Stay Warm While Surfing Chilly Northwest Beaches
Coldwater Surfers Need Full Wetsuits - Even During Spring and Summer
Feb 27, 2009
The first rule of surfing the Northwest is staying warm in the chilly water, which ranges from 48 to 55 degrees throughout the year.Surfing without a good wetsuit - even in summer - is a fast track to a life-threatening case of hypothermia.
Coldwater surfers also wear neoprene hoods, gloves and booties.Experienced coldwater surfers expose only their faces to the elements. They also eat warm food - oatmeal with honey is a top choice - and sip hot drinks before surfing.
Picking a Northwest Wetsuit
Bob Rueter, a veteran Northwest surfer and owner of the Gorge Performance surf shop in Portland, Oregon, says surfers usually use a 4/3 wetsuit in late spring and summer and a 5/4 wetsuit during fall and winter.
A 4/3 wetsuit has 4mm neoprene in the torso and 3mm neoprene in the legs and arms. A 5/4 suit is a little thicker and warmer, as it has 5mm neoprene in the torso and 4mm neoprene in the legs and arms.
"Some surfers stay with a 5/4 even during the summer - if they have a tendency to feel chilly," Rueter says.
Wetsuit Fitting
A wetsuit works by letting in a small film of water and trapping it against the body. The wetsuit should then prevent more water from getting into the suit and displacing the body-warmed water.
Surfers trying on a wetsuit should follow this checklist:
The suit should not be too tight - or too loose. There should be no loose spots. A loose suit will let in flushes of cold water.
The neck, arm and leg cuffs should be snug.
It should be easy to squat and move legs.
Making over-the-shoulder paddling strokes should be easy, and the arm cuffs should not pull away from the wrists.
Paying the Price
Quality wetsuit makers, such as Xcel, Patagonia, O'Neil and Rip Curl, make good wetsuits for coldwater surfers. Surfers should expect to pay between $200 and $600 for a good wetsuit.
There is no substitute for trying on wetsuits at a good surf shop, where experts help find the best fit. Surfers know that a good wetsuit is worth the cash, as it's all about staying warm, staying safe and getting out on the water during a good swell.
Hoods, Gloves and Booties
Rueter says he likes to wear a rashguard with a built-in neoprene hood under his wetsuit.
The rashquard provides extra insulation, and the built-in hood keeps the head warm and prevents cold water from flushing into the wetsuit from the neck, Rueter said.
Neoprene gloves keep hands warm. "If I see surfers out there tucking their hands into their armpits, I put on the gloves," Rueter says. "I always wear booties, as your feet are in the water all of the time."
Rueter – and most other coldwater surfers – wear 5mm neoprene booties with gum soles for traction on the surfboard.
Colder and Warmer Days
Windy days are always colder on the water, as the breeze evaporates the water on the outside of wetsuits and creates a chill. Days with no wind – rare on Northwest beaches during fall and winter – are much warmer.
Summer brings the warmest weather, but the water is still 48 to 55 degrees.Winter and early spring surf sessions are often short, an hour or two.
"Winter is not about sitting on the beach and drinking a beer after surfing," Rueter says. "Summer is, and people spend all day at the beach."
The Northwest's coldwater surfers are a hardy bunch, but they could not ride those beautiful waves without a full-bore outfit of wetsuit, booties, gloves and hoods, even during the summer.
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