I finally decdied to invest in some booties and a 3/4 wetsuit to brave the winter! Here's my experience..
Despite still doing competitive kickboxing trainings 3-6 times a week and being fitter than i've ever been, my surf fitness was crap! Can't believe how fast it went.
Not so much my muscle strength, but just fatigue and not being able to paddle relentlessly like I used to.
At one point I just got stuck and paddled for about 20mins getting no where and watched old guys on their big long boards slowly creep out past me to the back- how frustrating! Taking my new 6'1 shortboard at 29l was probably not the best board for the day but I could only fit one board in my car and was gagging to finally try it!
Slowly I got back used to it and found the rip to get out back, feeling my shoulders free up a bit.
The wetsuit seemed to do its job and for once I wasn't shivering even despite my hands being very numb.
The booties though, my god how gumby do they feel! I got some decent ones too but the first wave I got I instantly felt very awkward on them and gumby.
I kind of got used to them but always felt the temptation to just take them off and go back to bare feet again.
When i got to the shore i realised that a heap of water had become trapped in the booties and made my feet look like swollen water balloons! No wonder why they felt soo gumby, it would've been like trying to pop up while standing on a medicine ball!
I only ended up getting a couple of waves but it was awesome to feel that sensation of riding unbroken waves again and going down the face. Can't wait to get back out again, it;s amazing how much more enjoyment you can have with the right wetsuit thickness and warmth
