What the heck is skimboarding? Basically, its akin to surfing but rather than paddle into a wave, the boarder runs towards shorebreak, slides the board out in front of himself / herself, jumps on the board as it begins to skim across the shallow water, and then rips up the shorebreak. You see people doing this all over Hawaii and its pretty neat -- and perhaps more difficult than surfing.

The whole sport works on the principle of hydroplaning, as in, when your car goes into a nasty skid on a wet surface. The board has no fins, so you have to be quite skillful to execute manuevers. Balancing is also a bit harder, as you are moving in inherently unstable water, shorebreak (Notice that few surfers actually ride their boards in the shorebreak standing up). I've tried this a few times and nearly busted my cocyx but it was good fun. Here the boarder is riding at Big Beach (Makena) on Maui, a state beach that is one of the premier spots for the sport. I'll show some footage of the beach itself later -- its a really great spot for walking, lounging, and, when not too rough, swimming.

Skimboarding Images via Google, Skimboarding in Wikipedia

Related Posts:Why We Love Makena, Top Walking Beaches on Maui

—Alex, 11/26/06