This month, a group of youngsters has been patiently studying periodic tidal movement on Juhu Beach. They’re not meteorology geeks with notepads in hand; far from it actually. In beach shorts and swimwear, perched on their specialised surf boards, these ‘skimboarders’ are waiting for the right opportunity to strike. If you catch these cool kids at the right time, you’ll see them run, drop, and slide on the shallow waters in style.

Skimboarding, touted as the easier, safer version of surfing, is said to have been born in the 1920s, when lifeguards in California built makeshift flat boards to glide over shallow waters in their free time. International Skateboard Certification Programme-certified Sameer Ansari first caught the wave closer to home.  “I first skimboarded in Goa years ago. I was at a skateboarding event when I heard that a new sport was causing quite the buzz locally. It was a simple mix of surfing and skateboarding. I’ve been skimboarding in Mumbai, Goa and Kerala ever since,” he recalls.