It's almost time

Lol little do they know it's only beginning.

 

You are allowed to surf during the winter, I thought the beaches were closed?

 

Don't the oceans freeze solid?

 

Before the time of good wetsuits or the money to buy them this was right about the end of the season for us as kids. Maybe squeeze a couple of days in when the sun was out but otherwise it was the start of a long, cold winter back in the seventies. I lived near a dive shop and they would clear their old crap out for pennies on the dollar. We would buy the pieces and literally sew a wetsuit together using fishing line or dental floss. God that was torture but it would keep us in the water until thanksgiving.

 

Dang, yo. That is some hardcore OG s h i t right thur.
I thought I was roughing it with my Sam's Club leaky neon wetsuit I bought in 1988...That zipped up in the FRONT. Surfed with that thing in April. So cold...

 

I remember reading about John Conner (of Conner's Market) and his friends pioneer surfing in Buxton. They would put on heavy wool sweaters, surf till they were frozen then thaw out next to a bonfire on the beach. I really can hardly imagine.

 

One of my funniest memories was when a buddy with one of my hand me down Frankenstein wetsuits had his liner blow out in a mega flush. He got the brilliant idea of putting large black plastic garbage bags over his feet and up each leg before putting on the suit and then the booties. In theory this should have worked but he didn't take into account that the suit was so open that one big flush would fill the suit with freezing water and it would then rush down each leg. One cold November day we were paddling out at Sandy Hook through pure chop. I made it to the line up and look back to see my friend dragging a 30 gallon garbage bag filled with water and sticking out the bottom of his leg up the beach. Turns out he got flushed and the water rushed into one leg, filled the bag, blew his booty off and nearly drowned him. Why he didn't rip the bag to let the water out ill never know, but it was awesome.

 

Thats funny, I remember my old black/neon green Body Glove I got from the base exchange in CA. Used it in February, not very warm! LOL

 

In my youth I utilized the spring suite over full suite technique.

 

I wasn't alive way back when, only 25, but Iv heard stories from my uncle and older dudes who said they would duck tape a few pairs of dish washing gloves and wore extremely thick wetsuits that were impossible to move in. Said it sucked but they would surf all winter. Just because the technology wasn't there dosn't mean there weren't people surfing all winter. Then again I wasn't there. Any of you older guys do this?

 

i have neck problems now that i am convinced was cause by the thick dive hoods i used to wear. I was king sh!t when I got my Victory 5 mm (not 5/4/3, straight 5mm).

 

Yeah, a friend of mine swears his neck and back problems were caused by those thick hoods. I remember those old straight 5 mils. Remember when they would dry up and start cracking? ohh the torture of ice water dribbling on your privates.

 

at one point (84-85 I think) the body glove dry suits were all the rage.

 

In the early 80's surfing wetsuit tech jumped a bunch, but was pretty expensive.

Still remember duct taping around the booties and gloves to help keep the water out in the Winter.

Love my 4/3 hoodie for the fall and 6/5/4 when the water is under 40 degrees.

October thru January is the best time of the year when you have the right size, uh kind of
rubber you need.

 

Started surfing in 1965 and the state of art wetsuit consisted of a 2 piece suit , the top had a beaver tail flap that went between your legs and fastened in the front . Parkway dive suits was the company , and they were'nt thinking surfing when they designed them .The entry zipper ran down the front and were notorius for blowing open when you got flushed , and turning the pants into a sea anchor ,draggging you under till you got worked to the beach .We always had a fire going on the beach , thanks to all the driftwood , tires and what ever other garbage that would wash up , back then the envoirment did'nt exist and all our garbage magically disappeared once it was dumped in the ocean . Boy I'm glad the suits are better today....but then again there was never a crowd to deal with come winter

 

Seriously, you guys that surf that cold @ss Sh!t are bad @sses... Then to have done it in old school suits. I start to whine when the water drops below 50... Still surf it but whine about it.

 

We did this, but opposite. Full over spring. You guys must have looked suite!

 

What's a wetsuit?

 

Dude we looked so suite! We we're trying for fashion and funcionality. My cousin had to rent this hood one day that had a velcro chinstrap, and was red, it was hella suite.