Last summer, after my kids saw some little beach bums flinging skimboards into the surf, they couldn't wait to try the sport themselves. Uh, I'm not sure their tailbones will ever be the same. Let's just say that skimboarding is not easy.
But this summer, we found a skimboard that is willing to give us a hand(le). This board will get your kids skimming in no time, with many fewer hard falls.
The D6 Surfskimmer uses a real skimboard as its base but also sports a sturdy, moveable T-bar handle. My kids used the handle to push the Surfskimmer ahead of them as they ran into the retreating surf and then hopped onto the board.
The addition of the handle didn't instantly turn the kids into skimming masters, but it did make their falls less dramatic--only falling on their knees versus giant comedic pratfalls on their bums. I was amazed to see them getting the hang of skimming within a few minutes. That's my daughter above, in her first five minutes of trying the Surfskimmer.
And lest you think a handle is "cheating" or only training wheels for the real thing, it actually allows the Surfskimmer to do some pretty cool tricks, like spinning into the surf as shown in their videos.
I love that the handle folds flat against the board so I can get it into my minivan trunk along with the 10,000 other things we bring for a beach day. And, if your kids decide they want to try skimboarding without the handle, no worries: it's easy to remove. With a weight limit of 150 pounds, this sturdy board will be ready to play for many summers to come. -Christina
Purchase the D6 Surfskimmer, which comes in green and blue, from their website.
