Surfing bad?

I`ve recently finished reading a book titled "Molokai" that dealt with old Hawaii and leprosy. It was a good book and well researched. Surfing has been an integral part of Hawaiian culture for centuries, and petroglyphs of surfers are carved in stone.
When Capt. Cooke first sailed through the area in the late 1700`s he witnessed the locals surfing for the pure joy of it.Missionaries followed the traders into the islands in the 1820`s to bring Christ to the native Hawaiians. The Gospel message was well received by the islanders ,but the Calvinist Christians aslo brought a strict work ethic, modesty , and religious piety. Surfing was deemed to be a waste of time and the fact that it was done while scantily clad was a problem to the missionaries. Surfing fell into a decline as the locals tried to follow the new teachings.
So here I am in 2008 with a deep love for Jesus Christ and surfing both. What has happened over the last 180 years that I can surf without fear of offending the Lord or my church. I consider surfing to be a gift from God where I can enjoy his creation , riding swells generated by his wind blowing over his ocean to his beaches.
I believe the missionaries had only the best intentions for the Hawaiians, the Bible calls us to spread the Word to all nations. Perhaps surfing was just to much of a distraction and had to be stopped for the message to sink in.
I am grateful that I`ve been able to combine both God`s love and surfing in my life.