Joseph Banks was a botanist on Captain James Cook’s first voyage to the Pacific Ocean. As the scene opens, Banks and Cook and other crew members are on their way back from an unsuccessful meeting with a local chief about replenishing food stocks, as well as returning items that had been stolen from the visitors overnight. This was originally published in 1784 as part of Cook’s three-volume set “A Voyage to the Pacific Ocean.”

Having given up all hope of recovering our clothes, which indeed were never afterwards heard of, we spent all the morning in soliciting the hogs which we had been promised; but in this we had no better success: we therefore, in no very good humour, set out for the boat about twelve o’clock, with only that which we had redeemed from the butcher and the cook the night before. As we were returning to the boat, however, we were entertained with a sight that in some measure compensated for our fatigue and disappointment.

In our way we came to one of the few places where access to the island is not guarded by a reef, and, consequently, a high surf breaks upon the shore; a more dreadful one indeed I had seldom seen; it was impossible for any European boat to have lived in it; and if the best swimmer in Europe had, by any accident, been exposed to its fury, I am confident that he would not have been able to preserve himself from drowning, especially as the shore was covered with pebbles and large stones; yet, in the midst of these breakers, were ten or twelve Indians swimming for their amusement: whenever a surf broke near them, they dived under it, and, to all appearance with infinite facility, rose again on the other side.

This diversion was greatly improved by the stern of an old canoe, which they happened to find upon the spot; they took this before them, and swam out with it as far as the outermost beach, then two or three of them getting into it, and turning the square end to the breaking wave, were driven in towards the shore with incredible rapidity, sometimes almost to the beach; but generally the wave broke over them before they got halfway, in which case they dived, and rose on the other side with the canoe in their hands: they then swam out with it again, and were again driven back, just as our holiday youth climb the hill in Greenwich park for the pleasure of rolling down it.

At this wonderful scene we stood gazing for more than half an hour, during which time none of the swimmers attempted to come on shore, but seemed to enjoy their sport in the highest degree; we then proceeded in our journey, and late in the evening got back to the fort.

1769: CANOE SURFING IN TAHITI, BY JOSEPH BANKS. “THEY WERE DRIVEN TOWARD SHORE WITH INCREDIBLE RAPIDITY”

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