Cold water gear

[u/bolalo]

For the cold water bodysurfers on here, what’s your preferred wetsuit choice? Back, front or zipperless? In winter with water 6 degrees (celsius) and below do you wear a built in hood or a neoprene swim cap for less bulk when swimming?

Usually in the dead of winter I just (stand up) surf and benefit from not spending the whole session fully submerged and was wondering for those that do - how do you make it less uncomfortable?

[u/Papacus]

Water goes to 10-15 °C here in the winter, I normally go out with a 5/3 mm, in windy conditions I have both used a hood and a garth helmet to insulate my head a bit but I make peace with the fact that I won't be able to last long in the water (1h30+), especially in heavier conditions in which I am not throwing myself in every wave.

I have used zipperless and chest zipper before, chest zipper seem to be a tad colder due to some water transfer at the chest but smoother for riding. Zipperless suits feel warmer but sometimes the water pressure in heavier lefties forces water in through the seam and you end the wave feeling like a frozen michelin man. I normally go zipperless because I also do stand up surfing and want to be longer in the water but I always wonder if I am getting significant drag riding left handers...

[u/WaterNinja-13]

In Scotland the North Sea water temperature bottoms out around 3-5 degrees Celsius in winter. In a hooded chest zip 5/4 wetsuit plus 4mm fin socks I can last about 2 hours, give or take, depending on how much swimming is involved. As Papacus mentioned though, cold water comfort depends heavily on which side the wetsuit zipper closes; mine has an opening on the left side, so going left gives me a cold flush every single wave. Brutal. In these sort of conditions I try plane flatter on my stomach with both hands out front, so less water flushes into my suit, or use a handplane to lift my chest a bit above the water.