Hey guys, you can say I'm on a hiatus from the waves for the rest of the fall and during winter until I get my license so I can leave this forsaken place and go down the shore in late march/april. Now, I live in south jersey so is it safe to say that during that time the water will be in the 40s? I'm getting myself a 4/3 for sure on my birthday. I'm wondering if that will suffice until may or june when i can just trunk it like I always do. any help or info is much appreciated
I went in at the beginning of april this year with a 3/2 and i was a little chilly but other than that i was fine.
do you only bodyboard? i do, but I surf from time to time really depending on the conditions and I've never worn gloves while bodyboarding. id assume i may need them during this time?
Oh yes.... gloves for sure in March and April.. at least in NJ. The water's still in the 40's until about the first week in May.
ok many thanks, I can just use my gloves that I have left over during surf, hopefully a hood might not be necessary? dont have one haha
Where are you now? I still have yet to use gloves this year... they are the worst when paddling and gripping the BB.
I'm on LBI, I pretty much bodyboard on the north end, ceders or loveladies and south at beach haven. I really haven't used gloves at all while bodyboarding, never tried. I have the same concern, i wouldn't be able to pull the rail or grip it properly with them on.
you will need a hood in nj. i've been wearing gloves for a couple weeks now (but i'm a p***y when it comes to my hands being cold), but only 1 session in 3mil gloves. the others were in 1.5 mils. water gets into the mid-upper 30's in an average nj winter, but will usually start to creep back into the 40's by mid-march at the latest. you'll prob. be fine w/ a 4/3, hood, 5mil boots, & 3mil gloves. anything less than that & i think you'll be cold.
yeah 4/3 with hood 5 mil gloves but I would get 5 mil gloves you can pretty much surf the whole winter that way. During the colder months you might be able to stay out for 2 hours at the most . I have been wearing gloves for 3 weeks now cause my joints in my hands hurt really bad once my hands get too cold.
Alright Matt and NJsurf, I'm pretty much set then I could use my older 5mm gloves from last year. i'm not sure if i could ride them out when im on my sponge. however, all I really need is a hood since I have my suit picked out. you think 3mm boots will be good because it's all i have. im not sure if I'll need to get another pair and remember, this is the beginning of april
everything i had on at the beginning of april this year was 3 mil. just depends how you handle the cold.
I'm not going to be able to get out during this winter. first off, im not equipped with the proper gear, but anyway thats not the big issue. I get my drivers license in march, so I can finally get myself down the shore without having the parents breathing down my neck saying "it's to cold" or "no, that's crazy going down the shore in the middle of winter". So based off that, they're pretty much my barrier between myself and the sea
if your 3mil boots are round toe, you can rock a pair of socks under them to add a bit of extra warmth...they'll also prevent water seeping in, so your feet won't get cold as quickly. if they're split toe, you can prob. modify a pair of socks pretty easily to serve as well. down the road, however, picking up a pair of 5mil booties won't be a bad idea. i'm usually still rocking 5mil boots at the start of april. the main thing is a hood...w/ water in the 40's, you're gonna be wanting that. not much sucks worse than being caught inside on a chilly day w/ water in the 40's & duckdiving non-stop. your head will feel like it's going to implode from the pain. good luck!
