You may have seen them at the water’s edge — starting in the sand, sprinting toward the surf, tossing their board ahead, gliding across the water and into the waves. That’s skimboarding: a high-adrenaline board sport offering endless potential for beachside fun.
While skimboarding is often associated with the West Coast, a shop in Egg Harbor Township is helping put the East Coast on the map.
East Coast Skimboards, located inside Alpine Ski Shop on Fire Road, offers a wide range of boards for beginners and experienced riders alike. The store is owned by Joe Almo, who also co-owns Alpine and Almo Pools. In addition to serving the South Jersey community in person, East Coast Skimboards ships nationwide through its online store.
Almo, a former skimboarder himself, said he started the shop out of necessity when he and his friends couldn’t find the specific boards they wanted locally.
“I started the shop in 2003 when my friends and I were skimboarding a lot,” Almo said. “They were kind of hard to get around here. If you wanted a certain shape or color, it may not have been available.”
He launched the business with about 150 boards, aiming to offer a broad selection of high-performance options to attract fellow skimboarders.
“It kind of needed to be a lot of skimboards at once, to give someone a variety,” he said. “That’s really what I wanted — a lot of choices so people can get exactly what they’re looking for.”
Since then, the shop has expanded significantly, now offering over 2,000 boards, plus traction pads, apparel and board bags. While Almo carries entry-level wooden boards ideal for flat-water sand skimming, he specializes in high-end fiberglass and carbon fiber boards designed for tricks and wave riding.
East Coast Skimboards also has a strong presence on social media. Former world skimboarding champion and filmmaker George Bryan manages its Instagram and Facebook accounts, sharing videos and photos of East Coast riders. Bryan said that while West Coast skimboarders often dominate the spotlight, there’s a thriving community on this side of the country too.
“There’s a really cool scene on the East Coast that maybe lacks a bit of a spotlight,” Bryan said. “We want to give those riders a platform, to highlight the people in the community.”
Kyle Calandra, a professional skimboarder for Exile Skimboards who grew up on Long Beach Island, said he used to order from East Coast Skimboards often because of their selection.
“There are great conditions for both beginner and high-performance skimboarding on beaches across New Jersey,” Calandra said. “What I enjoy most is that it’s kind of like surfing and skating intermixed.”
Calandra said skimboarding is less dependent on wave conditions than surfing, making it accessible more often — especially in the summer.
“The waves are usually smaller here during the summer, so it can be hard to get good surfing waves,” he said. “You’ll usually get more action at the beach on a skimboard than you would surfing.”
Most of East Coast’s boards are made by Zap and Exile, with unique hand-painted designs ranging in price from about $100 to over $500. Almo said there’s been growing demand for high-performance boards, particularly those made from carbon and double-carbon constructions.
“Some are designed with a rocker to help turn into the waves, and others are made to get you further out to hit them,” Almo said. “It all depends on your skill level, the wave break, and the type of board you want.”
Many of the boards Almo carries are backordered elsewhere. He photographs each board using a studio-lighting setup inside the ski shop and lists them individually online. Most of his sales are online, and he regularly assists customers over the phone to choose the right board.
Quick shipping also helps drive online business. Orders to the East Coast typically arrive in one to two days, and four to five days for the West Coast. Almo handles the entire process himself.
He said he’s always happy to meet customers in person at the shop and guide them through the selection. During the winter, the skimboards move to the upstairs of Alpine Ski Shop but remain available year-round.
Though he no longer skimboards often, Almo still heads to the beach to photograph local riders and remains deeply passionate about the sport.
“This is definitely a passion for me,” he said. “Half the time when I get the boards in, I don’t even want to sell them. I’m looking at them and I just want to keep some for myself.”
Max Kelly is a freelance multimedia journalist from Ocean City, covering stories at the Jersey Shore. E: maxkelly609@gmail.com
