Skimboarding (or skimming)...
Is a boardsport in which a skimboard (much like a surfboard
but smaller and without fins) is used to glide across the water's
surface to meet an incoming breaking wave, and ride it back to
shore. Wave-riding skimboarders perform a variety of surface
and air maneuvers, at various stages of their ride, out to, and back
with, the wave. Some of these are known as "wraps," "big spins,"
"360 shove-its" and "180s." Unlike surfing, skimboarding begins on
the beach by dropping the board onto the thin wash of previous
waves. Skimboarders use their momentum to skim out to breaking
waves, which they then catch back into shore in a manner similar
to surfing. Another aspect of skimboarding is "flatland," which
involves performing tricks derived from skateboarding such as
ollies and shove-its on the wash of waves without catching shore
breaks. Skimboarding originated in Southern California when
Laguna Beach lifeguards wanted to surf the local shorebreak that
was too fast and shallow for surfboards. Skimboarding has
developed since then to ride waves much like surfing, performing
aerial maneuvers and pulling into the barrel of the wave.