanside, California. Another long-time contest is the Manhattan Beach Bodysurfing Contest as a part of the International Surf Festival held in Manhattan Beach, California. This contest is sponsored by the oldest bodysurfing club in The United States, Gillis Beach Bodysurfing Association. Dating back to 1964, the GBBA formed on the beaches of Playa Del Rey in Los Angeles. Members of GBBA run the bodysurfing contest, but do not participate in the interest of promoting the sport. The contest is a part of the International Surf Festival held late July or the first of August annually. The surf festival is known for its volleyball, lifeguard competition and the bodysurfing contests.

Also in Mexico, between April and June in Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo, at Las Escolleras beach, takes place the tournament called Torneo Internacional de Bodysurf Las Escolleras, where the competitors challenge the powerful pipes in this famous waves of world-class, with the notoriety that this two-day event is not charged subscription to the competition, but it rewards the first four places of the category, with trophies and gifts from sponsors and make a big party with live music at the beach as the pure style of Sharing The Aloha Spirit.^{[citation needed]}

In addition to the contests above there are numerous other contests in California and Hawaii. Many clubs and contests can be found in France, Brazil, Australia. Both France and Brazil have a series of contests to determine a national champion. In the UK, an annual Bodysurfing competition takes place at Trevaunance Cove, St. Agnes. This open contest is extremely competitive at all ages and requires competitors to enter without wetsuits, fins or any other aids.

Other names[link]

In Hawai’i body surfing is called he’e umauma (sliding with the chest) while surfing with a board is called he’e nalu (literally, wave sliding). In Australia, body surfing is also known as 'body bashing'. Body bashing is colloquial for the rough and tumble of the experience of being dumped by ill chosen waves.

"Whomping" on the other hand, is where the bodysurfer is finless. This is usually done near the shorebreak while utilizing the sandbar to their advantage.

References[link]

• "Secrets of a Kahuna Bodysurfer:A Spiritual Adventure Guide" by Lani E Lowel (1999/2006)
• The Art of Bodysurfing by Robert Gardner (1972)
• Bodysurf by Hugo Verlomme and Laurent Masurel (2002)
• The Art of Wave Riding by Ron Drummond (1931)
• The Encyclopedia of Surfing", 2005, Matt Warshaw, Harcourt Books, ISBN 0-15-100579-6

External links[link]

Jake Shimabukuro (born November 3, 1976 in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi) is a ukulele virtuoso known for his complex finger work.^[1] His music combines elements of jazz and rock.^[2]

History[link]

Shimabukuro's mother gave him an ukulele at age four and he quickly took an interest in the instrument. A fifth generation Japanese-American,^[3] Shimabukuro initially gained attention in Hawaii in 1998 as a member of Pure Heart, a trio with Lopaka Colon (percussion), and Jon Yamasato (guitar). Shimabukuro was working at a music store in Honolulu when the group released its eponymous first album, featuring a sound and style somewhat similar to the Kaʻau Crater Boys. Their first album won them four Na Hoku Hanohano Awards (the Hawaiian counterpart of the Grammy Awards): Island Contemporary Album of the Year, Most Promising Artist(s), Album of the Year and Favorite Entertainment of the Year, the latter determined by unrestricted public vote. Jake also gained attention on his YouTube page, gaining several subscribers with videos of him playing popular songs on his ukelele.

The following year, they released Pure Heart 2, which earned them another Hoku award for Island Contemporary Album of the year. Yamasato informed the others that he was quitting the group via a newspaper story that ran in the Honolulu Advertiser on Thanksgiving Day, and Shimabukuro and Colon formed another group, Colon, which they named in honor of Colon's father, famed percussionist Augie Colon. The new guitarist was Guy Cruz, younger brother of the Kaʻau Crater Boys' Ernie Cruz, Jr., and John Cruz. Colon won the Hoku Award for Favorite Entertainer of the Year in 2001, after which Shimabukuro decided to pursue a solo career.

As a solo artist after the break-up of Colon he experimented with using effect pedals to make new sounds that few would associate with an ukulele. He has released an instructional DVD called Play Loud Ukulele, and in 2006, composed the music to the Japanese film Hula Girls, which featured hula dancing and a Hawaiian spa resort as its primary theme and setting respectively.

Shimabukuro also performed on stage with Jimmy Buffett and his group, The Coral Reefer Band and is featured on Buffett's CD/DVD release, Live in Anguilla.

In November 2009, Shimabukuro accompanied fellow Hawaiian-born Bette Midler at the Royal Variety Show. They performed a rendition of the Beatles song "In My Life" as the first of Midler's three-song set.

Jake is the key spokesman for the "Music is Good Medicine" organization, which uses community outreach programs - and visits to schools, senior centers, and hospitals - to emphasize the importance of a healthy life and mind as well as promoting music and the arts.

Performing in Stockholm during JazzFest'09

Jake was featured on a January 15, 2012 episode of CNN's The Next List. ^[4]

Instruments[link]

Shimabukuro plays a custom-made 4 string tenor ukulele from Kamaka Ukulele. He uses a Line 6 Pod XT Live.^[5]

Discography[link]

Studio Albums:

• Sunday Morning, (2002)
• Crosscurrent, (2003)
• Walking Down Rainhill, (2004)
• Dragon, (2005)
• Gently Weeps, (2006)
• Hula Girls film soundtrack, (2007)
• My Life, (2007)
• Annon, 2009
• Peace Love Ukulele, (2011)

Another album is to be released on 2 October, 2012.^[6]

References[link]

• The 1999 Hoku Award
• Pure Heart member changes
• Jake Shimabukuro Interview

1. ^ http://www.musicplayer.com/article/jake-shimabukuro/Sep-05/13510
2. ^ Official biography
3. ^ Virtuoso more than a novelty act
4. ^ Belsky, Joshua. "Sneak Peek: Peace, love and ukulele with Jake Shimabukuro Sneak Peek: Peace, love and ukulele with Jake Shimabukuro". CNN. http://whatsnext.blogs.cnn.com/2012/01/10/sneak-peek-peace-love-and-ukulele-with-jake-shimabukruo/. Retrieved 22 February 2012. 
5. ^ http://www.musicplayer.com/article/jake-shimabukuro/Sep-05/13510 Interview with Shimabukuro
6. ^ http://jakeshimabukuro.com/home/. Retrieved 28 May, 2012.

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Jake Shimabukuro

• Official website
• YouTube clip of live collaboration with beatboxer Jason Tom
• Jake in Concert on midnight ukulele disco
• Jake Shimabukuro collection at the Internet Archive's live music archive
• Interview with Jake Shimabukuro 2009
• 2006 Shimabukuro Interview from Modern Guitars Magazine
• 2006 Shimabukuro Interview on NPR
• 2006 Shimabukuro Interview from AsiaXpress.com
• [1] - Photos from live show
• Jake Shimabukuro featured at the Waikiki Shell, Hawaii Romance Festival, May 2008
• Jake Shimabukuro feature by the Pacific Citizen newspaper, Oct. 2009