NOTE: This article includes valuable information regarding common body boarding and skim boarding injuries from Dr. Koutures, a local pediatrician and sports medicine specialist.
Body boarding and skim boarding are favorite beach activities for children, teens, and families. While they may appear less intimidating than surfing, both sports carry real risks. Powerful waves, shallow water, hard-packed sand, and attempting maneuvers beyond one’s experience level can all lead to serious injuries.
Fortunately, most of these injuries are preventable. By understanding the common risks, respecting ocean conditions, and practicing a few simple safety habits, families can enjoy these sports while significantly reducing their chance of getting hurt.
Respect the Ocean: Your Best Injury Prevention Tool
Whether you’re body boarding or skim boarding, understanding the ocean is just as important as learning proper technique.
Before entering the water, check the current surf and weather conditions and learn to recognize rip currents. If you are caught in a rip current, stay calm, swim parallel to the shoreline until you are free of the current, then angle back toward shore. Avoid crowded riding areas, never participate while under the influence of alcohol or drugs, and know your limits by progressing gradually as your skills improve.
Choose Beaches with Lifeguards
One of the easiest — and most effective — ways to prevent serious injuries is to visit beaches staffed by professional lifeguards. Lifeguards monitor changing surf conditions, identify dangerous currents, respond rapidly to emergencies, and provide lifesaving care when every second counts.
Whether you’re body boarding, skim boarding, surfing, or simply swimming, choosing a guarded beach is one of the smartest safety decisions you can make. Recent hazardous surf conditions along the Southern California coast led to hundreds of rescues by lifeguards in Huntington Beach and Laguna Beach, highlighting the importance of swimming and riding near open lifeguard towers.
Always pay attention to posted warnings, follow lifeguard instructions, and make sure children remain under close adult supervision.
Body Boarding: Small Board, Powerful Waves
Body boarding allows riders to catch waves while lying on a shorter board, often using swim fins for propulsion. Because riders frequently catch waves close to shore, many injuries occur in the “impact zone,” where breaking waves crash into shallow water. Even relatively small waves can generate enough force to drive a rider headfirst into the sand.
Common Body Boarding Injuries
Neck and Spine Injuries: The most serious injuries occur when a rider “pearls” or nosedives into the ocean floor. As the board suddenly stops, the rider’s momentum forces the head and neck into the sand. Although uncommon, these injuries can result in cervical spine fractures or spinal cord injuries.
Head and Facial Injuries: Collisions with the board, swim fins, the ocean floor, reefs, or other riders may cause concussions, facial lacerations, broken noses, dental injuries, and eye injuries.
Abdominal Injuries: During a wipeout, the front edge of the board may strike the abdomen, occasionally causing significant bruising or injury to internal organs.
Sprains, Cuts, and Abrasions: Hands, wrists, ankles, and knees are frequently injured during falls or while tumbling in the surf. Contact with reefs, fins, shells, or the board itself can also result in cuts and abrasions.
Tips to Reduce Body Boarding Injuries
Learn How to Wipe Out Safely: If you lose control on a wave, avoid diving headfirst. Instead, protect your head and neck with your arms and allow the wave to carry you rather than fighting against it.
Ride Across the Face of the Wave: Instead of riding straight down a steep wave, angle your board across the wave’s face. This reduces the chance of the nose of the board digging into the sand and causing a dangerous nosedive.
Wear Appropriate Equipment: The right equipment can help reduce the risk of injury. Use a properly fitted water sports helmet when riding over reefs, rocks, or in shallow conditions, a quality leash to prevent losing your board, and properly fitted swim fins designed specifically for bodyboarding.
Skim Boarding: High Speed on Hard Sand
Unlike body boarding, skim boarding takes place in only a few inches of water as waves recede from the shoreline. Riders sprint, drop the board onto wet sand, jump aboard, and glide across the surface before making turns or performing tricks. Although it looks simple, skim boarding combines speed, balance, and rapid direction changes. Falls often occur at full speed on hard-packed sand with very little cushioning.
Common Skim Boarding Injuries: Fractures are among the most common serious skim boarding injuries. Because riders often fall forward while running at high speed, they instinctively reach out to break the fall, increasing the risk of fractures involving the wrist, forearm, and ankle. Quick twisting motions while the foot remains planted may cause ankle sprains, ligament injuries, fractures, and wrist injuries. (Falling onto an outstretched hand commonly results in wrist sprains or fractures.)
Falls onto wet sand or contact with the board can also lead to abrasions, bruises (contusions), and lacerations.
Tips to Reduce Skim Boarding Injuries
Master Board Placement: Learning to drop the board flat onto the thin layer of water is one of the most important beginner skills. A board that lands unevenly is more likely to catch an edge, stop abruptly, and throw the rider forward.
Approach in a Straight Line: Approaching the board from the side or with uncontrolled speed increases the chance of losing balance. Instead, run in a straight line, keep your speed under control, and step smoothly onto the board.
Master the Basics Before Attempting Tricks
Many injuries occur when riders attempt spins, jumps, or aerial maneuvers before developing fundamental skills. Become comfortable with running starts, smooth board drops, straight glides, and controlled stopping before progressing to more advanced techniques.
Consider Protective Equipment
Although helmets are not routinely worn by all skim boarders, they should be considered when performing tricks, riding near obstacles, or boarding in crowded areas. Water shoes may also improve traction while protecting feet from shells, rocks, and other sharp objects.
The Bottom Line
Body boarding and skim boarding are outstanding ways for children and families to stay active, develop water skills, and enjoy time together at the beach. With proper instruction, appropriate equipment, close supervision, and respect for changing ocean conditions, most injuries can be prevented. Parents should remember that children and younger teens often tire more quickly than adults and may not recognize changing surf conditions or increasing hazards. Frequent breaks, choosing waves that match a child’s experience level, and maintaining close supervision can greatly reduce injury risk.
Ocean conditions can change rapidly. If conditions look unsafe or beyond your ability, wait for calmer surf or ask a lifeguard for guidance. No wave is worth risking a serious injury.
Respect the ocean, ride within your limits, and enjoy a safe day at the beach.
NOTE: If your family also enjoys surfing, be sure to read our companion article, Surf Smarter: Common Surf Injuries and How to Prevent Them.
Chris Koutures, MD, FAAP grew up here in Irvine. He is a dual board-certified pediatric and sports medicine specialist who practices at ActiveKidMD in Anaheim Hills. He is a team physician for USA Volleyball (including participating in the 2008 Beijing Olympics); the U.S. Figure Skating Sports Medicine Network; Cal State Fullerton Intercollegiate Athletics; and the Chapman University Dance Department. He offers a comprehensive blend of general pediatric and sports medicine care with an individualized approach to each patient and family.
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