Unlike the overwhelming majority of water pokemon, Surskit are incapable of swimming; instead, they walk along the water's surface. Although a single Surskit can not carry a passenger, two can be strapped to human feet like skates and ridden atop the surface of the water. Learning to ride successfully requires intense training on the part of both Surskit and their rider, for it depends upon all three reading one another perfectly and learning perfect balance; the rider on their small, round, swiftly-moving Surskit, the Surskit on the water despite the heavy, slowly shifting weight of a trainer.
We know this fact not because of some elaborate research, but because a sport played on Surskit is often known as Hoenn's national pastime, although in this age pokemon battles and contests are far more popular. The sport originated as a religious ritual where certain neutral communities would decide who to support in the continual war by inviting a champion from each side who would attempt to guide a live Seedot into the mouth of either a Pelipper or a Gligar, representing Kyogre and Groudon respectively. Both targets would move around a cube of air high in the sky ringed by tree branches and try to catch the Seedot like a goalkeeper in reverse. Holding the ball was illegal, but everything else was fair game, even jumping, although this was only used for scoring opportunities, as landing would usually throw the rider off their pokemon.
In later years, as the game lost its military-religious significance, any pokemon capable of flight could become the goal. Often, trainers would continue to use their champion Surskit in this manner when they evolved into Masquerain. Live Seedot have been replaced with rounded poffins as the people lost their appetite for bloodlust, but the game continues on.
