So in the first part of my how to skimboard series I talked about all the beginner stuff, dropping your board and other basics. In this part were going to focus on actually wrapping the wave which involves turning on the wave and riding it back onto the beach.

First off your going to have to find waves that are actually rideable because some beaches and spots just don’t work at certain tides. Ideally you want the waves to be breaking close to to the shore so you can reach them. When there’s a lot of dead water in front of the breaking wave its going to be really tough to get to the wave especially if your a beginner. Choosing the right wave is crucial to skimboarding and its just something you’ll slowly begin to figure out over time.

Secondly you need to run really really fast and get on your board quickly. I can’t stress speed enough when it comes to skimboarding, you have to really push it because it makes wrapping much easier. A lot of beginners will start their run and pickup speed and then slow down to drop. You can’t slow down, try to just picture yourself running onto the board. You run onto it back foot first and then bring your front foot on, all in the same motion of your run. Remember if its windy to kick some wet sand onto the nose of your board to keep it from flying away and busting your shin.

Another important point is getting comfortable with shifting your weight. Remember to put some weight on that backfoot on the transition from the shore to the wave, it’ll keep you afloat. You also want to bend your knees and remember to look at where you want to go. Before you hit the wave your going to want to shift some weight to the inside rail while keeping those knees bent.

At this point you should now be heading up the face of the wave going into a turn and finishing at the top by “slashing” it. This is done through shifting your hips and looking the direction you want to go. Of course timing is crucial but with some practice you should get it.

So get out there and start wrapping some waves. Once you get that first one you’ll be hooked for sure.

Photo: Brad Evers