12 . 07 . 13
The name paipo (pronounced pipe-oh) is derived from the Hawaiian “Pae Po’o” which means to surf headfirst. Essentially these surfboards are simply thin wooden bellyboards surfed prone in exactly the same manner they were when Captain James Cook dropped anchor in a Hawaiian bay in 1778, when he described the locals riding waves prone on boards that were between 3′ and 6′ in length. These boards were popular in Hawaii and elsewhere were adapted and became known as “bellyboards” until Tom Morey introduced the boogie board in the 1970’s when, in bellyboarding as in stand-up surfing, foam became the dominant material choice.
