how cold does it have to be...

Have a chat about any general surfing related topics.

how cold does it have to be...

Postby tomcat360 » Fri Nov 24, 2006 10:54 pm

so today I was out, and after about an hour, my feet were f'ed up. I tried to walk outta the ocean, and it felt like I was walking on glass because my feet were so cold. Apparently it was like 55 degrees (about 12 deg C).

So I went to the surf shop and dropped 50 bucks on some o'neill 5 mil booties. After that, I went back surfing, and my feet were nice and warm for the rest of the day.

So my question to you: how cold for YOU does it have to be to bust out the

1.) booties-

2.) gloves-

3.) hood (it would have been nice so I didn't have a perpetual ice cream head ache due to duck dives)

4.) stop surfing (I hope the answer to this is 0 deg kelvin)
User avatar
tomcat360
Surfing Legend
 
Posts: 2369
Likes: 0 post
Liked in: 0 post
Joined: Wed May 25, 2005 4:33 pm
Location: Lake Atlantic (VA, USA)

Postby isaluteyou » Fri Nov 24, 2006 11:20 pm

how cold depends on ho your body reacts to the cold. If you need it wear it.
User avatar
isaluteyou
Big Wave Master
 
Posts: 2189
Likes: 0 post
Liked in: 0 post
Joined: Mon Jul 17, 2006 1:41 am
Location: San diego - Ocean beach, Praying For Swell

Postby tomcat360 » Fri Nov 24, 2006 11:23 pm

...I know....this is a personal preference question....

that's why I capitalized "you"
User avatar
tomcat360
Surfing Legend
 
Posts: 2369
Likes: 0 post
Liked in: 0 post
Joined: Wed May 25, 2005 4:33 pm
Location: Lake Atlantic (VA, USA)

Postby jethrodog » Fri Nov 24, 2006 11:59 pm

I wear my wetsuit and booties all the time unless I am in Costa Rica as the water is freezing ass cold most places I surf. I don't own gloves or hood so I never wear them. :roll:
I will surf in any weather and in any temperature. I don't get to go that much so when I get a chance, I go. ANytime.
User avatar
jethrodog
SW Pro
 
Posts: 532
Likes: 0 post
Liked in: 0 post
Joined: Fri Oct 27, 2006 12:33 am
Location: Playa Azul, Costa Rica

Postby Dec » Sat Nov 25, 2006 3:07 am

It has to be really good clean firing surf if I am going to go in with a wetsuit.

Anything less than 25C requires a wetsuit for me as well!
User avatar
Dec
Surfing Legend
 
Posts: 1733
Likes: 0 post
Liked in: 0 post
Joined: Thu Dec 01, 2005 12:24 pm

Postby scuba steve » Sat Nov 25, 2006 7:41 am

I've been out surfing in Irelanda couple of times without booties in winter and that would have been around 9degrees c. but that was probably a bit stupid.
Usually anything under 13-14degrees and i would preferably wear boots an the rest of the winter kit but i dont get cold that easily.
User avatar
scuba steve
Local Hero
 
Posts: 366
Likes: 0 post
Liked in: 0 post
Joined: Sat Jul 22, 2006 10:59 am
Location: london, wishing i was at the beach

Postby drowningbitbybit » Sat Nov 25, 2006 7:46 am

I used to resist boots/gloves/winter suit for as long as I could, but more recently Ive made sure Im warm even if it is hard work paddling. Maybe Im getting old :wink:

Actually, I think its 'cos Ive worked on my paddling strength and now the thicker neoprene doesnt take quite as much out of me.

Surfing in the cold is great. Surfing when Im cold sucks.
User avatar
drowningbitbybit
Surfing Legend
 
Posts: 6459
Likes: 0 post
Liked in: 0 post
Joined: Tue Feb 15, 2005 11:16 am
Location: Gold Coast, QLD, Australia.

Postby northswell » Sat Nov 25, 2006 9:29 am

The boots 16C
Gloves about 13C
Hood about now 11C
Stop surfing never, think i've been close to hyperthermia a few times, the north sea gets down to about 5C by Feb, and air temps of minus degrees. Keeps the crowds down a little tho.
User avatar
northswell
SW Pro
 
Posts: 1448
Likes: 0 post
Liked in: 0 post
Joined: Fri Nov 03, 2006 9:49 pm
Location: East Side and Bogged down working on the website www.northswell.co.uk

Postby dougirwin13 » Sat Nov 25, 2006 10:36 am

I always wear boots.
Hood is more for cold winds than anything else.
Wettie if it ain't summer.
You can tell it's cold if I am wearing gloves... How cold is that? Dunno...


-doug
User avatar
dougirwin13
SW Pro
 
Posts: 867
Likes: 0 post
Liked in: 0 post
Joined: Wed Apr 05, 2006 6:46 am
Location: http://www.compsand.com/

Postby Bwgan » Sat Nov 25, 2006 11:17 am

Don't know temps over here, but oct/nov you dig out the old winter suit. Like you just bought a pair of winter boots. Got my gloves on too now, and gimp mask will be following fairly soon, prob dec time.

Use to kite surf and we went out on New Years Eve when it was 5 degrees, but the windchill must have taken it into the minus figures. We went out for about 10 mins!
Bwgan
Local Hero
 
Posts: 255
Likes: 0 post
Liked in: 0 post
Joined: Tue Apr 11, 2006 8:19 pm
Location: N Wales

Postby surferdude_scarborough » Sat Nov 25, 2006 12:18 pm

i hate boots and gloves and i really hate my hood so i resist them until its 10 degrees or less
User avatar
surferdude_scarborough
Big Wave Master
 
Posts: 1709
Likes: 0 post
Liked in: 0 post
Joined: Mon Dec 01, 2003 7:49 pm
Location: Leeds

Postby GowerCharger » Sat Nov 25, 2006 2:56 pm

i hate wearing gloves, and hate wearing a hood even more, but boots are ok. Basically when my feet start going numb i start wearing the boots.

Try this- when it starts getting cold and you feel your feet going numb, try running up the beach after you surf, notice how awkward it is without the flexibility in your ankles due to the numbness. Thats when you need boots, a lot of surfing is in the ankles so keeping them warm and flexible is essential.
User avatar
GowerCharger
SW Pro
 
Posts: 901
Likes: 0 post
Liked in: 0 post
Joined: Fri May 05, 2006 5:58 pm
Location: Gower, Wales

Postby surfdaisy06 » Sat Nov 25, 2006 4:41 pm

I start layering up with surf gear about november. Probably because its always kinda cold here.. suppose it depeneds where you surf, its always slightly warmer down in devon etc.
Plus i totally agree about the ice cream headache.... only today I noticed how the cold goes sraight to your head.
Damned winter!
User avatar
surfdaisy06
Local Hero
 
Posts: 330
Likes: 0 post
Liked in: 0 post
Joined: Sun Aug 13, 2006 12:56 pm
Location: Newcastle, UK

Postby tomcat360 » Sat Nov 25, 2006 10:22 pm

I try never to use gloves, but it's almost already impractical. I'm usually in pretty poor paddling shape, and I hate having to lift up gloves filled with water up ever stroke....

But I worked on my paddling yesterday, and today, about a mile or so each day on my shortboard (which is for sale)
User avatar
tomcat360
Surfing Legend
 
Posts: 2369
Likes: 0 post
Liked in: 0 post
Joined: Wed May 25, 2005 4:33 pm
Location: Lake Atlantic (VA, USA)

Postby bluesnowcone » Sun Nov 26, 2006 6:44 pm

im in boots now but thats cas i cant b assed to rewax my 9ft longboard,
User avatar
bluesnowcone
SW Pro
 
Posts: 1223
Likes: 0 post
Liked in: 0 post
Joined: Tue Mar 28, 2006 4:16 pm
Location: South Coast

Postby Real Pol » Sun Nov 26, 2006 10:55 pm

I always have a winter wettie on, always have boots on cos I'm a bit of a woose, start wearing gloves as soon as I find it painful to stay in the water for more than an hour and will probably put the gimp hood on next time I'm in the water as I'm spending too long gasping from the shock of the cold water every time I come up.
User avatar
Real Pol
SW Pro
 
Posts: 952
Likes: 0 post
Liked in: 0 post
Joined: Fri Aug 04, 2006 7:58 pm
Location: Aberdeen

Postby gdude335 » Sun Nov 26, 2006 11:56 pm

i currently have nothing and the water is cold, jsut a wetsuit.
im probably gonna get gloves for X-mas because my wetsuit is a bit bigger then me to make it last longer so when i slam into a wave a bunch of water comes down my arms. The gloves would stop that.
Also it was really annoyig because even 30 minutes after getting out i couldnt close m pants button! I couldnt really feel my hands.
Also my feet burn after i get out and i walk, mostly because we were going up a cliff thing on ghetto stairs.
I dont feel like getting booties but i just might...
gdude335
Local Hero
 
Posts: 486
Likes: 0 post
Liked in: 0 post
Joined: Sun Aug 27, 2006 9:05 pm

Postby Driftingalong » Mon Nov 27, 2006 2:50 pm

northswell wrote:The boots 16C
Gloves about 13C
Hood about now 11C
Stop surfing never, think i've been close to hyperthermia a few times, the north sea gets down to about 5C by Feb, and air temps of minus degrees. Keeps the crowds down a little tho.


That's pretty much how I do it too.

60°F
55
50

It can depend on the air temp and winds too...
User avatar
Driftingalong
SW Pro
 
Posts: 1005
Likes: 0 post
Liked in: 0 post
Joined: Tue Sep 20, 2005 1:45 pm
Location: OC, MD

Postby tomcat360 » Mon Nov 27, 2006 3:09 pm

Driftingalong, did the swell ever work out for ya'll up there?

I went Friday, wasn't too impressed, and I went sunday, and apparently Saturday was a glass off...

Funny how that happens....goes back to the age old saying...

"you should have been here yesterday..."
User avatar
tomcat360
Surfing Legend
 
Posts: 2369
Likes: 0 post
Liked in: 0 post
Joined: Wed May 25, 2005 4:33 pm
Location: Lake Atlantic (VA, USA)

Postby Driftingalong » Mon Nov 27, 2006 3:24 pm

tomcat360 wrote:Driftingalong, did the swell ever work out for ya'll up there?



It worked out for those who were here...

I didn't get back from Balt. until 7:30pm Sunday. :(
User avatar
Driftingalong
SW Pro
 
Posts: 1005
Likes: 0 post
Liked in: 0 post
Joined: Tue Sep 20, 2005 1:45 pm
Location: OC, MD

Next

Similar topics

Cold Weather Surfing
RELATED: Surf Chat
Author: billie_morini
Replies: 5
SoCal water is cold!
RELATED: Surf Chat
Author: BaNZ
Replies: 2
Return to Surf Chat