An archipelago linked to waves
Life on an island is closely linked to the sea, its exploration and enjoyment. The first populations of the Canary Islands fished and shellfished on the coasts, and also enjoyed leisure time at sea. The Atlantic is a familiar environment for those who have passed through this enclave.
Therefore, the rapid adoption of surfing from the 70s is not strange. The first known record of surfing in the Canary Islands came with Peter Troy in 1963, an intrepid Australian who traveled the world with his board.
This fact was experienced as an isolated brushstroke. The first surfing communities came from US citizens, many of them deserters from the Vietnam War. The first surfing commune was established in Arguineguín, in Gran Canaria, and from there it spread to the rest of the islands. Soon, Punta del Hidalgo and Bajamar became one of the nuclei where surfing took root.
Four Americans integrated into the local community and attracted visits from surfers from the peninsula, Europe and from all corners of the globe.
The young people of the town joined the surfers. Like Francis and Pablo Arnay, Carlos “Coca-Cola”, Mamen and Fizco and the members of the current group “Las Viejas Glorias del Paso”. The influx of people from the area and foreigners ended up establishing these corners of the coast of La Laguna as one of the most emblematic place for surfing in the Canary Islands.
Through the photographic and audiovisual material, and the preserved surfboards and other articles the evolution and history of the last decades of the area of Bajamar, Tejina, Valle Guerra and Punta del Hidalgo can be reconstructed.
These corners of the coast of La Laguna became a meeting point for the global surfing community.
The hermitage and its history
The Hermitage of Gran Poder, built in 1881, is a subsidiary of the church of Punta del Hidalgo. Located on the way to the seashore, it has served as a meeting place for neighborhood associations and as an exhibition space.
Considered a historical-artistic monument since 1985, this space by the sea has been used as a meeting and community space. Within its walls, initiatives have been forged and artistic pieces have been shared. For all these reasons, it is the ideal place to host this journey through the history of surfing in the Canary Islands and in the world.