Skimboarding
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There are two types of skimming
parallel to the waves on a film of water on a
circular board (skimboard or skimdisk) and simply zooming
across the water and once you've mastered that, face
on to the waves, where you skim into the wave on a film
of water, hit the wave, turn and ride back in on the
wave
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We will turn our attention to circular
skimming first Although it is better to skim with a
skimboard, it is also possible with a flat bodyboard
- that is if you don't mind knackering it!!
A simple skimdisk can be made
from a circular piece of exterior or marine 9mm plywood.
Get out that jigsaw!...sand the edges smooth and varnish
it thoroughly. A diameter of 58cm - 60cm will produce
the right sort of size
Warning - if you don't like falling over don't
skim!! Luckily sand and water can be more forgiving
than concrete so when you fall you can console yourself
with this fact. Also when falling try to roll you should
hurt yourself less. You could try skimming in a wetsuit,
if yours is flexible enough, or if its the depths of
winter in the UK.
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How to Skim
Firstly: Find a nice open and empty area, on a flat
piece of sand. The surf beaches of North Devon are ideal,
the flatter the sand the better, and the flatter the
beach the better. You will need the waves to wash in
then receed leaving a thin film of water.
Stand so that you are sideways on to the waterline.
Hold the skimboard parallel to the ground/sand, wait
until the water has washed in and receded, leaving just
a very thin film (about ¼ inch is good enough).
Standing still, bend over, lower the board until it’s
parallel to and about 6" or less above the ground,
and then fling it across the film of water, aiming it
so it goes parallel to the waves.
Stand up and run like hell after the board.
Run onto the board from the back and stop. It doesn’t
matter if you run onto it front foot first or back foot
first, as long as you get on the board one foot at a
time. It is best to have your feet towards the back
of the board to stop the front digging into the sand.
Now you should be flying across the water.
Once you’ve mastered this. Try running a few steps
before scooting the board out in front of you and running
onto the back of it.
Next, try running full-blast, dropping the board, and
running onto it. Then, try getting onto the board in
one step.
Do all that and you’re ready could try hitting
the waves front on.
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The technique for for face on is much the same,
except, of course you run straight at the wave rather
than parrallel to it. The aim here is to hit the wave
front on and then use the wave to turn 180 degrees to
ride the wave back in to the shore. You definately need
an eliptical board with a turned up nose for this (wooden
(ply) is fine, plastic or fibre glass)
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