i know those cold water sessions are limited on time before the cold creeps in . Trying to stay warm is key by any means . today in the water , another surfer asked me what was around my wrist and ankles . so i told him i had velcro straps around my ankle/wrist cuffs keeping water from getting in my wetty .) I have only seen a few that do this , velcro , duct tape , or old surf board leashes , fin leashes etc . it does make little bit of a difference out there , hope it helps a few . But the best advice for the cold water has always been " a plane ticket "
haha amen brotha, today was a brutal one, a thread of tips is definitely necessary. Straps help allot for my booties but it was still cold today. Best advice I can give is a thermos, vaseline, and catch a few then go warm up in your car and repeat, did that twice today and got 4 epic ones, hope everyone scored.
what I learned from all the senior citizen surfers I know,that nothing is impossible when it comes to winter surfing.back in those days,wetsuits weren't that good.today u have double taped seams,anti flush gaurds,etc..guys used to use those dishwashing gloves,put like 3 pairs on and put rubberbands around them.today all u need is a 5/4 some gloves and booties.guys are surfing in Antarctica..cold water Is a thing of da past
True dat cep. I'm not even cold in single digits in the Drylock. There's enough obstacles in winter surf other than temps. Maybe I'm exceptionally thermogenic, but to me if you're really cold then your neoprene is either lacking in form fit and/or has holes or tears in it letting in water.
Has anyone tried wearing neoprene socks under their regular booties. I'm thinking of buying the r2 Patagonia wetsuit socks to wear under my 5m excel booties.
If 5mil were the thickest on the market and your dogs were frostbitten then maybe. But 7mil boots are widely available to us. I was in 36F water for 2 hours yesterday and got quite a bit of water in the boots yet they were only mildly cold. A month ago, it was 5 hours straight in 41F water and no problemo. Not boasting, just being honest. You guys sure you don't have rips and tears in your boots? Winter surfing isn't gonna feel like a day at the spa, what's up brahs? You guys ok? Not trying to be a TC here, just know that we have much more pressing issues when hitting the northeast breaks these months. Maybe 5 more threads about such issues posted in the next 3.5 days will warm your collective feet up. Cheers!
As for the no Vaseline endorsement, are you motor boating the deck of your board during breaks in paddling? If the petroleum jelly is covering the exposed parts of my face, I'd be surprised if trace amounts get on my stick, let alone quantity that impedes footing. Are you aware that homemade wax is predominantly just that - Vaseline? Covering my face with it has enabled me to charge without issue on January 3 when the air was something like 6F and the wind chill, fahgheddaboudit. You guys ok? Spicoli asks because he cares. For the brohan tired of wearing all the crap, your dry, heated living room is quite plush and no one's losing sleep of you don't charge your break. Is your surfing court-ordered? It's a pastime, not a sentence of oppression. There are multiple threads right now on the forum that are best ever quality and deep in content. I can therefore deal with these, but simply concerned with your well-being in response to what some of you are writing.
baddy bro, happy to clarify. "Motorboating" is a pop culture term from Wedding Crashers movie. If you've seen it then you would understand. I highly suggest you see it for a wide variety of beneficial reasons. Glad you appreciate the consideration for you. Respect and appreciation are good things. I want to see everyone on here score endlessly and get stoked to da max on the reg. Especially us northerners who've got the cajones to step into winter liquid so frigid that it may no longer be liquid without a saline current. 2-4ft was a myth, or so it seems, across much of the northeast yesterday. At least it was here. One would expect leftovers of a storm to be some decent lines in reasonable winter offshores when that was the sig wave height projected and the period was 11s. No such luck. Hopefully, that's not the case today in AC and you do score. I loved dinosaurs as a kid, thanks for bringing them up. My favorite was triceratops, although I did like T-Rex, stegosaurus and any of the airborne creatures too. I was fascinated that the Paleozoic reptiles could emerge into the regal life forms just mentioned in the years following. Who's telling you to go back to bed? A surfer's supposed to charge. But not before throwing on his form-fitting rubber and facial petroleum jelly and watching Riding Giants until the sun comes up. I'm not gonna say plane ticket. I was just gone to SoCal, SF, and FL for two weeks and hardly scored. Scored in winter wonderland when I came back here though. Good thing I was out in SoCal 3.5 weeks ago too for that weekend bonanza of super-long period stoke. Not everywhere you'll fly to is guaranteed shacks for days though some are. Those can be four digits just for airfare though. Spicoli is a smart shopper, however. FLY A BANNER FOR OUR NATION'S FOREFATHERS TODAY! I told you who may fav Dino was, who's your fav prezzy? I like FDR. All you brahs should be wearing wigs and knickers today in the honor of those who signed our Declaration 238 years ago.
I wear a rc insulator 5/4 and have no problem surfing in cold water temps, except when air temps are in low 30's and below, I do get a chill after an hour or so, but if air is in the 40's completely warm. Next year gonna get a 6/4 for those cold and windy days where the air has a bite. As far as feet and hands, different story. When water temps are in the 30's my feet freeze after an hour or so...frozen nuggets with 5 mil and even bought a pair of 7mil yesterday...did survive almost 2 hours until the toes began to go lifeless...they fit properly but for whatever reason, both my feet and hands just get dam cold. I can deal with frozen fingers but not feet...makes surfing impossible. Once water temps reach low to mid 40's, Iam fine and can surf forever...water temp in the 30's just doesnt agree with my extremities....maybe its my age or all the fat I have lost in the last several months.
I must have the best boots on the market or something. I got these 7 mils: And these babies keep me warm (No, like WARM, warm) for 2 - 2 1/2 hours every sesh in 36* water. And one more thing, I have an oneill 5/3 and use it all winter. Use to think the hood sucked and the suit was too thin, but after the past couple sessions, its been fine. Also, I don't know aboot you guys, but for me in the dead of winter, after a few duckdives and getting my hood filled with water, my head and face is fine and doesn't feel cold at all the rest of the times. Like I'm surfing in the spring with 58 degree water. Also Emass, I don't understand the "Spicoli" part of your name? I just don't get it.
Buoys...is grom brah for reelz here?! I know he's typically in over his head...butttttt I'm waiting for yankee to get back from SoCal so he can regulate this one. SMH. Hope he's scoring out there.
on the coooooolllllddddd days in vb, and don't joke, we are sub 40 right now, I wear a pair of smartwool wool socks under my booties. Wool is still warm even when wet and it is basically what Patagucci is doing to charge air jordan prices for their booties.
My feet get cold no matter what. Trudging through the snow and the spongeiform sand; cold, cold, cold. I get that I could wear wool socks underneath my booties when in the water. But what about the trudge through the snow? I hate how cold and dirty my booties get before even surfing. Do any of you guys put bags or something over your booties? I'm thinking of getting some oversized winter boots (probably gore-tex) to put over them. Who knows, might even help in the water- warmth + traction, how could it not?
