Rewards aplenty – cold water surfing’s plus points

It’s hard to imagine, for anyone living in a tropical climate that is, how on Earth anyone could enjoy living and surfing in a cold water location. Take a gander at the Great Lakes surfers of the US, or anyone hitting up cold and frosty Alaska, Iceland and such and it’s enough to send shivers down the warm cosy onlooker’s spine. Yet for anyone who surfs in cold water there’s plenty of reward…

Cold water usually means the said surf zone is at the mercy of Mother Nature. That may sound obvious but regularly groomed surf, for days on end, you ain’t gonna find (at least in most of these spots). That means waiting out periods of harsh conditions until windows of opportunity present themselves. During this time scouting new put ins can be a thing, or simply retiring to the fire and a nice warm brew be the choice of many. And then, the clouds part, the winds blow offshore and you score your gold.

The come down (or warm up) post-cold water surfing session is all full of glow and inner stoke warmth. Knowing you’ve taken on the harshest of elements and won that particular battle is grin inducing. Following your sesh you can be on top of the world, slowly warming fingers returning to life as the blood re-circulates – nowt like it.

Beat downs are much harsher in cold water surf environments. It’s proven fact that cold water is denser than that of warmer climes. Add to the mix an overhead wall of moving liquid energy unloading on your bonce and you get the picture. Having been tumbled and spat out there’s nothing for it: get back on the horse and paddle back out, laughing as you do.

Simply getting into your rubber suit in cold environments can be a task. The last thing you want is to be chilled before you hit the brine so adequate measures need to be put in place. A dry wetty being the most important thing! And then there’s actually having the right thickness of neoprene and the right amount of water wear. It may sound obvious but without adequate protection you’re putting yourself in a potential situation. Thinking differently is therefore par for the course.

When you at last get the opportunity to surf in boardies you’ll be truly thankful. None of this taking things for granted. Although inside, we’re pretty sure, you secretly can’t wait to get back to your normal haunts – mainly because the crowd is so much thinner!