h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

It should be noted that for the very greatest number of skips, try to release the stone you intend to skip as close to the water level as possible.

This will lessen the friction between the water and the stone, and keep all of the stone's momentum travelling parallel to the surface of the water.

An impressive number of skips is about 20.

You've completely burst my bubble - I was always pleased when I got the stone to skip more than once!!

AndyF

The game thwunk is often also played in rivers when the levels fall and you get that wonderful dirty mud. The aim of this game is to make the biggest crater in the mud with a satisfying slurpy sound. I loved it as a kid, especially when there were bricks around.

Now, this is the point of these games - the tactile sounds! Thwunk! Slurpy! Great stuff.

I'm sorry

My grandfather taught me how to skip stones when I was very little. I practised a lot. At one point in time I had more skips than the record holder in the guinness book. I wish my talent could have been in something more profitable.

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, Guinnesss!

Large lumps of dry mud do not skip.

I think we should keep your personal preferences out of this, Mr Mudslip...

AndyF

Sharp or polished, cold or warm the stone is inanimate and no amount of spinning, skimming or general flinging is going to change that much. Mud on the other hand.....

As SetupWeasel says, the angle between the stone's direction and the water needs to be small so that the stone will skim. In fact, the maximum angle that will work is 7 degrees.

I have always enjoyed trying to skim the biggest and most awkward stones possible. Its a very pleasent surprise when you get a few skips out of a large misshapen monster.
Also does 'thwunk' work best when the water is shallow and part of the noise is hearng the rock hit the bottom?