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They may represent the original art of surfing, but longboard surfers are still struggling for credibility and recognition, following the advent of the shortboard some decades ago.

The two types of surfing are quite different, but modern shortboards have dominated the market since their arrival on the surfing scene in the late 1960s.

Though the money involved in surfing pales in comparison to sports like tennis and golf, men like defending world champion Kelly Slater, still make a lucrative living from prize money and commercial endorsements.

But while those professionals on shortboards can pay their way on the waves, those on longboards are finding themselves squeezed out.

In competition, longboards must be at least nine feet in length.

When the surfing boom started in the 1960s, they enjoyed a golden age, but they've since been abandoned by many in favour of the more responsive modern shortboard.

There is a series of professional longboard events, and even World Championships, but in recent years the profile of the discipline has dropped.

There are, though, a group of longboarders in South Africa who think that that is a shame.

"Certain conditions are obviously for shortboarding, but 99 percent of the time you can ride a longboard and have just as much fun as you can on a shortboard. And people's perceptions are definitely changing that longboarding is not such an old man's sport anymore. There's a hell of a lot of young females, especially, starting to longboard globally. And obviously you can probably triple that for young males starting to longboard globally. So, the limits are being pushed.": Simone Robb, Longboarder.

Robb would like to compete at this year's two women's longboard events in France, but will almost certainly need sponsorship to make the trip.

Like almost all longboarders, surfing full-time is not an option.

New construction technology has allowed longboards to become lighter.

As the weight has dropped, manoeuvres previously restricted to shortboard surfing have crossed over.

That's excited Matthew Moir, currently the world's number three longboarder.

"I see at the moment all the younger guys are combining both these moves and styles. So, there's a lot of shortboard techniques coming into the longboarding and there's still traditional moves happening out there. So, I think the younger guys are pushing themselves to get more critical and radical on their longboards.": Matthew Moir, Longboarder.

As they have a greater buoyancy, longboards can surf smaller waves, which helps attract novices to the sport.

In South Africa, the ethnic make-up of the surfing community has changed considerably since the end of Apartheid.

"You see a lot of African kids and coloured kids coming to join together to actually see where they stand with the rest of the guys. To my point of view, when I started surfing, I didn't see many black kids surfing. Now I've been in it quite a long time now, I'm only starting to see a lot of black kids and coloured kids coming in, which is quite cool.": Kwezi Qika, Longboarder.

Longboarding may be struggling for a professional profile but, beyond the competitive arena, amongst a growing number of participants, the discipline's in no danger of wiping out anytime soon.