Surfing Waves

I used to only surf in summer but now Im going to start in winter. I want to get better now that ive stepped down to a fish from a mini-mal. Are the waves better? I have booties and Im going to get a new 4/3 wetsuit. Would that be ok for san diego's waters in winter?

Waves are typicaly better, waves come from wind, you get more wind in winter typicaly.

Cant say what kit you need dont know what Sandiego is like in winter, here it gets down to about 6 or 7 degree water temp I use a 4/3 boots and gloves.

All year - winter 5mm titanium steamer - boots - gloves - hood - no undies (gets twisted - ouch !) - sometimes good surf depending on the wind direction.

Be careful:
Bigger rip currents and if you get too cold you will make stooopid decisions and get dumped over the falls and / or miss everything sooooo

Monitor your wave catching and if you know its getting worse - leave - you are getting early hypothermia.

Enjoy !

4/3 for san diego winter is perfect. I wear one here and im fine. On extra cold breezy days i may wear a thermo rash guard underneath but iam a complete wimp. I hardly wear booties if i do its cause its really cold out so maybe 5/6 days a year i wear em.

Great, thanks! Now Im trying to find one at a decent price...

hey surfergirl, let me know how a 4/3 feels for you down here.

im in north county san diego as well, and right now im just sticking with the 3/2 and its suited me alright.
btw, its supposed to be pretty nice out tomorrow!

Im out as often as possilbe,

last weekend i made the decision to stay home due to the wind rather then waves, waves where good but winds where so howling i knew i would struggle getting back up the steep cliff with a longboard.

as far as the cold goes i find a few more minutes prep saves a lot of heart ache......forinstance puting gloves on first and then into wetuit arms creates a bulk of material that seals me in better, making sure my boots and tucked in well etc all helps sustain me longer in the water, finally earplugs to combat the howling wind which really hurts after a full weekend of it.

How we do it on Lake Erie

wyldewood surfboards wrote:How we do it on Lake Erie

That aint right I think I am going to take a Hot shower now

you can surf all winter in central florida, with just a short spring suit. i used a 3/2 my last winter out but it was a bit more than needed even with all day sessions. random side note its going to be flat for the next 6-8 days

I go back and forth between my 3/2 and 4/3 in the winter, but mainly on how I "feel". If I wake up with a chill I'll take the 4/3 out, or if I think it will be windy, but if I wake up chipper and all warm or expect to be in the sun I take out the 3/2. I wear booties all winter just so I can get used to them, if not when you wear them you will feel weird wearing them. Of course, the opposite in the spring and summer, I all together abandon booties unless surfing reefs in baja and use reef walkers instead.

I'm surfing Cornwall, UK. I just go for some gloves, 4/3 and maybe some boots if I'm feeling extra chilly.
I don't get much surf in the old winter, But I try my best.

I live in manhattan Beach and I go surfing in the winter all the time, because I have surf P.E. every day for school. Right now the water temp is around 60 degrees and I just wear a wetsuit. But usually I say if it below 60 it's time to bust out the booties and gloves. I don't wear a hood unless it is particularly windy because when you head gets wet and the wind blows on you it sux!!!!

Manhattan Beach Grom wrote:I live in manhattan Beach and I go surfing in the winter all the time, because I have surf P.E. every day for school.

That is so cool. In 79,80 I had surf class at Venice high. Fun times! I remember everyone standing on their boards in the morning during roll call because the sand was so cold haha! That was at Bay st. SM.
I go every weekend now up here in Nor Cal. Water is 48 to 52 now. I need to go down south and hit El Porto and get warm haha! I would like to use my 3/2 again The 3/2 will feel like skin after using this 4.5/3.5

Surf Lessons in PE. Now thats pretty sweet,I've never tried a hood, what they like?

SfrMatt wrote:I've never tried a hood, what they like?

Well, the one I am using is only 1 mm. So it doesn't feel like much at all but still helps to keep warm. I have at times just peeled it back because I felt to warm. To warm to me is better then to cold.

It's only good if you like it.

Manhattan Beach Grom wrote:I live in manhattan Beach and I go surfing in the winter all the time, because I have surf P.E. every day for school. Right now the water temp is around 60 degrees and I just wear a wetsuit. But usually I say if it below 60 it's time to bust out the booties and gloves. I don't wear a hood unless it is particularly windy because when you head gets wet and the wind blows on you it sux!!!!

You're right in my neck of the woods. I'm not a huge fan of winters to be honest. Short days, cold temps, and rain really put a damper on my surfing frequency. Also while summer can be flat at times, winter can be just as ugly in the other direction. Closed out, washed out and relentlessly high frequency with very strong currents and rips. Rippers love winters probably just as much because the factors above keep the kooks out of the lineup. But I typically find myself catching way more waves in the other three seasons.

I just video’d myself today riding my home built carbon on the snow with no fins - awesome !

(heh – its so tough it can take the battering akin to a skate board on soft ground, yet it surfs really sweet in the good old ocean too ! Hoping for some good branding news on the 15th January 2009 – fingers crossed!)

You'll be fine with the 4/3...in fact too hot!

I've been fine with a 3/2 in San Diego so far this winter. I think that if you're just going to get one full suit then a 3/2 is the way to go. You'll be too hot in a 4/3 most of the time in SD.