Back in 2005, someone came up with a novel invention called the Aqua Skipper. It never caught on for reasons that are fairly obvious, but it has remained on the edges of surfers’ memories for quite some time. It’s a hilarious-looking device that requires the user to furiously bounce up and down. Which is probably exactly why the Sickos, a group of Hood River-based vloggers, decided they needed to try one.
“I feel like it’s from the Lorax,” said Forest Lawson, who is part of the Sickos crew. “This thing is just ridiculous looking.”
But just because something looks ridiculous doesn’t mean a bit of fun can be had. Hell, sometimes the most fun you can have is when you decide you don’t care how you look and just go for it. Which is generally the motto of the Sickos, who do all sorts of strange things in the name of fun.
After the Sickos made sure it was actually a functioning piece of equipment on flat water (which turned out to be a little less smooth than they would have liked), they did what you hope they would: took it out into a few waves. With the help of a Jet Ski, they made it out to the lineup and began their testing. Only two from the crew were capable enough of riding the Aqua Skipper to give it the real test it needed, but it wasn’t as easy as they thought it would be.
“That might be one of the most tiring, physical things I’ve ever done,” said Will Crumpacker. And while it certainly wasn’t a great success by any means, they did what they set out to do. No, not to ride the Aqua Skipper in waves (although that was part of it), but to just have a good time.
