The earliest known record of skim boarding dates back to 1919 in South Korea. There the lifeguards would skim across the surface of the water on thin plywood boards that were mostly circular in shape. Skim boards eventually came across the pacific to Hawaii, where they were called paipo boards. By the 1970's skim boarding had made its way to the United States, and took on the tear drop or oval form shape that is popular today.read more..In the Philippines, Tanauan, Leyte boasts of being the birthplace of skimboarding. In 2000, an American tourist from California visited the town and introduced the water sport to several youngsters. He also taught the locals how to make skim boards.
Since then, a friendly skimboarding competition has been held every year.
The sport caught the attention of nearby towns and other parts of the country, bringing an increasing number of participants to the annual competition in Tanauan every year. Source Read more...
The sport was brought to Borongan in 2003 by Neil Rapatan and Francis Cabalonga, then college students studying in Leyte and using Leyte-made boards. Now, the locals make their own boards and have acquired considerable skills in the sport that they now participate in national competitions.
Borongan Skim Video
