By: Rick Sawyer

Though the shore break in Texas is incredibly small and weak compared to other spots scattered across the US coastline, there is a group so blood thirsty skimmers that do skim this region of the gulf coast. Hopefully this will answer any questions that anybody would ever have to skim the Texas coast, but if I forgot something you can get a hold of me at rick@n2sailing.com

EQUIPTMENT:

There is not really a certain type or model of board that is found to be better on the Texas Coast. There are many children that go to the beach with woodies and what have you, but this is directed to wave riding skimmers so I will not go into that. Zaps are acceptable boards on our coastline; even though they are thought to break easily they will not be damaged easily by our breaks and could be a bit more economical for someone who strictly skims Texas. Any Slot or Vic will do the job perfectly.

CONDITIONS:

The conditions in Texas seem to be real sketchy. One day a beach will have a decent slope with good breaks, and the next day the sand will have shifted leaving the waves breaking fifty yards out. You just have to find the right place at the right time and it can be a fun experience. Even when Texas is going off the waves are relatively small. A good day would be anywhere from two to three feet with maybe an occasional four footer that some how makes it to the coast unbroken. While this can be frustrating for somebody that thoroughly enjoys long liners and big waves, it can be a blast for someone who likes a lot of speed, small technical tricks, and fun little waves. I would recommend busting some good grabs, 180's, 360's, shuv-its,  and big spin re-entries would be some of the more fun tricks to pull in our limited trick range. Also, run like hell, lock onto the wave, and pump for your life and you will still have fun with a short tasty liner. As long as you keep pushing your limits, and stay stoked on skimmin

LOCATIONS:

I am not totally sure of all the good locations on the Texas Coast because it is a big coast, but some these are some of the areas that I do know.

1) Flagship Pier, Galveston, Texas: Though it can be sketchy at times this is one of the spots where if it's big you should check out first. Though the sand shifts constantly it usually provides skimable waves.

2) 52nd Street, Galveston, Texas: This spot is often a bit sloppy compared to Flagship, but it is one of the most powerful breaks and bigger breaks that I have found. It is common for this spot to be working decent, even if the waves offshore are not great.

3) East Beach, Galveston, Texas: To get to this spot a truck or any other sort of 4x4 vehicle is needed. It often requires driving on sand which can be tricky for a novice or someone in a car. But once at this spot you wait for one of the many large ocean liners to come by, and have a field day on their wakes. On a glassy day I have heard of kids getting 10 second long rides down a clean line. Sounds like fun to me. 

There are a lot of other high potential spots; I have just yet seen them go off. As soon as I see or hear of a new spot I will update you. If you have any questions, comments, or anything at all you can reach me at rick@n2sailing.com. Have a fun time skimmin, and keep it pushed to the limits.