Tarp Surfing 101

Photo Credit: Jesse Wagstaff via Compfight cc

Versatile tarpaulins are responsible for a new craze called tarp surfing.

The Orange County Register reports that the DIY sport has even started a patent war between two Southern California families with startup tarp surfing businesses.

Here’s how it works. Purchase an oversized 25-foot by 25-foot blue tarpaulin available at retailers like TarpSurplus.com. Use two big rocks to secure one end of the tarp over a large, flat surface.

Two friends each stand at the opposite end. Each holds up a corner of the tarp. As a skateboarder approaches the tarp diagonally, the two friends raise their ends high and run toward the same point where the skateboarder heads.

The effect is that of a tube wave, or funnel, over the low-riding skateboarder’s head.