Skipping Rocks

Skipping rocks is a favorite pastime of so many who have spent time near a lake of any size.  Challenging your friends and family to see who can skip the most and striving to beat your highest skip count. Not to mention, teaching your kids the fine art of skipping a rock. Most who grew up around, or visited water, have some memory of skipping rocks.

Making the Right Rock Selection

The key to a good skip lies in the spinning of the rock. By using a flat round rock, you are able to add a lot of spins. So, think “flat” when choosing a rock. You’ll want to find something in the range of four to six inches in diameter. The flow of water around the rock lifts it up, propelling the next hop. The more surface area, the more lift.  So flat and round is best.  However, with enough velocity, you can skip almost anything.

Best Technique

You will want to throw the rock hard, with a lot of linear and angular momentum, at a 20-degree angle.  Most people find they get the best skips when they throw under and sideways.  On the water, a rock’s spin keeps it poised on its trailing edge, rather than somersaulting. In the air, spin provides stability, like a Frisbee. With each skip, gravity pulls the rock deeper under the surface, and the water creates more drag on the rock.

Pick the Ideal Conditions

The rock spends 100 times longer in the air than it does on the water. The flow of water around the rock lifts it up, propelling the next hop. Therefore, calm water is ideal. If you encounter large waves or choppy water, the rock will have less ability to propel out of the water.

Fun fact: The world record is 88 bounces, so good luck!