4/3 in NY this weekend?

I was thinking about it. I was hot in a 5 mil last weekend. Depends on wind, weather, etc.

 

definitely

 

A 4/3 in 45 degree water?

I have to crack up laughing at this. I wear a 5mm in 60 degree water and I'm perfectly comfortable.

Are the people that go on this site as fat as a walrus? I mean seriously. I quit in late november at the latest. If the air temp drops below 50 I start shivering violently after an hour in a brand spanking new 5mm that fits like a glove. I hate being cold. Takes all the enjoyment out of it. I also don't understand how people could enjoy swimming/wading w/o a wetsuit in these freezing cold waters in June around here. Maybe I belong in the tropics. lol

Really don't understand how someone could possibly be warm with air temps in the 20's and water temps in the 30's in a 6mm suit. I do get cold easy, but still I remember when I first started snowboarding I would sweat like hell and had to cut down on my layers. Surf shop salesman up here basically give the same crap advice about wetsuit thickness. I also notice in the water what many people are wearing is far thicker than what the surf shops/online forums recommend.

 

Yes, right before I paddled out last Sat. in NJ my winter 6/5/4 neck seam opened up like 4 inches. I figured I wouldn't last long with 45°f water. But I was too hot!

Switching to the 4/3 - an F-bomb and super warm, but a 4/3.

 

4/3 is fine, keep your winter booties/gloves on though. I switched over the weekend before last.

 

Yes if its sunny and warmish. I wore a 4/3 w a hooded vest under. I was hot at times. But my head got cold when i pulled my hood off in the water. On long island.

 

dude 4/3 all winter

 

i wear a 4/3 with a hooded shirt year round... if you're cold enough to wear a 5mil in 60 degree water you have a problem

 

I did it last winter although it wasn't very cold. I switched to the 4/3 over a month ago and have been comfy. It's all in the wetsuit. A good 4/3 should be fine. A leaky old worn one not so much. As far as a 6 mil in 60 degree water seems like overkill. Less rubber equals more maneuverability. Get yourself a good 4/3 and shed some lbs

 

#1 It's YOU'RE....YOU ARE....YOUR indicates possession. 5th grade grammar.

Surfing(95% of world surfing population) is mainly a tropical activity or water temps above 50(southern to central cali to Australia)

I don't surf. Check my profile. lol

You do realize their are people that never even surf cold water right? People in Florida complain when it's 55 degrees outside about how cold it is. I don't understand what being cold has to do with being "tough" or a "surfer" There's nothing "tough" about being cold and miserable. Do you ski killington nude in january to show how "core" you are. I HATE being cold. When the snow starts falling....it's not time to surf. Get a snowboard or a pair of ski's and shred some pow. haha For me anyway. If you can manage to truly be comfortable in january in the northeast than all the better to you mr. polar bear, but all I can tell you is how I feel in those type of conditions.

When/IF you shiver that is dangerous as it is the first sign of hypothermia. Never mind the fact that it is miserable. I've seen multiple people shivering/teeth chattering in the water saying how warm they are.

 

Shedding pounds makes you colder. Fat = insulation. Skinny people get colder quicker. Different body types mean different tolerances to cold.
I'm a body boarder and I don't drop knee. The maneuverability difference between a 4/3 and 5mm is not even noticeable especially since they make that stretchy stuff around the underarms when you're paddling with your arms. You're never popping up. You're just lying on a board. I wish they made thicker suits than I could extend my season with comfort.

 

I should add that I shiver when I go to the public pool at 77 degrees if I'm NOT sprinting laps. If I'm just hanging out, I'm not comfortable. Some people are just fine with it and others complain about it like I do. Depends on individual tolerance.

So I decided to don the 6/5 with boots and mitts at my public pool.......Got some strange looks

 

While we're being grammar police - I believe "don" was the word you were looking for.

 

What!?! You changed my quote. I spelled it don the whole time!

 

I've just recently fully committed to the sport though live on the coast in New England and have been out on the water 3-6 days a week for the last 2+ months. I switched from a 6/5 with hood to a 4/3 no hood just over a month ago. Granted the weather and water is getting warmer by the week, though I have felt great since moving to the 4/3. That includes last Friday late afternoon/evening which was freezing rain and air temps of 33-37 and water temp of 41. I happen to be three quarters of a nutball though and between adrenaline, focus on dynamic environment, and constant physical activity in the water, I felt fine for a 90 minute session eating ice rain to the face and duck diving through chop. I'm just about the only one out there with no hood (or hood pulled off) even on these very nice days recently.

I was wearing the 6/5 with hood in the winter when air was as low as 19 and water 36, through Nemo and the other storms. Honestly, the hood feels like it sucks water in and washes me out even when the cord is pulled tight. Not like I'd prefer going sans hood on those arctic days and storms, but cold is cold. Side note: the 6/5 is MUCH more restrictive than the 4/3 in my opinion, though I don't mind that because of the increased caloric expenditure resulting from biomechanical impediment. Between that and the enhanced energy usage in the cold, I've got pretty lean from my sessions this past winter.

The irony is that prior to embracing the sport, I was quite averse to ocean water even in the summer in New England due to the cold temps of the water well into the summer. It's amazing what enthusiasm, passion, and desire can do for letting go of external uncontrollables and keeping focused on the privilege of the experience and tasks at hand to improve on.

Just today, I had a buddy on the water with me for his 2nd surf ever and I let him wear my boots. I was basically barefoot wearing only those Speedo water socks and my feet felt like ice blocks but I was out there with him intermittently for the majority of 4+ hours in 58 degree air and 42 degree water. Yes, my feet were cold as a mother but I accepted it as a fact of life and had fun while blocking it out until I had to go in the truck to warm the feet a couple times.

No one's making us go out there on days we don't want to be out there, and we won't get anything out of being out there when we don't truly want to be. By no means am I saying every surfer needs to or should be out there in any and all conditions, as this sport is what we want and make of it. It's a great thing there is equipment and gear for nearly all conditions.

 

There's a reason you're the only one without a hood. Ever head of surfer's ear? Take a trip to santa cruz some time and talk to the surfers. My god....not wearing a hood in 40 degree water. Get ready go get your ears drilled. I hope you haven't done any damage yet. Start wearing a hood bro!

Seems to me it would just be better for you to move where it's less cold and actual consistent swells if you're this stoked for surfing. Or take some vacations to fill your need.

 

This is why I come to the reputable forums. Huge tip, thank you. I've not gone hoodless until it was about 41-42F and it's upwards of 43-44 now. I will research the topic as I do everything else. Prelim reading states that ear plugs are a prophylactic for the condition. Is that adequate? Though I love the feeling of the splash on the face and head, I have a much greater respect for nature and our body's environmental adaptivity.

Makes sense now that others are covered up!