Come rain or shine, surfing is a super fun sport to get involved in when you’re on the coast. If this is your first time surfing, you might be wondering what to wear when surfing.
In this article, I will cover some key information about what to wear for surfing. So, next time you’re planning a surf trip, you know exactly what to bring!
Let’s get into it.
What To Wear Surfing
There are a variety of clothes you can wear surfing. It’s important to note that the climate and the weather will have a significant impact on what you wear when you are surfing.
As a result, this question will be split into two sections: What to wear when you’re surfing in a cold climate, and what to wear when you’re surfing in a hot climate.
What To Wear Surfing In A Cold Climate
Swimwear
Swimwear is good to wear as a base layer underneath a wetsuit. Whether you wear a bikini, a bathing suit, or boardshorts, swimwear is good to wear under your wetsuit.
Not only does swimwear help to prevent chafing and provides a more comfortable experience whilst you’re surfing, it’s also another layer under your wetsuit that doesn’t go amiss when you’re surfing in cold water!
Wetsuit
The average surfing session is around 2 hours. Bearing this in mind, it’s not enough just to wear swimwear when you’re surfing in a colder climate.
Bearing this in mind, you will want to get yourself a good quality wetsuit. How warm a wetsuit is is determined by the thickness.
Wetsuit thickness is measured in millimeters, and how thick of a wetsuit you get will depend on the climate that you’re likely to be surfing in the most.
To cover all bases in a cold climate, opting for a wetsuit that is 5/4 is a good starting point in the winter. Alternatively, a good summer wetsuit is a 3/2.
However, you should take this information with a pinch of salt knowing that you need to bear in mind the specific climate where you’ll be surfing in the world.
Remember, how warm you are in the water will likely determine how long your surf sessions are. So, make sure that you’re well-equipped with the right wetsuit!
Wetsuit Boots
If you go surfing without wetsuit boots, your feet are likely to get the coldest the quickest due to the fact that they aren’t covered.
As we all know, as soon as your feet get cold, you can feel chilled to the bone and will likely want to get out of the water soon after.
To ensure you get the most out of your surfing session, it’s good to invest in a good pair of wetsuit boots for when you’re surfing in a cold climate.
Like wetsuits, how warm a pair of wetsuit boots are is determined by their thickness.
While 3mm are likely to see you through the warmer months, you might need to upgrade to 5mm boots by the winter depending on how cold the climate gets.
Wetsuit Gloves
In the same way that your feet will get cold in the water, so will your hands. Wetsuit gloves are an essential for when you’re surfing in a colder climate.
Wetsuit gloves are available in different thicknesses, most commonly 2mm, 3mm, and 5mm.
Before you head off for the day, you will want to check the climate and the weather forecast for that day.
What To Wear Surfing In A Warm Climate
Swimwear
Comfy swimwear is an absolute essential when you’re surfing in a warm climate.
As the water is warmer, you’ll likely have a long surfing session, and you don’t want this to be cut short by swimwear that you don’t feel comfortable in.
Rash Vest
As the name suggests, a rash vest provides you with another layer of protection from your surfboard.
As there’s quite a lot of friction when you’re lying on your surfboard, a rash vest prevents you from getting a rash.
What Else Do You Need To Bring Surfing?
There are a variety of other items that you should bring when you go surfing. These items include but are not limited to:
A Towel
You will want to make sure that you bring a towel to the beach so that you can dry yourself off once you get out of the water.
There’s nothing worse than sitting in wet clothes for a long period of time.
Sunscreen
When you’re surfing, especially in a hot climate, you need to ensure that you’re wearing sunscreen.
The sun’s rays are known to bounce off the surface of the water, and you can burn very quickly when you’re in the water without noticing it.
As you’re in the water when you’re surfing, you will also need to make sure that you are regularly re-applying your sunscreen.
If you take a break, make sure that you top up your sunscreen.
A Bottle Of Water
Surfing is a high intensity sport, and it’s easy to become dehydrated very quickly.
As a result, you will want to make sure that you have plenty of water available to you when you take a break.
Even if you don’t take a break in your surfing session, it’s good to have a bottle of water waiting for you when you’re back on the beach.
Sunglasses
Sunglasses are a summer essential anyway, but especially when you’re relaxing on the beach in between surf sessions.
Make sure that you chuck a pair into your bag so you’re not having to squint when you’re not in the water.
A Note On What To Wear When Surfing
Something important to note is that you know yourself better than anyone.
When you know the climate, and you’re aware of the weather forecast, you can better plan what you’re going to wear when surfing.
If you know that you’re someone who is likely to get cold, even in mild climates, then make sure that you accommodate for this.
Don’t leave it up to chance, as you’ll likely find that you have to cut your surfing session short if you’re too cold to continue.
However, as I’ve already mentioned, surfing is a high intensity sport. So, if you think you’re likely to get hot, bear this in mind.
In Summary
So, that’s what you wear when you go surfing! Hopefully after reading this article, it has given you a better idea of what to wear when you go surfing.
