DOUBLE BLUFF — Auston Reisman is stoked and ready to rip.

And he’s pretty sure others are, too.

Reisman, one of the founders of Whidbey’s Jack’d Skimboards, is getting set for this year’s annual competition at Double Bluff. But what’s normally been a low-key contest between local skimboarders has grown beyond Whidbey: This weekend’s competition is part of the Northwest Skim Tour, and will be the first official skimboarding square-off since the sport got its start on the island in the mid-1970s.

The skim jam is Saturday, Aug. 7. Called SKIMusicFEST, it will include three heats of competition, plus live music and a barbecue. The musical lineup includes local marimba bands, reggae artist Adrian Xavier, hip-hop rapper Tulsi and others.

Though the competition is geared toward amateur and pro riders, Reisman hopes those who aren’t familiar with the sport will check out the action.

“We’re going for the whole range of people, from families to really young kids who are just getting into the sport, to people who have been riding and are really super good,” he said.

“We’re going to have stuff for everybody to do. That’s why Double Bluff is great; with the low tide, there’s so much room for people to ride.

“And we’re really trying to push that. You don’t have to be in the comp to come out and hang out with a bunch of skimboarders and have fun,” Reisman said. “It should be a really laid-back, chill environment.”

Reisman, 24, began skimboarding about eight years ago after his friend, James Conners, introduced him to the sport and made him a board for a birthday present.

“I was hooked, man. I was riding every day,” Reisman said.

“The unparalleled freedom of just riding the glide,” he said. “Nothing matters except for that moment; just cruising, you don’t think of anything else. It’s a great positive outlet to let go of everyday stresses.”

The attraction was easy, especially given the wide and shallow waters of Useless Bay at Double Bluff Beach. Unlike surfing, skim boarders ride the edge of the water parallel to the shore — and low tide at Double Bluff means tide pools galore and perfectly packed sand, unlike other places on Whidbey or beyond.

“Double Bluff is one of the best places in Washington, easy,” he said. “A lot of places on the island you’ll find that sinkier sand.”

Reisman and a group of his South Whidbey friends formed Jack’d Skimboards about six years ago and began manufacturing and selling custom-made boards out of Conner’s garage. Visitors to Whidbey often discover Jack’d during Choochokam Arts, where the group is a familiar presence.

Skimboarding itself has deeper roots in California. The sport is generally believed to have started in Laguna Beach in the 1920s, by lifeguards who would coast along the shoreline on pieces of plywood.

The sport enjoyed a brief surge in popularity in the 1980s after a cover story on skimboarding appeared in Sports Illustrated, according to skimonline.com, and renewed interest grew in the 1990s after the launch of mass-media publications such as Skim Online and SKIM Magazine.

Reisman agreed that the Internet has helped skimboarding’s popularity. He’s seen interest grow on Whidbey, as well.

“Five, six years ago, you’d come out skimboarding and there would be one person. Any given low tide, you’ll see 15, 20 kids just rippin’. And that’s awesome,” he said.

Registration for Saturday’s competition will start at 9 a.m., with the first heat starting about 11.

The competition will begin with basic flatland tricks, before competitors move to ramps and rails (obstacles that help riders elevate out of the water).

“One heat will just be flatland tricks, and then the next heat will be intermediate rails, and then the last heat will be where we break out all the super big gnarly ones,” Reisman said.