Papa he’e nalu is a Hawaiian term for a surfboard used in traditional Hawaiian surfing.
The phrase is commonly translated as “wave-sliding board,” from Hawaiian words associated with board and wave sliding. Traditional Hawaiian boards were made from local wood and varied greatly in length, weight and social significance. Different board forms were used by different groups of surfers.
Alaia is another Hawaiian board term, but it refers more specifically to a thin, finless wooden board. Olo boards were much longer and were historically associated with Hawaiian chiefs. Those terms should not be treated as exact synonyms for every traditional surfboard.
Traditional Hawaiian surfing was connected to culture, status, craftsmanship and ceremony, not merely recreation. Modern surfboards use foam, fiberglass and other manufactured materials, but their basic purpose remains the same: carrying a rider across a breaking wave.