Surf skates have become a bit of a lightning rod in the surfing world. These skateboards are designed to mimic the feeling of surfing and have been promoted by a range of YouTube surf coaches and in-person instructors, especially as a tool for adult learners. While they’re marketed as a way to improve your surfing, I’ve found the experience to be quite different from riding actual waves.

Personally, I don’t think surf skates replicate the feeling of surfing all that closely. I never finish a session on one thinking I’ve just surfed. That said, I do see their value—particularly for beginners who didn’t grow up surfing and are trying to learn how to generate speed. The body mechanics involved, especially when skating bowls, share enough similarities to make them a useful training tool.

Flat-ground surf skate training, though, often feels a bit cringeworthy to me. While the movements are somewhat similar, skating on pavement is still wildly different from navigating a wave. However, if you’re transitioning from a longboard to a shortboard and already have some experience, surf skates can help you learn how to create your own speed. Flat-ground training builds leg strength and reinforces movement patterns that can translate to the water.

If you have access to a good skateboard bowl—ideally one that doesn’t require dropping in—they can be genuinely helpful. Riding bowls teaches you how and where to find speed, and that knowledge is surprisingly transferable to surfing. You’ll learn to identify steep sections and curves that allow for acceleration, and you’ll get a feel for when to extend and compress your body. These are skills that take time to develop, especially on the East Coast where surfable days can be few and far between.

As for surf skate brands, I’ve tried a few, including Carver and SwellTech. SwellTech probably comes closest to mimicking a surfboard, thanks to its truck design. If you’re focused on flat-ground training, SwellTech might be the better choice as they can be a bit sketchy in a bowl (though I’ve done it a fair amount successfully). But Carver is more affordable and still gets the job done. One thing to note about Carvers: they often require some maintenance right out of the box. You’ll likely need to lubricate the bearings or adjust the truck tension to get them dialed in.

In the end, surf skates aren’t a substitute for surfing, but they can be a useful supplement—especially if you’re trying to build muscle memory, improve your leg strength, or learn how to generate speed. Just don’t expect them to feel like a wave.