Five Reasons Why Handboarding Rules

Last updated:

While everyone is pretty familiar with surfboards, there’s a smaller board that’s catching everyone’s attention: The handboard. Strap one of these to your hand next time you bodysurf and you’ll understand why it’s changing the bodysurfing game. Here are five solid reasons why handboarding is a sport worth getting into.

1) It’s Portable

Handboards are nice and light. Their size and weight mean you won’t have to tackle your surf rack to go for that dawn session. Just zip it up and throw it in your car, or throw it over your shoulder and hop on your bike or skateboard.

2) It’s Fresh

That wave takes on a whole new look when you’re sliding into it face-first. Handboarding takes getting barreled to the next level. Shooting through the tube will get you grinning from ear to ear before giving you a face full of water.

3) It’s Creative

Bodysurfing has been around as long as humans have existed. The first written account of bodysurfing came from Captain James Cook’s journal in 1769 when he watched Hawaiians shred. A USC football player suffered a bodysurfing accident at Newport Beach in the 1920s, effectively ending his athletic career and forcing him to start working as an actor in Hollywood under the name John Wayne (that’s right, the John Wayne was a bodysurfer). Handboarding gives the ancient sport an extra twist, and people have been using anything flat they can get their hands on for that extra thrill, including flip flops, clipboards and food trays.

4) It’s Pure

No matter what you ride with, handboarding keeps riders close to its roots in the unadulterated, earthly sport of bodysurfing. Just like bodysurfing, handboarding keeps the thrill simple. “We as a species are connected to the ocean,” big-wave surfer Laird Hamilton said. “All living things come from the ocean. Bodysurfing is a chance to get back to your roots. It’s the ability to feel the energy.”

5) It’s Fit

Handboarding is the perfect way to stay in shape while you’re having the time of your life. You’ll engage those core, arm and leg muscles while you’re swimming like a madman for the next barrel and working to stay in the tube. It allows you to switch up your surfing routine without leaving the ocean.

So what are you waiting for? Grab a handboard, suit up, drop in and fall in love with the ocean all over again.

Author: Sarah Webb