Skimboarding in Laguna Beach California

Laguna beaches:

Photos: 1. Skimboarder sees a wave and runs for it. 2. He tosses the board down on an outgoing wave, jumps on and begins to head toward the sea. 3. He catches and surfs a wave. 4. He heads back on the beach to look for the next exciting, incoming wave-ride.

LAGUNA BEACH, CALIF. — The birthplace of skimboarding offers visitors an opportunity to see where it all began — Laguna Beach is the Skimboarding Capital. It all began when lifeguards looking to move on the beach fast without having to walk, came up with flat boards that don't have fins like a surfboard.

Applying skateboard knowledge, they experimented with a board design shaped like a surfboard but nearly half its size. Bigger and broader than a skateboard, the skimboard glides on the sand at the ocean's edge where water  moves it along. And in the hands of skilled boarder, it is used like a surfboard to catch the waves that break near the beach.

Skimboarders can do skateboard tricks such as ollies (rider and board leap into the air without the use of the rider's hands) and shove-its (make board spin under your feet) which makes, in our opinion, a more exciting sport to watch.

Where to see skimboarding?

Taking California coast by storm, you'll see skimboarding at practically every California beach where there is sand (versus rocky shoreline) and you may even see it at lakes where enough current at the shoreline can propel riders. Adopted globally as a sanctioned sport with associations and professionals, some say the Hawaiian beaches and coast are the favored place to see skimboarding. For Californians, just head for the beach and you can't go wrong, though Laguna Beach with its 20+ beaches is a sure bet. Just a few miles north of Laguna Beach, stop by the Wedge to see world class bodyboarding.