Different parts of a surfboard

A surfboard is a very powerful object, and on one you can do many different, amazing things; but what are the different parts of a surfboard? what are they for? here, you are about to find out.

         The first thing you will notice about a surfer, is that he has something tied to one of his legs. Well, that “thing” is called a leash, and its function is to stop the board from getting away from the surfer in the ocean. A leash can be made of many different colours and it is long. It goes on the leg that the surfer puts at the back of the board. If the surfer isn’t wearing a leash, and he falls from his board, the waves and the currents will push the board away to the shore. This will force the surfer to waste precious energy and time on getting the board back and getting back on it.

         The next thing that will catch your attention about a surfboard is that it has three fins at the back of it, on the tail of the board. These fins are crucial because they give the board stability and direction which are essential for doing tricks and turning on the board while surfing. Normally, there are three fins on a board, but it isn’t uncommon to see two or maybe one of them on the board. Some special surfboards can have up to five of them! It doesn’t matter how many fins the board has, however, it is imperative that it have one because, otherwise, it won’t be able to slide on the wave smoothly since it will be hard to keep balance on it.

    Next, a surfboard has wax. Wax is vital because, without it, the board would be unbelievably slippery, making it impossible for the surfer to grab on to it properly, and if he gets up on the board without wax, his feet would slip, and consequently, he would fall due to a loss of balance. Wax is very sticky (and it smells amazing!) and it also comes in different colours. The way to put it on a surfboard is in circular motions. Typically, a surfer will put wax on where his hands go, at either side of the board, at the center of it, and where his feet go.                                                   

         Finally, we have the deck (also called traction pad) which is a pad made of rubber that goes at the bottom of the board. This is optional, so it depends on what the surfer prefers. This part of the board is to keep the foot that goes at the back of the board, firmly on it. If this foot slips, the surfer will fall. It has the same function as wax, but it doesn’t go all over the board, unlike wax.