SKIMBOARDING HISTORY



Skimboarding (or skimming) is a sport which involves riding a board on an outging wave.

The earliest known record of skimboarding dates back to 1920 in Laguna Beach, CA.[1] There are photographs from that time period of Laguna Beach lifeguards skimming along the sand on large plywood boards. Skimboarding continued to grow in Laguna over the first half of the century, as well as worldwide, as people everywhere fashioned home-made wood boards out of plywood and used them at their local beaches.

These boards were commonly circular in shape and not very well designed for controlled skimboarding. Early boards were often called paipo boards in Hawaii. In the early 1970s skimboards started to take on a shape more similar to surfboards and began to be manufactured out of fiberglass instead of plywood. Tex Haines started the first skimboarding business which he named Victoria after his home beach in Laguna. With rising popularity, many others have sprung up and skimboards are now easy to come by.

Skimboarding was brought to Australia via the influences of 'Noxious' Nicky Hade and 'Gallavanting" Grace Dawson. Perfecting their skills on the Ukrainian circuit, they soon had a massive impact on Australian popular culture with the introduction of a new pastime.

Like surfing, while skimboarding is predominantly a recreational activity, it has also evolved into a highly competitive water sport.

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[1] This picture is the oldest undisputed skimboarding photo known to exist. It also documents the earliest known evidence of skimboarding in its current form (not belly-sliding). The picture is of George Griffeth, a Laguna Beach lifeguard. It was taken at main beach in 1929.

(wikipedia)