Staying Warm in Cold Water Surf

[SaltWaterHeart]

FYI, this is a post about cold water surfing essentials to keep warm, not cold compared to Southern California or Hawaii, but cold like mid-winter Alaska, Maine and northern New England, Great Lakes (US), Iceland, Norway, UK, Japan cold.

I’ve surfed year round in Maine for a number of years now after having taught myself to surf one winter during several Nor’easters. In Maine, for reference, the water temp gets down to 32°F and the air temp with wind chill factor can be well below 0°F with winds upwards of 60mph. Presently, it’s late December and the water temp is 40°F in Maine and dropping. The air temp has been fluctuating a bit lately but it has been single digits with wind chill already and windy.

When I started surfing, I weighed a lot more than I do now, like 265lbs, and now like 180lbs. I would wear a 4.5/3.5mm hooded wetsuit with 5mm five finger gloves and 5mm boots. It was cold but I didn’t really feel it. Perhaps I was still learning and thinking more about things I don’t really think about at all now which distracted me from the cold and/or my weight helped with insulation. As I’ve gotten pretty proficient in surfing the past several years and gotten into great shape, I’ve started to feel the chill more and get the shakes out in the water faster than before. I used to be able to be out in early February, coldest it gets, on a good day for 5-6hr long sessions without feeling much cold with the exception of my toes feeling numb. Now, I wear a 5/4 Vissla North Seas, 7mm boots, and 8mm mittens, and as long as I’m not waiting too long in the water and keep active, can be out for maybe half of what I used to before I start to feel the chill.

No doubt getting out of the water is often the hardest part in cold weather. I invested in some good lambs wool slippers to slide my numb feet into after changing roadside after a session which saves my toes though my fingers still go numb after taking my wetsuit off and becoming damp and then being exposed to the freezing air without the gloves on. My winter suit is a few seasons old, had it patched my Patagonia’s Worn Wear a couple years ago and this is honestly its last season most likely. My Vissla suit when new was definitely the warmest I’ve ever had and the panels on the back and hood help shield from the offshore winds which was nice, but I did notice it was less flexible than other wetsuits I’ve had. That said, I still love Vissla as a company. Curious what cold water wetsuit brands everyone holds to around the world?

Curious if anyone in really cold water has any tricks of the trade to share for other cold water surfers in the most brutal, yet, glorious months of cold water surfing. I’ve heard in Iceland a rumor there are wool socks that Icelanders will wear under their booties. I personally enjoy making a pourover coffee before dawn patrol so that I can enjoy a hot cup right after a session and use a travel mug from Fellow products which keeps it hot roadside in the car (Yeti and Hydro Flask failed to keep it hot actually). So, for anyone who surfs in similar conditions or colder conditions, what gear do you swear by? What routines keep you warm and motivated on those icy offshore days mid winter? Do you have any extra post-surf gear to help you warm up faster after changing out of your wetsuit and gear? If you are one of those Icelandic surfers, is there any truth to the socks under the booties, if so what kind?

Cheers everyone. Stay warm and stay stoked.

[Naeco78]

Hey good on ya for surfing through those temps. I used to surf year round in NJ back in the 90's and got by with a 4/3 zipfree (Ripcurl) and 5m boots and fingered gloves and hood. The water gets down around 36-38 and I had a fleece rash guard that I would wear under my suit that helped a bunch. I think the built-in furnace tech is pretty similar to that on some of the suits nowadays. I think think its a really good option if its not built into your wetsuit.

Aside from that, I would usually sit in the car with the heat warming up my hands and feet before venturing out into the surf. Getting the core body temp up seemed to help a lot. It felt like I could retain the heat for a good while after getting int the water. But if i got in with just a room temp wetsuit it always felt colder during my whole session.

Still working up to those temps after getting back into surfing. It's interesting the water still seems colder than it used to be, even with all the improvements in wetsuit tech in the last 20 years. I hate to say it, but I think age plays a big part in it.

[Naeco78]

Just a heads up... you might wanna look into getting earplugs etc, if it doesn't mess with needing to hear stuff in the lineup. I was told I have Surfers Ear from long exposure to cold water.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surfer%27s_ear
Surfer's ear is the common name for an exostosis or abnormal bone growth within the ear canal. Surfer's ear is not the same as swimmer's ear, although infection can result as a side effect.

Irritation from cold wind and water exposure causes the bone surrounding the ear canal to develop lumps of new bony growth which constrict the ear canal. Where the ear canal is actually blocked by this condition, water and wax can become trapped and give rise to infection. The condition is so named due to its prevalence among cold water surfers.

[Lebowski]

I sometimes surf the UK, which is probably not as cold as where you are.

I get changed beforehand in the car. There's enough space to get the wetsuit on in the drivers seat. My latest car also has heated seats which are glorious before/after a surf.

A changing mat is useful for afterwards as the ground is freezing. I've heard of some surfers taking a plastic box full of hot water and standing in it whilst getting changed.

Other than that, I just get into my clothes as quickly as possible. Wetsuits nowadays are so good that I'm nowhere near as cold as I used to be. When I first started surfing the suits were rubbish compared to today. I'd come out of the water with completely numb hands and feet and getting the car key in the door was a mission.

[gsseirik]

I surf in Norway and I wear xcel 6/5 hooded wetsuit, 5mm gloves and 7 mm boots. I have also tried the thickest wetsuit from Ripcurl many years ago, but I found that xcel has a better fit for mye bodyshape. In the beginning of my surfing I had a wetsuit that was too thin, and then it helped with a wool baselayer on torso and legs, but it was less flexible and easier to get a rash. You can also bring a thermos with hot water to fill the boots and gloves before putting them on. Some guys here use seatcovers after surf and take of the wetsuit at home, and others swears to a dryrobe. I always use a mat like Lebowski suggests. And you can consider getting a webasto heater for your car.

[jaffa1949]

Boxing day river surf, some lower mountain made the wave work, ski to the wave, surf, no,coffee lock down so for any sustenance you have to,go home.... al,cafes and food outlets closed

[oldmansurfer]

there are thermoses, you know , to keep the coffee hot and you can pack some food as well. Well hopefully you had some fun

[BaNZ]

When I surfed in north sea UK and the water get to 2C. I always bring those hand warmers with me. The ones where you just bend a few times, some chemical reaction occurs and it starts heating up. I stick a few around my kidneys as that's usually where I start to get cold. They usually last about 30-45 minutes.

I usually go with a few friends on a roadtrip. It really gives us the motivation to surf in cold water.

[SaltWaterHeart]

Thanks all for sharing! It’s my hope that this thread in general will be a helpful resource for surfers in cold water all over to be able to draw from.

That being said, I always crank the heat on the way to the beach for a session. My new car has heated seats but I forget about that feature at times but that’s a bonus. Also, being able to adjust the setting to heat your feet after a session is a game changer. One of the best features for cold water surfers in a car I think, saves the toes.

I rarely change at home in advance and then after in the shower, but maybe a couple times a year if the air temp is well below 0°F with a lot of wind, I would consider it for sure. If my wetsuit is damp, probably wouldn’t though it’s certainly no fun changing into a damp wetsuit for an early dawn patrol in the winter. Sometimes the sessions are just too close for the suit to dry though.

Like we had a good Nor’easter recently before Christmas up here in New England and had swell for a solid week and if you surf morning and afternoon, the sun starts to set after 3:30 this time of year here, but if you have two sessions a day split by the high tide for a week straight it’s hard for your suit to dry but you just gotta tough it out. I like to stay active in the water to take my mind off of the cold and moving obviously helps. I move around more in the water to pick up waves and position rather than wait because if you wait too long you’re cold and your session gets cut by the shakes. When I say cut short, I surf literally all daylight hours in the winter, or 2/3hr sessions on the short end.

I use a poncho towel to change in and out of, the thicker one by Slowtide. You have to wash it frequently as it will smell dank quickly so I don’t leave it in the car even if I surf at sunset and plan to surf the next morning. I take it in so it doesn’t stink up the car or stay too damp. It makes life easier changing at the beach on the road. I also use a changing mat that cinches into a dry bag. I lay everything out after a session so I can quickly take off my gear and change into dry clothes. One of the best winter surfing purchases I’ve made recently are my Olukai slippers with machine washable soft insoles and lamb’s wool interior. Wicks moisture away naturally, heel drops so you can slide in and out, and sand and rocks can be knocked out after they dry and the insoles tossed in the wash after a few wears. The soles don’t have much for traction so if there’s ice, you’ll slide if you aren’t careful. If you have snow to step on, you’re fine in them.

I’m very efficient at changing after a session so that there’s limited exposure to the cold as that’s the worst part of being in the cold. My fingers get pretty cold still from taking the gear off and putting boards in bags or if any of my bigger boards, strapping them to the roof while feeling the offshores. Might get some wool gloves down the road or something.

I’ve been wearing my 8mm Vissla mittens for a few weeks now and aside from the cuff of my wetsuit sliding the thick wrist edge of the mitten and having to pull them down repeatedly, it’s been an easier transition this year and my surfing hasn’t suffered much going from 5mm five finger gloves to 8mm mittens. It did last year but I was getting used to mittens then.

Elli Thor Magnusson from Iceland told me via Instagram wool socks are a definite thing in Iceland but that they have to be real wool, super itchy if dry and thick, to wear under booties for added warmth. He also mentioned some guys bringing a thermos of hot water to pour into boots and gloves before a session.

Few questions... what wetsuits or boots or gloves do you swear by or work best? Do you prefer mittens or lobster claws or gloves? Any tips for getting your gear to dry faster between sessions, especially boots and gloves?

[Naeco78]

The fan hanger seems like a good option to dry the wettie quicker.
I havent tried one yet but it's high on the list.

https://www.amazon.com/Underwater-Kinet ... B0011G1F8S

[Lebowski]

One of the houses I lived at in New Zealand had a log burner in the lounge. In winter I'd hang my wetsuit behind the log burner, and get the thing furiously hot all evening (necessary anyway as the house was made of uninsulated chipboard!). The wetsuit would be bone dry after 3 or 4 hours. You had to get the distance away from the burner correct though. Too close would ruin the suit as you could instantly boil water on the outside of that thing.

In a 'regular' house, the cupboard around the water heating cylinder is always warm and dries stuff quickly.

[SaltWaterHeart]

Any tips for where to clean your wetsuit in the winter months? In the summer I rinse it off outside and let it dry outside but in the winter I usually rinse my gear off in the shower. However, it’s a pain because I then have to wipe out all of the sand so it doesn’t go down the drain and clog the drain. Aside from those rinse kits, any tips on cleaning your gear in the winter and not clogging your drain with sand?