Surfing Waves

Hey guys,

Been landlocked since end of january and its driving me insane, I have so much stress and worries I need to surf away.

Im currently in Essex, looking for somewhere consistent for a few days, not totally huge surf ( 2 - 5 ft ) as I am out of shape and need to build up a little slower with my back issues.

Ideas guys?

- Andy

Jump in the car now, you can be in Devon in 5 hours, and there's forecast to be surf all week.

I am leaving Monday mate, I am just worried about the 13.5ft @ 12s, how on earth will I deal with that if I only surfed 5ft in Aus bro

Westward Ho! is supposed to be a pretty mellow break right?

Yup, there's so many spots down there that you can often (not always, but often) find a spot that's sheltered from the surf and/or wind. Westward Ho! is usually much smaller (I only ever surfed it once... when it was double overhead everywhere else )

Looks like it'll be dropping off quickly anyway - looking pretty nice towards the end of the week

Remember your steamer! Still just about in boardshorts here

ah stop rubbing it in mate! I wish I could be over there with you, u do live next to a mighty fine world class break, im weeeell gel xD

I am going to head down to Southend tomorrow (Monday) pick up a steamer and ill be heading down on tuesday for sure.

Thanks for the advise bro

peazz wrote:I am leaving Monday mate, I am just worried about the 13.5ft @ 12s, how on earth will I deal with that if I only surfed 5ft in Aus bro

5ft Aussie = 13ft Pommy

one little bit more advise if possible, I need a steamer + booties + hood, cheap as possible yet still very capable of keeping me warm, would you mind picking one out for me please mate?

Heres where i plan to get it from:

www wetsuitoutlet co uk

I removed the dots

@DTC I surfed 5ft aussie but the thing is, I got the 5ft aussie and 13ft uk from MSW, will the continental shelf off the west coast really drain that much power out of them in the UK?

I guess if you are comparing MSW readings perhaps they are using the same basis.

But, without getting into the issue too much, Australians use the 'hawaiian' scale of wave size, so 5ft Australian is maybe 10ft UK. Or, putting it another way, 5ft Australia is 1.5-2X overhead and in the UK that might be called 8-10ft. Or might not, depending on what part of the UK you are surfing (as I understand it).

However, measurement from the buoys is a whole different thing. I have no idea how much change there will be - usually buoys are closer to Hawaiian/Australian size as they are measuring the unbroken swell (as the swell hits the beach, it doesnt get bigger, its just the face builds up and looks bigger) ie the buoys height measures the equivalent of the 'back of the wave' not the face (the back is usually roughly 1/2 the face, but the wave period affects this.

According to MSW "The waves produced by 12sec swells will often be about the height of the swell itself given the right direction on the average beach." But, again, its not clear whether a 13ft swell means 13ft waves 'Hawaiian' (which is 4X overhead) or 13ft 'real person measurement' (2X overhead or so).

I figure, as said, there is always somewhere protected. Well, almost always. If not, at least its exciting

Thanks for clarifying that man, I wondered why MSW was reporting 3 - 5ft and the aussies in the water were claiming it to be 1-2 ft, makes sense now measuring from the back.

I need to get down and buy a wetsuit tomorrow (in-experienced buying / choosing) so I can make the journey tuesday otherwise ima be waiting until the end of the month

Im going to get down there, check out the break and see what there is, I cant go crazy as im really out of shape and need to build my core / spine support before I start busting bigger waves again, dont want to put my back out or anything you know?

You will find, if you are anything like me, that after a break (I had a 3 month break late last year due to a knee injury and an overseas holiday):

1. paddling is hard. This is likely to be a problem with big surf, you just dont have the paddle fitness to deal with it. The first paddle out to the line up will result in heavy breathing and a need to rest for a few minutes. Sore shoulders/rotator cuff the next day. But it doesnt take too long to get much of the fitness back.

2. wave catching and pop up usually doesnt take too long to remember. A bit rusty but 3 or 4 waves and it will all come back. However, more complex stuff takes a bit of time to 'remember' and you sometimes make stupid mistakes

3. waves look much bigger than they did before. ie waist high is nice for the first surf back and anything bigger looks scary, but after about 5 or 6 surfs you are hanging out for head high and keen for the big sets. This is the most obvious difference (after paddling)

As to wetsuits, try them all on. It took me 7 different brands to find one that fitted. Even though they all claim to fit a certain size, some have narrow shoulders, wider waist, shorter legs etc. One tip is to take along a plastic bag and put it on your hand/foot as you are putting the wetsuit on. You can slide in and out much easier. Its the reverse of the normal situation - the wetsuits will be dry but after a few try ons you will start sweating! Make sure you get one that has enough room in the shoulders, too little room and its really painful after a couple of hours.

My current suit is a chest zip and I love it, much more comfortable than a back zip. However, that may just be my build. Without a doubt its much harder to get out of, esp at the end of a long surf. Sometimes I just drive back wearing the wetsuit (only 6 or 7 minutes) and take it off at home. The 2nd level suits of the big brands (ie not their most expensive, but the next one down) is as expensive as you need to go (and cheaper suits are only marginally less better). All of the big brands are more or less the same, to be honest, so just go the one that fits you the best. Or (if more than one), the one that looks coolest.

I agree with you on the paddling, which is why im a bit dubious about rushing down to 6ft+ surf, It really did take me a solid 7 - 8 week in oz to feel comfortable in powerful, hollow and shallow conditions and only reason I felt comfortable was confidence in my own abilities, knowing I could duck dive a set, knowing I had the paddle power to get out of them 'hairy spots' when a thick lipped bomb comes through and catches you off guard.

I never got as far as late drops, getting barreled etc mate, I just about nailed my bottom turn in my last couple of weeks and got a few very amateur snaps off the top that resulted in my wiping out shortly after.

In terms of a wetsuit I think it may be a bit hard to get one that will fit once I get back into shape, I have the typical meso body type where I get skinny if I do nothing, but the moment I start to exercise and eat a decent diet I bulk out really fast especially around the shoulders, neck and my lats, I gain huge amount of strength and size without doing anything but surfing and eating.

Maybe I should just go down there, hunt out a mellow break and rent a wetsuit I would save short term on the outlay and could then maybe save for a better / warmer wet suit, what do you think?

peazz wrote:In terms of a wetsuit I think it may be a bit hard to get one that will fit once I get back into shape, I have the typical meso body type where I get skinny if I do nothing, but the moment I start to exercise and eat a decent diet I bulk out really fast especially around the shoulders, neck and my lats, I gain huge amount of strength and size without doing anything but surfing and eating.

I'm an ectomorph so struggle to put on weight (in any way) so I'm not really the person to advise.

However obviously I will anyway.

Remember that wetsuits will strech a fair bit. However, if you have a back zip, the amount of stretch is restricted to some extent because the zip cant stretch and puts a brake on what is going on. However, a front zip doesnt have the same issue, everywhere can stretch as you get wider etc (except a front zip wont stretch lengthways, but you wont change your length!). Good quality suits nowdays are much thinner (they are no longer really actually 4/3mm thick or whatever) and much stretchier than cheap or older style ones.

However, there are limitations to the stretch. Its only really at the shoulders/across the back between the shoulders that you need to worry about (and length of course). The rest will stretch enough to cover body changes - I've seen the same sized suit worn by a 70kg guy and a 100kg guy, although admittedly the 100kg guy had most of the weight in his belly and it was a bit tight. Nonetheless, they do stretch quite a bit.

So you dont want a suit that is tight when you are at your current size, you want one that is comfortable to possibly a bit loose around the shoulders. That said, your shoulder width won't change all that much, as its pretty much governed by your bones (in other words, even if you work really hard on your muscles, the distance outside shoulder to outside shoulder probably wont change by more than a couple of inches). If your lats or arms grow, a suit will stretch to cover it.

I would just buy one now since it will get used a lot - unless you plan to go all Ronnie Coleman on us, in which case maybe wait. Or just buy two...

Thanks for the awesome advice mate appreciate it so much, I am currently battling jetlag from returning home, 9am here and I still not slept so dont think Im going to get it today will have to be tomorrow now.

Just a thought, this information is invaluable to us newbs with no experience choosing a wetsuit, why dont you expand on it and open a thread for it? something along the lines of "the definitive guide to choosing a wetsuit" - It could drive some new members / visits into the forum for sure

As for location, also consider Norfolk spots like East Runton, Cromer, Scratby, Gorleston and Yarmouth. All get surf from good northerly / north westerly swells and you can be there in <2 hours. Keep an eye on the forecast though. I'm sure glidesurfschool.co.uk would give you an eyeball check if you think there might be some swell (they're right on the promenade at Cromer).

peazz wrote:Just a thought, this information is invaluable to us newbs with no experience choosing a wetsuit, why dont you expand on it and open a thread for it? something along the lines of "the definitive guide to choosing a wetsuit" - It could drive some new members / visits into the forum for sure

Thanks for the compliment; but there are guys out there who probably buy more wetsuits in a year than I have bought in my life. For some reason - pure luck - mine seem to last forever.

For example, I have an old spring suit (short arms/legs) that I bought maybe 8 years ago. Still wear it bodyboarding (have better suits for surfing). One day down the coast (I dont live there, have a holiday house) I left the suit on the fence to dry and forgot about it and went home (to my normal house). Maybe a month later came back and the suit had fallen onto the grass and had vines and grass growing through it - it was 'stuck' to the ground!. Pulled it up, pulled out the grass and it still works fine...

The only thing I can suggest is understanding wetsuit seams (here is a good summary http://www.wetsuitwearhouse.com/shadowbox/seam.html) - you will notice as you go cheaper that the seams arent as good.

I should add - as I surf temperate water (I doubt it gets below 15C), there are almost certainly issues that affect cold water surfers (like you in the UK) that I dont come across. Possibly when I said the second or third cheapest suit was good enough, that is from a temperate water perspective. If you are surfing 10C water or less then you need all the assistance you can ge-t that may mean a higher end suit or 'rubber chest' for wind resistance (over pure neoprene). But I wouldnt worry about quick drying interior and that stuff, it does dry quicker but it just saves 30 seconds of feeling a bit chilly.

@SP - Thanks very much mate, I didnt even think of Norfolk I will keep my eye out! seems from looking around is normally wind swell thou?

@DTC - Once again u smashed my expectations, thanks for all your help. Managed to pump out some work today so should be able to go and find me a wet suit. If you ever want to rent out your holiday home I'm willing to take it off your hands a week or two a year, I should have my place in north Devon by end of summer could even do a holiday swap

Not always windswell, but that's most likely what it will be. Keep an eye out for the big lows north of Scotland and the north / north westerly winds blowing.

How far are you from Norfolk SP? When there is some quality ground swell pushing through u up for a surf?

Not close now but my parents are still there. If I'm heading up there at some point and it looks like there will be surf I'll let you know.

peazz wrote:Norfolk... quality ground swell

That may be the first time that those two things have ever been used in the same sentence