Buzz
When surfing comes to mind, most envision sun-kissed youths on Californian shores, their hair lightened by the sun and bodies sculpted by the waves. However, history reveals a surprising figure: the renowned crime writer Agatha Christie, who once rode the waves in a modest emerald-green wool swimsuit and leather boots. Christie stands out as an unexpected yet pioneering English advocate of the sport.
Agatha Christie Embarks on an Adventure
In 1922, at the age of 32, the celebrated author joined her husband, Archie, on a global journey to support an exhibition celebrating the British Empire's accomplishments. (The event showcased unique attractions, including a butter sculpture of the Prince of Wales and elephants named Simla and Saucy.) Their travels led them to South Africa, where they discovered a local tradition: surfing at Muizenberg Beach.
“Whenever we managed to find free time—or more accurately, whenever Archie could—we’d hop on a train to Muizenberg, grab our surfboards, and hit the waves together,” Christie recalled in her posthumously published 1977 memoir, An Autobiography.
At first, the pair struggled with flat boards, which Christie griped “poked you right in the stomach,” but they eventually upgraded to “light curved boards.” She found the wooden boards “simple to handle” and quickly embraced the sport, despite a few clumsy tumbles into the sand.
Their journey took them through Australia and New Zealand, eventually landing them in Honolulu, Hawaii. There, as expected, Christie encountered waves that tested her skills. However, the conditions proved a bit too intense for a novice, and she and Archie were advised by a local to stay out of the water.
Unfazed, Christie purchased a wool swimsuit (which she called “a fabulous, snug emerald-green wool bathing outfit”) and leather boots to shield her feet from sharp coral. From August to October 1922, she dedicated herself to mastering surfing in Hawaii. The exhilaration of speed captivated her—she later described surfing as feeling like “zooming at 200 miles per hour.” Before long, she progressed from lying on the board to standing upright.
This achievement holds historical importance. In 2011, Pete Robinson, a researcher for the Museum of British Surfing, discovered that Christie and her husband were likely among the earliest British individuals to master standing while surfing.
“In the early 1920s, very few British individuals surfed, and the only known person to stand on a board before her was Prince Edward,” Robinson explained to The Guardian.
Christie’s Unique Perspective
Christie’s newfound passion soon found its way into her writing. In her 1924 novel The Man in the Brown Suit, the protagonist Anne Beddingfeld is depicted balancing on a surfboard in Cape Town, South Africa.
The idea of any British person surfing at the time was rare, but Christie, as a woman, made it even more remarkable. While women like Nakookoo had excelled in surfing competitions as early as 1887 in Maui, the sport was largely dominated by men throughout the 20th century. Men received the majority of prize money and media attention—a disparity that has only begun to shift in recent years. (It wasn’t until 2019 that the World Surf League enforced equal pay for male and female competitors.)
It’s uncertain how much Christie continued surfing in her later years, though she was known to visit a writer’s retreat on Burgh Island, where waves were plentiful. Given her love for the sport, it’s likely she took every opportunity to ride the waves.
Christie remarked, “It stands as one of the most exquisite physical joys I have ever experienced.”
