Mitch's Surf Shop

Since arriving in San Diego, I’ve wanted to get into water sports. While I eventually hope to try my hand at surfing, for now I thought I’d get into the water via skim boarding. Skim boarding is a beach activity where the boarder gains momentum by running toward waves and skimming atop the water of incoming waves.

I’d tried skim boarding a few years back on a woody (a skim board made of wood) while vacationing in Laguna Nigel, CA. I was much younger then but did get some experience with skim boarding.

This time, I did my research and took to the internet to learn more about the sport and how to go about getting into it. I found out that foamies (foam boards) are friendlier to beginner skim boarders and I also watched numerous youtube tutorials on how to properly skim board.

After looking up the kind of board I wanted, I set out to find a local retailer with the goods I wanted. Mitch’s Surf Shop in downtown La Jolla had the best reviews.

Mitch’s was fantastic. Though a small mom and pop operation, the customer service and selection were stellar. The shop itself is located just up the street from Marine Street beach (a stretch of shore said to be good for skim boarding). What I liked most about Mitch’s aside from the friendly and helpful staff, was the fact that Mitch himself is at the store each day. You get the sense, just by looking at Mitch, that he has been in the industry a long time and knows his products.

I ended up choosing a Victoria skim board in a lime green color as my inaugural board. One of the staff helped me get set up by advising me on which traction pads were best and even helped me out by adhering it to the board for me. While I did spend a pretty penny, Mitch threw in a couple packs of wax. The same guy who helped me with the traction pad taught me how to properly wax the skim board as well.

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