The earliest known record of skimboarding goes back to 1920 in Laguna Beach, California. There are photographs from that time period of Laguna Beach lifeguards skimming along the sand on large plywood boards.

These boards were commonly circular in shape and not very well designed for controlled skimboarding. In the early 1970s skimboards started to take on a shape more similar to surfboards and began to be manufactured out of fiberglass instead of plywood. With rising popularity, many others have sprung up and skimboards are now very easy to come by.

Although skimboarding is predominantly a recreational activity, like surfing, it has also evolved into a highly competitive water sport and is now being taken more seriously.

Unlike surfing, skimboarding starts on the beach. The skimboarder stands within running distance from the point of entry into the water with the skimboard in hand and waits for a wave. As the desired wave approaches the skimboarder runs towards the water. Depending on conditions the board is either dropped on a thin layer of water from a receding wave or on the thicker water in front of the wave. A rider drops the board and runs on the board without having to catch up to it. This is known as the "One-Step", although there are other variations such as the "Two-Step" and the "No-Step". The skimboarder will then attempt to slide to the wave possibly "pumping" or "sideslipping" to maintain speed. This technique is often summed up as "Run, Drop, Slide" and is considered the basis of advanced skimboarding. When the wave is reached it can be riden "down the line", or the rider may attempt to launch off the waveface and attempt an aerial trick.