As winter approaches, all surfers feel the chill in the air and in the water. However, it’s also the time of year that provides the best and biggest waves!
As surfing isn’t the only thing that matters in life – although it is certainly the best – here are our tips for coping with the cold:
10 tips from Carcavelos Surf School for winter surfing:
- Increase your intensity in the water, which means making your sessions shorter but trying to catch more waves, and forcing yourself to be constantly moving.
- Choose the warmest time of day for surfing – i.e. between 11 am and 3 pm, and leave dawn and sunset surf sessions for other times of year.
- Wear appropriate kit, that is, a neoprene wetsuit at least 4 mm thick at the torso, and a hood, gloves and booties for very cold days.
- Protect your ears with a neoprene hood and ear plugs to prevent exostosis (commonly known as surfer’s ear, where abnormal bone growth in the ear canal due to cold wind and water exposure gradually reduces its diameter).
- Warm up properly before going in the water.
- Try to avoid having to use a wetsuit that hasn’t dried properly since your last surf.
- Wear warm clothes down to the beach (beanie, coat, gloves) so that you don’t get cold before you’re even in the water.
- Get changed as quickly as possible (when putting on and taking off your wetsuit).
- Try to bring something hot for when you get out of the water (like soup or tea – or a warm coat, a car heater or a quick sprint will do too!)
- Take a nice, hot shower when you get home.