I love surfing out in the waves. 
I have never done it but I think it is odd unlike swimming it is a surface sport, that requires you to stay on top of the water
yes, its like skateboarding on water really. I love it when I just get an entire out there. 
my understanding is that the best waves for surfing are in the ocean, but you can also surf in lakes and rivers
I have only surfed on oceans but lakes and rivers would be fun. The best waves are on the north shore. 
artificial waves can be used too like from boat wakes or wave pools
yes, people skiing from behind the boats. 
the word surfing refers to the riding of waves regardless if they are on a board or not I guess that is where the term body surfing came from
very interesting fact, I wonder when this became popular?
refers to the act of riding a wave with a board, regardless of the stance used. There are several types of boards. The native peoples of the Pacific, for instance, surfed waves on alaia, paipo, and other such craft, and did so on their belly and knees. The modern-day definition of surfing, however, most often refers to a surfer riding a wave standing up on a surfboard; this is also referred to as stand-up surfing.
Another prominent form of surfing is body
skateboarders:
Skateboarding is all about having fun and having fun with your friends; it’s always been that way, and it’ll always be that way. I think that is number one. Some kids just want to get sponsored and become a pro skater, but most of the pros didn’t ever look at it that way. They just did it because they loved it, got really good at it and opportunities just came from that. Number one, to me, is just enjoying skateboarding because you love it