Protect your noggin! Photo: Croyde Bay//Unsplash
Interested in a surf helmet? Congratulations, you’ve got more common sense than most. Despite the well-known risk factor for those participating in the Sport of Kings, helmets are still an unpopular choice, even at heavy, pro-level waves like Pipeline and Teahupo’o.
However, that could be changing as high-profile athletes such as Owen Wright, Koa Smith, and others have donned head gear in the water at waves of consequence, and crowded lineups are giving all of us more and more reason to follow their lead, powerful waves or not. And if you’re looking to get in the water to do some photography instead of surfing, a helmet is a must, especially when paddling close to the action with surfboard fins slicing through the water inches from your head.
We’ve gotten in the water with the best surf helmets on the market, and have some thoughts on the subject. Here they are.
Navigate To: Comparison Table | Buyer’s Guide
The Best Surf Helmets of 2024
Best Overall Surf Helmet: Gath Hat EVA/Neo
Runner Up Best Surf Helmet: Simba Sentinel 1
Best Soft Helmet: Manera S-Foam Helmet
Best Value Surf Helmet: Decathlon Olaian Water Sports Helmet
Best Multisport Helmet: Gath Gedi
Lightest Surf Helmet: DMC Soft Surf Helmet
Best Overall Surf Helmet
Gath Hat NEO/EVA ($130/170)
Weight: 390 g (XL)
Adjustable: Neo: No, EVA: Yes
Pros: The industry standard since 1989, Neo headband allows for some adjustability
Cons: Less protective than some other hard-shell options
Gath has an undeniable hold on the surf-helmet market. It was one of the first and is a leader in the category for good reason – Gath has perfected its designs over time. The Gath Hat (above) is the original Gath surf helmet first introduced in 1989. Time tested, it’s sported by current pro surfers at various breaks (especially heavy ones) around the world.
Preferred for its comfort and wraparound fit, the Gath Hat offers a bit thinner protection than other Gath models, but a more streamlined fit for less water resistance, and to reduce the “bucket effect” that plagues hard surf helmets.
The Surf Hat comes in two versions. the Gath Hat NEO comes with a neoprene headband at the front of the helmet which provides a bit of extra flexibility on sizing, being better able to form to the wearers head. The Gath Hat EVA replaces the neoprene headband for an EVA one, providing better impact protection at the forehead, though less flexibility. The EVA version, however, is compatible with Gath’s comfort strips, thin strips of foam of varying thicknesses that stick on to grooves inside the helmet to help dial in the perfect fit.
The Gath Hat has been the industry standard for decades, but in the past few years, strong contenders for the title of “best overall surf helmet” have begun to crop up, such as the Simba Sentinel 1, below. It was a neck-and-neck race for the top this year, and we had a tough time giving the “best overall” nod to one or the other. In the end, we went with the Gath Hat Neo due to the adjustability. For cold-water surfers, having the ability to wear your helmet both with and without a hood on underneath is a pretty crucial aspect. We found the adjustability of the Gath Hat Neo to be far more user-friendly than the “comfort strip” adjustment that designs like the Simba, Gath Hat EVA, and many other surf helmets use.
That said, we do have to give a nod to the Simba Sentinel 1 here as well, as that helmet has a more rigid outer shell, a bit better protection at the forehead compared to the flexible neoprene headband of the Gath Hat Neo, and the “hydrodynamic” design that reduces water resistance when duck-diving or hitting the water in a fall.
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Runner-Up Best Overall Surf Helmet
Simba Sentinel 1 ($150)
Weight: 430 g
Adjustable: Yes (with stick-on pads)
Pros: Wrap-around protection, hydrodynamic design
Cons: Sizing can be difficult with only three sizes to choose from (S, M, L)
Simba’s Sentinel 1 helmet may be one of the newest surf helmets to hit the water, but it’s quickly becoming one of the most popular and has received support from big wave surfers, the WSL, and others.
The Sentinel 1 has perhaps the most head protection of any helmet in this lineup, including coverage for the lower forehead, jawline and temples. The shell material is also very rigid in comparison to other helmets we tested, and has a solid weight to it, inspiring confidence in the level of protection provided. However, the interior padding does feel somewhat minimal. Simba describes its Sentinel design as “aquadynamic,” meaning it’s shaped to minimize drag when duckdiving as well as lessen the impact on your head when it hits the surface of the water in case of a fall. In testing we did find duckdiving to be a bit easier compared to other designs, and the whiplash from heavy falls to be somewhat reduced in comparison to other hard helmets on this list.
As far as downsides go, adjustability is a bit of a pain point, as it is with most surf helmets out there. The Sentinel 1 comes in only three sizes: S, M, and L, whereas most helmets on this list are available in five sizes: XS, S, M, L, and XL, providing more options to get the best fit. The helmet does come with thin foam strips that allow for customization beyond the size charts, but that’s not a unique feature,
In our testing, it was a super close call between the Gath Hat and the Simba Sentinel 1 for Best Overall Surf Helmet. Both offer a similar style of wrap-around protection, and either would be an awesome choice for protecting the noggin in the surf or for other watersports. The Gath has the added bonus of providing a flat surface at the forehead that will allow the user to mount a GoPro or other action camera, whereas the Simba’s more contoured shape doesn’t take an action-camera mount as easily, but reduces the surf-helmet “bucket affect” with an aquadynamic design that helps cut through the water. In our testing, we also found the Simba does a better job of draining water after a fall or duckdive. However, Gath’s larger range of sizes will make it somewhat easier to dial in that best fit, and the Gath Hat NEO provides even more adjustability, at the cost of some forehead-protection. Check out our full review of the Simba Sentinel 1 here.
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Best Soft Surf Helmet
Manera S-Foam Helmet ($90)
Weight: 264 g (size L)
Adjustable: Yes
Pros: Lightweight, comfortable surf helmet with plenty of protection
Cons: Back of head adjustment piece can make its presence known if overtightened
Soft surf helmets are having a moment, as material innovations make it possible to combine lightweight and flexible materials with serious confidence-inspiring protection. These factors come together in the Manera S-Foam Helmet. Constructed with what Manera calls “Smart Foam,” the helmet is designed to stay soft and flexible in general use, but the material stiffens under impact, providing much more protection for the noggin than the thin and lightweight construction might imply. While there’s no doubt that a hard helmet with a stiff outer shell will provide more protection than a soft helmet, the S-Foam Helmet defies the “soft helmet” category by bringing the level of protection provided here much closer to that of a hard helmet.
The helmet is slightly adjustable with a velcro strap at the back of the head, helping you to dial in that perfect fit. Our tester did note that if you tighten things a bit too much back there, a fairly stiff connection strap might make its presence known, but a pair of scissors can quickly remedy that issue if it arises.
It was a close race between this helmet and the Decathlon Olaian Water Sports Helmet for the title of Best Soft Surf Helmet, but due to higher-quality construction (and a much lower weight) the Manera S-Foam Helmet rose to the top. However, if you’re looking to save $40 bucks on your surf helmet purchase, the Decathlon helmet is an awesome and oh-so-close second best option.
CHECK PRICE ON REAL WatersportsBest Value Surf Helmet
Decathlon Olaian Water Sports Helmet ($50)
Weight: 354 g (size L)
Adjustable: Yes
Pros: Soft and comfortable, surprising amount of protection, great price
Cons: Construction (aka stitching) feels a bit cheap
Decathlon’s Olaian Water Sports Helmet is so much more than the Best Value surf helmet. It’s also an oh-so-close runner-up to the Manera S-Foam helmet which took home our Best Soft Helmet award due to better build quality. We’ll get into that a bit more below, but suffice to say the Olaian Water Sports Helmet is a surprisingly awesome piece of gear.
Decathlon, the budget-oriented sporting goods manufacturer/retailer from France makes a wide range of products for outdoor pursuits from camping, to mountain climbing, to surfing. With an emphasis on bang-for-buck value, some of their products can feel a bit cheaply-made, or miss the mark. The Water Sports Helmet is not such a product. The helmet has a solid fit and comfort with a bit of adjustment possible thanks to a strap in the back, great all-around coverage and protection, and it looks pretty decent, too, as far as surf helmets go.
In testing, we were impressed by the foam that the helmet uses for protection. It was a very close race between the Manera S-Foam Helmet and this one for the title of Best Soft Helmet, and we were surprised to see that despite being $30 bucks cheaper, the Decathlon helmet seems to make use of the same, or very similar, material to construct the shell, which Manera has dubbed “Smart Foam,” speaking to the material’s ability to stay soft and flexible during general use but stiffen under impact. The material Decathlon uses for their helmet performs similarly but remains unnamed.
What elevated the Manera helmet over the Decathlon one is the quality of the craftsmanship. The stitching in some parts of the Decathlon helmet reminded us of why it’s a “budget” item, feeling cheaper than the construction of the Manera S-Foam Helmet, and giving us some concerns about its longer-term durability in comparison to the S-Foam Helmet. However, being $40 bucks less, you’ve gotta cut costs somewhere, and we’d certainly prefer to see Decathlon cut corners with less durable stitching than less-protective materials or construction.
Best Multisport Surf Helmet
Gath Gedi ($189)
Weight: 420 g (size XL)
Adjustable: No
Pros: An extra layer of protection over the Gath Hat, add-on accessories available
Cons: A bit bulkier and heavier than the Gath Hat
Gath makes a few different styles so we’re going to pay them respect here with a second model writeup. The Gedi is another great Gath helmet, but trends toward the multi-sport user. With higher impact protection than the Gath Hat but a bit more bulk, the Gedi is a great helmet for those interested in wind sports, like kiting and foiling, as well as surfing. It also comes with an EN1385 approval (the only helmet in this review to do so), an accreditation for watersports helmets intended for use in whitewater scenarios that covers impact protection, floatation, and other elements of helmet design.
The Gedi includes removable earpieces. With a full range of customizable options such as a visor, headlamp mount, or GoPro-ready brim, the Gedi is a solid choice for just about anything in the water. For an in-between option between the Gath Gedi and the Gath Hat that gives a bit more protection than the Gath Hat, but is better for duckdiving than the Gedi, check out the Gath SFC Helmet, which forgoes the extra layer of impact protection on the forehead that the Gedi provides, but has a similar multisport design with removable earpieces.
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Lightest Surf Helmet
DMC Soft Surf Helmet V2 ($99)
Weight: 100 g
Adjustable: Yes
Pros: Soft and comfortable, very lightweight
Cons: Not a ton of protection, visor doesn’t do much.
DMC swim fins have been a top pick for bodysurfers and swimmers alike for years, and recently, they expanded their offerings with the DMC Soft Surf Helmet, a lightweight soft-shell watersports helmet. The helmet is the lightest on this list with a weight of only 100 grams, is comfortable and easy to forget about, with features like a padded chin-strap, neck-flap for sun and wind protection, and a small visor peak in the front of the helmet that can be flipped up when not in use. The back of the helmet also features a lace-up system so you can adjust the fit as needed. DMC just released the V2 version of the helmet, which adds a buckle to the chin strap, and a redesigned neck protector.
While the helmet’s comfort is certainly noteworthy, the cost it comes at is a lack of solid protection. The helmet has nicely shaped impact pads across the entire helmet, but if we were going to land on a shallow reef headfirst, we’d rather have something stiffer covering our heads. That said, for more casual surf activities, like learning to surf, foiling, etc., where the risk is less catastrophic impact and more likely a surfboard or foil-board to the head, we can see the Soft Surf Helmet having a great application.
CHECK PRICE ON AmazonBest of the Rest
Gamebreaker Pro ($79)
Weight: 200 g
Adjustable: No
Pros: Highly protective for a soft helmet, comfortable, good price
Cons: Still a soft helmet
A multi-sports helmet that has gained traction in flag football, water polo, and other contact-ish sports, the GameBreaker Pro has been seeing more and more use in the surf with surprisingly good results. Adding to its reputation, the GameBreaker recently became the helmet of choice for Justine Dupont, the best female big wave surfer of our time. Its soft shell means there’s little chance for whiplash which can happen when a surf helmet collects water and gets whipped back while duck-diving, hits the surface of the water, or similar actions. That, along with savings in weight, comfort, and a more adjustable fit are why one might choose a soft-shell helmet over a hard-shell, and the Gamebreaker Pro checks all of those categories.
Powered by smart molecule technology, don’t let the soft shell fool you. The foam padding is made with D30 Impact Protection Technology, which works to absorb shock and hardens upon impact, similar to the materials used in the Manera S-Foam Helmet. Having received a five-star rating in the Virginia Tech Impact Labs’ Helmet Ratings, you can be sure that this is no snake oil. This is one of the most protective soft helmets that we’ve seen out there, and have heard nothing but positive feedback from those hitting the water in it, including an ER room doctor at the notoriously heavy wave of Ocean Beach in San Francisco. That’s gotta count for something.
CHECK PRICE ON AMAZONHonorable Mentions
Surf helmets are picking up steam. For most of their history, there were very few options, and if you wanted reliable head protection in the surf, you went with Gath. With Simba landing on the scene in the late 2010’s, and the entire category of soft helmets emerging in the past few years, things started to heat up, and this year we’ve seen a few notable releases that we have yet to get our hands on.
First of all, we gotta mention Oakley’s wild-looking WTR Icon surf helmet. Not available to the public yet (limited quantities are set to be released this month, with a wider release in early 2025), this helmet is super light (365 g), drains instantly due to the perforated design, is adjustable, and has a four-star rating from the renowned Virginia Tech Helmet Lab. In other words, it likely blows any and all other surf helmets out of the water. Then again, the only way to know that for sure is to test it, so we’ll be sure to update this review when we get our hands on one.
Windsports-brand Mystic has also been making gains in the surf helmet world. The brand, a subsidiary of North Kiteboarding, has been making a push to become more of an overall watersports brand rather than just wind sports, and as such has made a few exciting new multisport helmet designs like the Impact 2024, a softshell wrap-around design that we’re stoked to get our hands on.
As well as these more innovative and exciting designs, there’s been an explosion of “bump cap” options in the past year like the Dakine Bump Cap. A bump cap is a lower-protection style of helmet, really meant to provide a bit of extra protection to the top and sometimes sides of the head. They’re often “camouflaged” as a regular surf cap or bucket hat, and while they wouldn’t be our first choice for heavy waves, for beginners or those in need of some extra protection for lower-octane surf activities (think longboarding, small waves, etc.) these are a great low-profile choice. A surf helmet only works if you wear it, so if you’re too embarrassed to do so, and are more likely to wear a bump cap, it might not be the worst choice – some protection is better than nothing.
Best Surf Helmets Comparison Table
| Helmet | Price | Weight | Category | Best For |
| Gath Hat EVA/Neo | $130 | 355-390 g | Hard Shell | Best Overall |
| Simba Sentinel 1 | $150 | 430 g | Hard Shell | Runner-Up |
| Manera S-Foam Helmet | $90 | 264 g (size L) | Soft Shell | Best Soft Helmet |
| Decathlon Olaian Water Sports Helmet | $50 | 354 g (size L) | Soft Shell | Best Value |
| Gath Gedi | $169 | 360-420 g | Hard Shell | Best Multi-Sport |
| DMC Soft Surf Helmet | $99 | 100 g | Soft Shell | Lightest Surf Helmet |
| Gamebreaker Pro | $79 | 200 g | Soft Shell | Best of the Rest |
How We Tested The Best Surf Helmets
We surfed in them, of course. Senior Gear Editor and lead tester for this guide, Will Sileo, did his due diligence, taking these helmets out in the water at the heavy and often sketchy waves of San Francisco, California. He also tested their use in various other watersports such as Wing Foiling, a sport where a helmet is considered a near-necessity. He’s been testing these helmets for the past two years, and continues to do so as more great options hit the market.
When your kid is doing things like this, sticking a helmet on them is a no-brainer. Photo: Croyde Bay//Unsplash
Best Surf Helmets Buyer’s Guide
What Features Matter in a Surf Helmet?
Protecting your noggin is no joke, especially when it comes to sports as unpredictable and potentially dangerous as surfing. Similar to a surf hat, the main criteria for a surf helmet is it’s gotta stay where it is, especially when duck diving. And unless you’re donning a helmet for a chaotic lineup, chances are you’re putting one on to surf a more powerful wave, and will be doing plenty of duck diving.
Duck diving puts an inordinate amount of backward pull on the head area as the wave washes over you toward shore (excuse my layman’s terms, I’m no physicist), and if your helmet doesn’t fit properly, or worse, isn’t made for surfing, it’s going to be swinging around your neck, full of water and choking you with the chinstrap. Not exactly the picture of safety.
The Simba Sentinel 1 Surf Helmet being put to good use at Ocean Beach, San Francisco. Photo: Skyler Fitzmaurice//The Inertia
Tightening the chin strap is easy, but it won’t fix a bad fit. Many of these helmets are available in different sizes, some with limited adjustability or precise sizing. Luckily, the head is (usually) not the most complicated part of the body to measure, and all of the helmets here have a decent sizing chart. When searching out the perfect surf helmet, measure twice, purchase once. And if you can make it to your local surf shop to try on some different sizes, even better.
The amount of protection a helmet provides is also worth considering. A hard helmet will provide more protection than a soft helmet, although the Gamebreaker Pro and Manera S-Foam helmets get pretty close to the level of protection we see in thinner surf helmets like the Gath Hat EVA/Neo.
Editor’s Note: For more gear reviews and features on The Inertia, click here.
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