It's a new year and it's high time to make it about the new surfing you. And on the days that the surf isn't any good whether too big, too small, or too windy , head over to Aquatic Park for a swim. The same tips apply—even if your wetsuit disqualifies you from joining the Dolphin Club. Dawn patrol regular Tracey Thompson swears by her hooded wetsuit from the Montara-based brand Isurus ; photo by Visus Photography.
To get ahead of the temperature game, a well-fitting, highly functioning wetsuit is a must. But in the world of wetsuits, thicker isn't always better. For SF waters, the Patagonia R3 front-zip wetsuit works year-round but needs the addition of a hood and booties for the colder months.
When it comes to booties, don't skimp on the thickness because the old adage holds true in the ocean: if your feet are cold, you are cold. This step may sound silly and a little difficult. But changing in the car in a warm micro-climate sets you up for later success. Baring all in the cold weather very easily dampens spirits and leads to a case of the shivers that are hard to shake.
Although figuring out the seamless deck change in a reclined passenger seat is tricky to master it helps to use one of these oversized Pendleton towels , it's one of the most valuable maneuvers in a surfer's game. Cold water that enters a wetsuit takes time to warm up from the body's heat. Thermal underlayers, like rash vests, give surfers an extra layer of warmth that can help during cold surf sessions.
Wearing a thermal underlayer under a wetsuit can really make a difference in the length of time you can spend out in the icy waters. Regular paddling keeps the blood circulating and maintains a warm body temperature. Keeping your head above water will help retain the warmth stored in your suit and keep your heart rate steady. We recommend avoiding duck dives, which is sinking the surfboard on the water and diving under the upcoming waves.
Your body entirely being underwater will quickly lose heat and shorten the time you can spend in the water. You can also look to find a surfboard with a lot of volume because they float so well that you might be able to push over some of the smaller waves without duck diving, too. When duck diving, twist your head as this will keep the hood of your wetsuit taught and allow the water to run off the side, meaning less cold water on your neck or in your wetsuit.
A wetsuit hood is very effective at insulating your head and help keep your body temperature regular. Hoods with connected necks will protect you against wind chill when out in the open air. We also recommend wearing a hooded vest, especially if you own a wetsuit without a head, like this one. They are designed to be worn under wetsuits, adding extra warmth around your head and neck and extending the thermal range of your wet suit.
Typically, a single backed strip of neoprene wraps around the neck, wrist or ankle area, making a tight and secure fit. This keeps water from entering the wetsuit, but can be a little painful if not fitted correctly. To avoid flushing when excess water enters the wetsuit invest in a front zipping wetsuit. With a chest zip, there are fewer gaps compared to back zip suits, and the zip itself is much smaller. The design will act as a barrier of neoprene between your skin and the zip.
With chest zip wetsuits there tends to be no need for Velcro on the neck section, this means less irritation and less likelihood of the neck becoming loose. Due to the smaller size and position of the zip on the chest, it maximises your flexibility and gives wearers a full range of movements across the shoulders and back.
Polypropylene is famed across numerous industries for its waterproof properties This lining will provide insulation as well as protection from the wind.
Tuck wetsuit booties and gloves under your wetsuit otherwise water will get in them easily, causing them to fill up. The bike style shorts are pretty tight. This type of undercover has shown to cover more areas of the skin than typical shorts.
It is also highly recommended by instructors as a great choice to go for. You can wear a neoprene vest on your regular wetsuit. This clothing is specially designed for divers to wear under their wetsuits. It adapts perfectly to the body contour.
Additional heat protection is one of the benefits of Neoprene shorts. So you can wear them before you immerse them in cold water to feel warm. But note that neoprene shorts are more buoyant. Though not all underwear is suitable for diving. Cotton underwear, on the other hand, shows a sign of comfort. Both your body and the thin film of water around it are pressed hard up against a thin layer of neoprene.
On the other side of the neoprene is icy cold water. As this happens it cools down, and you in turn cool down. So there is constant heat loss through the material if the water outside is cold. This is where thickness comes into play.
Thicker neoprene will lose less heat through it that thin neoprene so in simple terms a 5mm wetsuit will be warmer than a 3mm wetsuit of the same fit as less heat is lost through the material as your warmth is better insulated from the outer cold.. If you have ever felt the warmth of the sun on an otherwise cold day you'll know what radiant heat is.
It is heat in the form of infra red energy. The sun emits it, the bars on an electric fire emit it , even light bulbs emit it.. Space blankets handed out at race events etc claim to reflect this radiant body heat back towards your body and thus keep you warm.
Some wetsuits have a titanium lining, which is a silvery material with a degree of reflecting ability. We have seen allsorts of claims about what this material does. Some manufacturers claim that the titanium lining can reflect cold!
A claim that would change the laws of physics as cold in itself does not exist; cold is merely the absence of heat and you cant reflect something that doesn't exist.
Many wetsuit diagrams will show the body's heat being reflected back towards itself by this material and the graphics certainly look impressive. However in our tests, the benefits of having a titanium lining for the purposes of reflecting the body's heat back towards itself are negligible.
Firstly the titanium is not an efficient reflector. Secondly it is normally placed behind the nylon lining of the wetsuit thus blocking its ability to reflect anything. Thirdly, when your body's radiant heat hits the back interior of the wetsuit, it heats it up as black is a poor reflector.
Thus the heat emitting from your body is not all lost, some of it heats up the inner surface of the wetsuit when then touches your body. Thus without a reflector some of this heat is retained anyway. Finally, not a lot of the total amount of body heat loss in these conditions is through radiant heat and a very little of this is recoverable through titanium reflection. On materials that are not coated with nylon on the inside, the titanium lining can make for quit a comfortable finish next to the skin and offer it the best chance to reflect some of the heat back but not many products have this.
So to sum up our opinion on titanium lining, it doesn't do any harm, but the benefits of it are totally over hyped by many manufacturers from a heat reflection standpoint. We wouldn't advise someone to make it a significant part of their buying criteria as we have not found any sizeable thermal benefit from incorporating it in our suits.. We have talked about flushing and about trying to keep the water out at the ankles, wrists and neck.
But water can also come in at other places. Seams and zips are next to come under the spotlight. A small amount of water will seep through many types of stitching and through the seams where the material comes together.
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