Since Gordon Clark discovered the optimal urethane foam formulation in 1960, many of the surf boards since then that are till now commonly used are shortboards, which comes in a variety of sizes about 6 ft. to 7 ft. in length, generally having a pointed snout and a broader tail with skegs varying from as many as two to five. Surfers in general find it quick to maneuver the shortboard in comparison to maneuvering the other boards.

The history of longboard surfing started way back in Hawaii by the ancient Polynesians, who used to make wooden boards and travelled to and fro from the close by islands and even used it in war. Duke Kahanamoku of Hawaii,was the one who made longboarding popular internationally. The longboards he used were over 10 ft long and weighed over a 100 pounds. However today with improvement in technology, the long boards we get are much lighter are faster.

The sport that combines gymnastics, windsurfing, parasailing and surfing into one sport is called as kiteboarding or kitesurfing. The Kiteboard looks something like a skate board with a flat nose and a flat tail. The board is about five feet long and as wide as a short board. Kiteboards come with straps as many a times the board is lifted above the water by the flight of the kite. You also need to purchase a kite with the board.