Bodyboarding and Skimboarding: The Easiest Way Into Waves

Bodyboarding and skimboarding are the two most accessible ways into the surf zone. Neither needs a long paddle-out, a perfect swell or months of practice before the fun starts. A bodyboarder can kick into knee-high whitewater and feel the push of a wave within minutes. A skimboarder can learn to glide across the thin sheet of water left by a receding wave before lunch. This guide covers how to pick the right board for each, how to ride your first waves, and the safety habits that keep a shorebreak session from ending badly.

Bodyboarding vs skimboarding: which one fits you?

They both happen at the beach, but they are very different sports.

• Bodyboarding happens in the water. You lie prone on a short foam board, use swim fins to kick into waves, and ride the face or the whitewater toward shore. Advanced riders go drop-knee (one knee down, one foot up) or even stand. It works in almost any surf from small whitewash to powerful reef breaks.
• Skimboarding starts on the sand. You run, drop a thin board onto a shallow film of water, jump on and glide. Flatland skimming means sliding and doing tricks in that thin water. Wave skimming means sprinting out to meet a small breaking wave near shore and riding it back in. It works best on beaches with a gentle, hard-packed slope and a consistent backwash.

	Bodyboarding	Skimboarding
Where you ride	Whitewater and wave faces, in the water	Wet sand, thin backwash, small shorebreak
Learning curve	Fun on day one; wave-reading takes seasons	Gliding on day one; wave riding takes practice
Essential gear	Board, leash, fins; wetsuit in cool water	Board, traction or wax; rash guard
Main hazards	Shorebreak, rip currents, other surfers	Falls on hard sand, shorebreak, sprains
Fitness demand	Kicking and paddling endurance	Sprinting, balance, ankles and knees

If you want to learn to read waves and eventually move toward surfing, start with a bodyboard. If you love skating, sprinting and short bursts of action, try a skimboard. Plenty of families bring both.

How to size a bodyboard

Bodyboards are sized by length in inches, and the two numbers that matter are your height and your weight. Morey's published size guide is a good baseline:

Board length	Rider height	Rider weight
38"	4'8"–5'2"	65–120 lb
40"	5'3"–5'6"	110–140 lb
41"	5'6"–5'8"	125–170 lb
42"	5'7"–6'0"	145–180 lb
42.5"	5'9"–6'1"	160–195 lb
43"	6'1"–6'3"	170–210 lb
44"	6'2"–6'4"	180–250 lb

When you fall between sizes, Morey's advice is to let weight decide, because the board has to float you. Too small and it sinks and drags. Too big and it is hard to control. A quick check in the shop: stand the board on its tail in front of you. For riders who wear fins, eBodyboarding's starting point is a nose that reaches about your belly button. Beginners and whitewater riders should take the longer end of their range. Riders over about 180 lb should look at high-volume models, which add width and thickness rather than just length.

Core, tail and the details that matter

• EPS core: The entry-level foam. It is light and cheap, and many come with a leash. It is the right call for a beach-vacation board, but it dents and creases sooner.
• PE core: More flex and more durability. It works best in cool to moderate water. Below about 60°F (15°C), PE and EPS get stiff.
• PP core: Lighter and stiffer, and less sensitive to temperature. It is usually recommended for tropical water above about 77°F (24°C), where PE goes soft.
• Crescent tail: The all-rounder. It locks your hips in, holds an edge, and suits drop-knee later on.
• Bat tail: Adds planing area and speed for prone riders, at the cost of some edge hold.
• Channels and stringers: Channels on the bottom help the board hold a line on the wave face. Stringers are graphite rods in the core that add stiffness and help the board keep its shape.

Your first bodyboarding session, step by step

1. Pick the right spot. Choose a lifeguarded beach with small, gently breaking waves and a sandy bottom. Stay well away from surfers and swimming flags.
2. Put fins on at the water's edge. Walk in backwards or sideways once you're wearing them, and attach the leash before you're in waist-deep water.
3. Find your position. Lie with your hips near the tail and your hands on the nose corners. The nose should sit slightly up out of the water. Too far forward and you pearl (the nose digs in). Too far back and you stall.
4. Start in the whitewater. Stand in waist-deep water. As a broken wave approaches, push off toward shore, lie down and kick hard. Let the foam carry you in. Repeat until it feels automatic.
5. Get through the waves. To pass under an oncoming wave, push the nose down and duck under it (a "duck dive"). For bigger foam, roll the board over and hold on (a "turtle roll").
6. Catch an open-face wave. Out past the whitewater, turn toward shore as a wave lifts behind you. Kick hard, and as you feel the board drop, angle slightly left or right along the face instead of going straight to the beach.
7. Steer with your body. Press the inside rail with the hand and forearm on that side and drop your inside hip to carve. Look where you want to go.

How to size and pick a skimboard

Skimboards are sized mainly by weight, because the board has to plane on very little water. This chart, published by SurferToday, is a typical range:

Rider weight	Typical size	Approx. dimensions
Under 80 lb	XXS	45" x 19"
80–100 lb	XS	48" x 19.25"
100–140 lb	S	51" x 19.75"
120–160 lb	M	52" x 20"
140–180 lb	ML	52.25" x 20.25"
160–200 lb	L	52.5" x 20.5"
180–220 lb	XL	53" x 20.75"
200–240 lb	XXL	54" x 21.5"

The ranges overlap on purpose. Size up if you're a beginner or a heavier rider in your range. Experienced riders sometimes go smaller for quicker spins.

• Wood: Cheap, tough and heavier. It's the classic first board and the standard for flatland and inland skimming. It won't carry you far out to a wave.
• Foam core with fiberglass or epoxy: Lighter and more buoyant, and it holds speed. This is the board for wave skimming. It's more fragile on rocks and shells.
• Rocker: Flatter boards are faster. More rocker turns more easily but is slower and can catch the wind.
• Traction: Wax or a traction pad. Tricks need grip, and a bare, wet deck will throw you.

Your first skimboarding session

1. Read the beach. You want a gentle slope of firm, wet sand where waves wash up and pull back as a thin sheet. Soft, dry sand or a steep beach makes learning much harder.
2. Practice the drop on flat, wet sand. Hold the board at the back corners at waist height. Run alongside the water as it recedes, then drop the board flat, low and ahead of you. Don't throw it, or the nose will dig in.
3. Step on, don't jump. Take one or two more running steps and step on: back foot near the tail, front foot over the middle, knees bent, weight centered. Jumping on from height is the classic way to slide out and land on your back.
4. Glide, then ride it out. Stay low, arms out, eyes forward. When the board slows, step off.
5. Add waves later. Only once you can drop and glide reliably should you time a run toward an incoming knee-high wave, hit its face, turn and ride it back to the sand.

Safety in the shorebreak

Both sports happen where waves meet sand, and that is the most dangerous part of the beach. The National Weather Service warns that shorebreak, waves breaking quickly and steeply onto a sharply sloping beach, causes trauma injuries, notably neck injuries. It can throw people headfirst into the bottom, and it can be dangerous even when the surf isn't officially "high."

Rip currents are the other big one. The NWS guidance: if you're caught, stay calm and don't fight the current. A rip pulls you away from shore, not under. Swim parallel to the beach to escape, then angle back to shore. If you can't, float or tread water, and wave and yell for help. Your bodyboard is flotation, so stay with it. If someone else is caught, get a lifeguard or call 911 and throw them something that floats. Don't go in after them yourself.

A few more habits that matter:

• Check the surf, wind and tide forecast before you go (our surf forecast guide explains how), and don't assume today matches last time.
• Stay clear of surfers and give swimmers a wide berth. A bodyboard in the back is a projectile. The lineup rules apply to you too.
• Skimboarders: check the sand for shells, rocks and glass before every session, and wear sunscreen and a rash guard. You'll spend more time sliding on your side than you think.
• Wear a wetsuit in cool water. Our wetsuit temperature guide matches thickness to water temperature.

FAQ

Do I need fins to bodyboard?

You can ride whitewater without them, but fins make catching waves far easier and give you a way to kick out of a rip or away from a closeout. They are standard equipment for anyone riding open-face waves. Use fin socks if the foot pockets rub.

What's the difference between a cheap and an expensive bodyboard?

Mostly the core and construction. Inexpensive EPS boards are light and fine for occasional use but crease and lose shape sooner. PE and PP boards with stringers flex more predictably, hold their shape and grip the wave face better. Pick the core to suit your water temperature.

Can kids skimboard?

Yes. A small wooden board on flat, wet sand is a great beach activity for kids. Size the board by their weight, start with gliding only, and keep them out of steep shorebreak until they're strong swimmers.

Is bodyboarding easier than surfing?

Catching your first waves is much easier because you never have to stand up. Riding well, including wave selection, positioning and maneuvers, takes just as much ocean knowledge as surfing.

Sources

• Morey Bodyboards — Size Guide
• eBodyboarding — What Size Bodyboard Should I Get?
• SurferToday — Skimboard Size Chart
• National Weather Service — Wave and Shorebreak Safety
• National Weather Service — How to Escape a Rip Current