Surfing vs Skimboarding

by Ryan Kohlmann 
“Surfing is gnarly, the only reason skimboarders hate surfers is because they can’t surf,” said sophomore Thomas Barton. The goal of surfing is to go along the face of the wave and gain as much speed as you can. Depending on the subdevision that you are in, shortboarding, longboarding, or paddleboarding, you either try to hit the lip and get air, hang ten, or just stand and relax.

Shortboarding is definitely the most extreme of the three subdevisions; you have to use all your force to do whatever trick is suitable for the form of the wave. The smaller the board, the quicker it is to manuver, but it has less flotation. It is harder to catch waves on a smaller board.

Longboarding is using bulkier board with sizable fins which is normally used for smaller mushy waves. With the voluminous board, you have more balance and control, which is the reason most beginners use longboards rather than surfboards.

Paddleboarding is the use of an enormous board with usually one very large fin and people either stand up on it or kneel down. You use a paddle to propel forward and it is more commonly used for sight seeing, yet you can use it for riding waves just like longboarding and shortboarding.

Skimboarding is gliding a board across a thin wash of broken waves on the shore of the beach. “You can’t really do much with skimboarding, you can just go straight across the water,” said junior Brandon Wallace.

Flatland skimboarding is doing tricks like ollies and shuv-its in the thin layer of water without catching shore breaks. Another way to skimboard is to ride the wave into the big shorebreak and pump and surf on the wall.

If you have been to the beaches near St James you know that you cannot ride a skimboard on the shorebreaking waves. Sometimes though you can do some flatground skimboarding in the thin layer of water and foam.

“I like surfing because you can feel weightless on the water and its relaxing,” said senior Tyler Ratcliff. Just about any surfer can skimboard, but not every skimboarder can surf. Almost none can, and that’s why they skimboard.