Surfing my skateboard: can I do this?

Surfing & surf skating have a very specific skill set that needs to be constantly honed and refined. Mainly because the surfing conditions we get in the UK are in a state of flux. No two days are ever the same. Banks change, wind shifts, swell ramps up and drops in size, plus other factors. Raging onshore winds are often one of the biggest prohibiting factors with UK surfing. Turning up at your local only to find a whipped up sea state and choppy surf isn’t the most enticing scenario. Learning to surf is one thing, learning to surf skate is another. But after that riders need better quality waves if they’re to improve. If conditions are against you surf skating may help.

What’s surf skating?

Skateboarding has always been the land based sibling of surfing. Ever since surfers realised that riding boards with four wheels attached could be just as much fun. And then, as many will no doubt already know, skateboarding took off and became the sand-alone discipline it is now. Although there are plenty of surfers who still combine their two passions.

These days there are many styles of skateboarding. Aggressive street riding, longboard dancing, cruising, land paddling (yep, that’s a thing), downhill and so on. Whatever your flavour you can find a way of skating that’ll accommodate.

Surf skate board and setups.

Surf style skateboards have been around for a while. With higher and looser carving trucks (a specially designed front one), wider wheels, a bigger overall deck (usually heavily concaved) and flared tail they’re made for carving tight arcs, sliding and pumping along under the rider’s own steam. In some ways they’re a hybrid between cruiser and street skateboard – although much more maneuverable rail to rail and not as fast. As a way to practice your surfing on land, mimicking the same movements you apply in the ocean, they’re right on the money.

Surfing the bowl (skating).

As a way to further enhance your surf skating, and replicate the ocean experience even more, surf skates are primed for bowl riding. Those looser, carvier trucks fit neatly to the contours of bowls and verts. Riders need not have to kick the tail round – although they can if wanted – instead carving on the wall as if on an ocean wave.

Should a surf skater fancy hitting the coping, or even getting a little air, then they can no problem. Again, doing similar moves to what you would when afloat. Equally, you don’t need to be quite as extreme with your surf skating, keeping much lower to the ground and utilise the pump and turn to good effect.

Surf skating really will enhance your surfing experience for when you next get wet. Keeping your limbs subtle and in the flow for wave riding proper it’s a bona fide way of ‘training’ away from the brine. And, of course, having plenty of fun whilst doing so. Just remember to take the necessary safety precautions as Terra Firma can be harder than water!

For more articles like this head over to NCW’s blog.