sa国际传媒淟etsa国际传媒檚 go surfing now, everybodysa国际传媒檚 learning how,sa国际传媒� the Beach Boys have been telling us in song since 1962.

And if you havensa国际传媒檛 started listening by now sa国际传媒� and you live in California sa国际传媒� perhaps itsa国际传媒檚 time you did.

On Monday surfing became the official sport of California.

So grab a board, catch a wave and again as the Beach Boys like to say, find yourself, sa国际传媒渟ittinsa国际传媒� on top of the world.sa国际传媒�

sa国际传媒淚 am stoked that surfing is now Californiasa国际传媒檚 official sport,sa国际传媒� declared Al Muratsuchi, state assemblyman and a dedicated surfer dude himself, after Gov. Jerry Brown put his signature to the new law Muratsuchi wrote and shepherded through the Legislature.

sa国际传媒淣o other sport represents the California Dream better than surfing sa国际传媒� riding the waves of opportunity and living in harmony with nature,sa国际传媒� added Muratsuchi, a surfer since high school who represents the city of Torrance, a place not far from the heralded California surf break called Haggertysa国际传媒檚. (Yes, the one mentioned in the Beach Boyssa国际传媒� song sa国际传媒淪urfinsa国际传媒� USA.sa国际传媒�)

While the law acknowledges that surfing, like so much other California stuff, actually came from somewhere else sa国际传媒� in this case Hawaii sa国际传媒� it also makes the case that California revolutionized the art of shooting the curl and hanging 10.

The Golden State is the heart of the surfboard building industry and the place where the wetsuit was invented, state officials say, and with 1,100 miles (1,770 kilometres) of coastline, it provides a surfersa国际传媒檚 paradise that Muratsuchi estimates generates more than $6 billion in annual retail sales.

Michael Scott Moore, author of the acclaimed 2010 surfing history sa国际传媒淪weetness and Blood,sa国际传媒� agrees that although Hawaii is the cradle of surfing, California did play a key role in revolutionizing the sport.

sa国际传媒淢odern surfing was born in Huntington Beach, Malibu, the South Bay, Manhattan, Redondo,sa国际传媒� Moore said, referencing many of the beachfront cities the Beach Boys call out in sa国际传媒淪urfin USA.sa国际传媒�

sa国际传媒淭hatsa国际传媒檚 where new technologies in surf design got developed,sa国际传媒� continued Moore, an avid surfer himself. sa国际传媒淲e had a lot of aerospace technicians who were into surfing, and they developed new shapes for surfboards that turned the sport into something of a pop cultural phenomenon.sa国际传媒�

Basically, California builders began making boards safer, lighter, easier to stand on and easier to manoeuvr through the water than the ones the Hawaiians had used for centuries, Moore said. They also added a key feature, the skeg or bottom-of-the-board rudder and, yes, they invented the wetsuit.

Meanwhile, popular sa国际传媒淏each Partysa国际传媒� movies of the 1960s that starred teen heartthrobs Annette Funicello and Frankie Avalon made it look to the rest of the country like one big surf party was going on nonstop in California. The Beach Boys, Dick Dale, Jan and Dean and other popular musicians of the time provided the soundtrack.

sa国际传媒淚tsa国际传媒檚 part of the California mythology,sa国际传媒� University of Southern California pop culture historian Leo Braudy said. sa国际传媒淭he idea of someone becoming Californianized, and if you become Californianized then surfing is part of the deal.sa国际传媒�

Indeed, Huntington Beach now calls itself Surf City and is home to the Surferssa国际传媒� Hall of Fame and the International Surfing Museum. Oceanside has the California Surf Museum. In Redondo Beach, there is a bust of George Freeth, hailed as Californiasa国际传媒檚 first surfer after he began dazzling local crowds with his wave-riding skills in 1907.

(Freeth actually learned to surf in his native Hawaii, where itsa国际传媒檚 been the official sport since 1998.)

But no matter. Which state lays claims to surfing as its sport doesnsa国际传媒檛 bother surfers all that much, said Moore, who has surfed all over the world.

sa国际传媒淎s long as the waves are good, we donsa国际传媒檛 care,sa国际传媒� he said laughing.

He may be right.

A woman who answered the phone Monday at legendary big-wave rider Titus Kinimakasa国际传媒檚 surf school in Hanalei, Hawaii, said shesa国际传媒檇 be happy to put a surfer on the phone to discuss the issue.

sa国际传媒淏ut theysa国际传媒檙e all in the water,sa国际传媒� she added.

John Rogers, The Associated Press

Like us on and follow us on .