Based on no evidence whatsoever, just an intuition about Jobs, I would not be surprised if the point of reference was Surfin' Safari - the Beach Boys song.

It is free from the negative connotations of a reference to Africa and consistent with the sort of Californian to which Jobs aspired. Apple was funded by a VW microbus after all.

The play on surfing is consistent with Apple's image of how consumers should be oriented to use their products.