Zap Skimboards Blog
Oct 20, 2025
PHOTOS | Yahir Valencia with Skim Dubai
Yahir Valencia was recently invited out to the UAE to hang out with the Skim Dubai crew. Now, Dubai may not be known for its skim scene but the team at Dubai Skim are doing their best to change that! With Dubai being on the coast of the Persian Gulf, the potential for waves is there. Unfortunately, Yahir wasn’t able to score much swell but what the trip lacked in waves, it made up for in good times. The crew at Dubai Skim were so hyped to have him out and the locals came out in force to hang out and get some lessons in.
Oct 17, 2025
FBF | “I Love to Skim” Video with Gerardo Valencia
If it’s one rider who really loves skimming, it’s Gerardo Valencia. For this flashback Friday, we wanted to send it back to this full section from Gerardo. Shredding in Playa Del Coco and Mainland Mexico Skim Bach in Melaque, the waves were good and Gerardo was on one! Get hyped with this throwback now!
Oct 14, 2025
TRAVEL | Eurotrip Week 1 with Sydney Pizza & Elian Juarez
Checking in right now from La Tranche-Sur-Mer, France! Our first week is complete and it has flown by. We departed on Sept. 30 th in the afternoon and arrived early morning on October 1 st in Madrid. After putzing around for a couple hours, we caught about three trains, and one layover in Toulouse France, which was stunning, we landed in Biarritz France for the first leg of our trip!
Oct 10, 2025
SESSION | Portugal Shredding with Romário de Sousa
My first skimboarding session in Portugal at Praia das Bicas, Sesimbra was simply unforgettable! This incredible place has such a unique energy and natural beauty that immediately impresses you upon arrival.
Oct 7, 2025
TEAM | “This or That?” with Sydney Pizza
Life is full of choices. Some are simple, some are more complex. For this edition of “This or That”, we caught up with team rider and pro women’s shredder Sydney Pizza to hit her with some rapid fire questions to see where she stands on some things! What are your thoughts on what Sydney picked below? Check it out now!
Sep 30, 2025
EVENT | 2025 Oktoberfest (Day 2)
Exile’s 20th annual Oktoberfest has come to a close, bringing us a fairytale ending to the 2025 United Skim Tour season. Finals day here at Balboa’s Pier in Newport Beach, was one like no other; filled with laughs, hurricane swell (thank you Lorena), driving barrels, and memories that will last a lifetime, Oktoberfest saw it all!
Sep 28, 2025
EVENT| 2025 Oktoberfest (Day 1)
The 20th annual Oktoberfest is here, and we could not be more ready! Day one at Balboa’s Pier, in Newport beach California was met with solid swell, great weather, and the Zap team ready to shred! Hurricane Lorena is on the way, and it is quite apparent that her and mother nature have coordinated to bring in swell for the weekend festivities! Building throughout the day, in the morning we saw a fair and typical 3’-5’ swell that built to about 6’-8’ by the end of the day.
Sep 26, 2025
VIDEO | Zap in Cali & the 2025 VIC
Team riders Gerardo Valencia and Leo Freitas, along with videographer Devin Demenezes, recently packed up their bags and headed out west to Cali in search of waves and good times on the road to the 2025 VIC competition in Laguna Beach. Once they arrived, they were hit with a bit of a speed bump because their boards had gotten lost along the way! However, that didn’t slow them down because they met up with fellow team rider Mason Broussard, who had enough boards to go around, so they wasted no time and headed to the beach.
Sep 23, 2025
PHOTOS | Yahir Valencia in Portugal
The 2025 season looked a little different for Yahir Valencia. Due to visa issues, he wasn’t able to make it into the U.S. this year and had to sit out of the United Skim Tour, Skim USA Tour, and a handful of other events. Instead of letting that slow him down, Yahir made the most of the situation and based himself in Portugal, linking up with Euro team manager and team rider Emanuel “Mega” Embaixador.
Sep 19, 2025
INFO | The 20th Annual Exile Oktoberfest Goes Down 9/27-9/28!
The Exile Oktoberfest is back for its 20th year anniversary! Going down at the infamous Balboa Pier in Newport Beach, CA, a spot known for its awesome conditions and intense shorepound, this event is always a crowd pleaser. The final stop of the United Skim Tour, this contest is set to send off the 2025 season with a bang! Go for a trip down memory lane with our 2023 recap video and register today to compete!
Sep 15, 2025
INFO | Zap Skimboards Pro/Am @ Tamarack Beach, CA (10/11/25)
We’re headed back to Tamarack Beach, CA with Premier Skim for the Zap Skimboards Pro/Am, the last stop of the Premier West Coast Skim Tour! Last year’s competition was a blast with awesome conditions, good vibes, and it’s looking that way for this year’s competition! Since this event is a Pro/Am, professional riders will rub shoulders with amateur riders and swap waves as they compete.
Sep 12, 2025
RECAP | 2025 Sea Bright Skim Bash in Sea Bright, NJ
The 21st annual Sea Bright Skim Bash in New Jersey has just wrapped up and ended the 2025 SkimUSA tour on a very high note! With varying conditions and weather all weekend, the Zap team made the best of it, demonstrating their wide range of abilities and versatility in all conditions, all with big smiles on their faces!