Is the grass ALWAYS greener?
It’s obvious that warm water and cold water are different. Just ask anyone who’s taken a bath, or just knows what water is. When it comes to surfing there are heaps of differences between the two, for instance: waves travel differently in different temperatures (because of molecular and physics stuff), and your wax needs to be temperature dependent. Among other things, both the gear and the mindset of the surfer are going to be different. If you’re in a cold water zone, it’s easy to yearn for a sunny and warm getaway. And if you’re in a part of the world where you can trunk it year round, well…
Either way, there is gear you need for one but not the other, and vice versa. Here are a few things to consider when wondering what it’s all like surfing in another hemisphere.
What you Don’t Need when surfing in warm water:
1. A wetsuit.
Other than a wetsuit jacket for the wind days, or a rashguard to fight off that chafing and sun exposure, warm water surfers have a luxury of going topless often. For cold water surfers, a 4/3 – 5/4 full-body suit, including hood, gloves, and boots is pretty necessary. If you want to try surfing with a weight belt, try cold water surfing instead – it can ad 12lbs.
2. A crazy apartment setup to dry that wetsuit.
Sometimes, surfers live in apartments, or maybe a van. Regardless, surfers enjoying warm water are probably also in a relatively warm environment. They can hang something and it won’t take three days to dry while also rotting a hole in the floor.
3. A down jacket (really).
That’s right: Warm water surfers don’t need to dress like they’re belaying their partner down the side of K2. For cold water types there’s about three seconds between peeling off the wetsuit and freezing, so it makes a big difference having a solid, fast-warming jacket to hang out in.
4. Shoes.
I think the last time I wore flip-flops to surf was…I don’t remember the last time I wore flip-flops to go surf. Shoes or boots warm your feet much faster in the cold and wind than sandals, and if you live in the Pacific Northwest, having something comfortable on your feet makes that mile long hike through the woods to that secret spot much less of a pain in the ass.
5. Whiskey
Warms you up. Might be psychosomatic, might be because it’s boozy and not cold. Just remember: Drink responsible, and don’t drink and drive.
What you Don’t Need when surfing in cold water:
1. Zinc.
If the sun is out, that’s a good thing. Sure, there is glare as the UV reflects off of the water, but sometimes it feels like that’s the least of your concerns when you can’t feel…well, anything.
2. Technical board shorts.
If you’ve been saving that special pair of board shorts specifically for your surf sessions, you might want to re-think the strategy. A pair of used or cheapos will do just fine – the wetsuit doesn’t care how stretchy your shorts are, and you won’t be too upset when repeatedly suiting up and out tear the shit out of a pair of $10 shorts.
3. Flip-flops.
See above.
4. A diaper for hiding your keys
If a thief sees a towel on the beach with no one around, they might take a look for some keys and try to score your car’s cassette player. It’s always possible. But they sure as hell won’t go through the bulging, used diaper sitting next to the towel. Since towels on beaches are rare in cold water zones (most are in vehicles with the down jacket), a used diaper just makes you look like you’re leaving litter on a beach. Not cool, dude.
At least you get to keep your car.
5. A case of beer.
It’s always nice to have a beer after a session. But when you’ve taken the wetsuit off, hobbled around the parking lot trying to get feeling back into your feet, waiting for the down jacket to start to warm up, the last thing on your mind is a nice, cold beer. There’s only so many times you can piss before you can feel your hands anyways (thanks coffee). Remember: Don’t drink and drive.
