Now that you’ve gotten into the world of surfing, you’ve taken three or four courses with your favorite surf school and you’ve ridden a few waves, you’re ready to get your first wetsuit.
We tell you three very basic things that you should know about surfing wetsuits and that many people who start in this world are unaware of.
- Surfing wetsuits keeps you dry
Mistake! All surfing wetsuits filter water and it is precisely this same water that has previously entered, which is heated by your body temperature (sometimes other fluids come into play, it must also be said). Once the surfing wetsuit has been filled with water, it is released and renewed more slowly and it is precisely this that allows the water that is already inside to heat up and keep your body temperature higher.
There are also so-called dry neoprene surfing suits on the market, used for example by divers who dive into very cold waters, their operation is completely different “but this is another story”
- Thickness doesn’t matter
In short, Serafin, don’t give it to you with cheese “thickness matters a lot”. I know surfers (especially those who are just starting) who, to save some money, prefer to buy a 3/2mm thick steamer wetsuit thinking that they are not cold and will be able to endure the winter with it. It will depend a lot on the area where you surf, but what I can assure you is that if you surf in the Bay of Biscay you won’t have the balls to endure the winter with it unless you’re from Bilbao “the Basques are made of another paste”.
- Wetsuits can be repaired
How to repair a steamer suit? Now that you chose your steamer wetsuit a few months ago and you have burst it with several keels, scratches against the asphalt, or pulls from the desire to put it on or take it off quickly when entering or leaving the water. It’s time to know how you can repair your steamer wetsuit. Let’s be honest, repairing a steamer suit and making it perfect is not an easy task and there are no miracles (at least in these cases), although it is true that there are some workarounds that look great and that you can try to lengthen the lifetime of your steamer wetsuit. The most common damage to a steamer wetsuit is open seams or cuts in the steamer wetsuit. Repair your steamer or surfing wetsuit with liquid neoprene:
- Before you start, make sure your surfing wetsuit is clean and dry, especially in the area you are going to repair.
- If the cut is not wide open or deep, repairing your surfing wetsuit will be easier. If the cut is not completely open, that is, the rip does not go through the wetsuit. Open or separate the crack well, and apply liquid neoprene on both sides. Help yourself with an applicator, liquid wetsuits usually include one, in case the liquid surfing wetsuit you have bought does not have an applicator, get a tool that can help you, a small nail polish brush or a stick could help you.
- Let dry a bit until the glue takes some consistency.
- Once the neoprene has dried a bit, join the two sides of the crack, wait a while for both parts to grip perfectly, and let dry for 24 hours.
- If the crack in your surfing wetsuit goes through the suit, follow steps 1-4 but also add a surfing wetsuit patch. Surf suits usually have a piece of neoprene added to the label. If yours didn’t come with it, use a piece of neoprene from an old wetsuit, just big enough to cover the tear. Reapply liquid neoprene to both parts (the piece of neoprene that you will use as a patch and the part that you had already repaired). Put the patch on the outside of the surfing wetsuit because if you put it inside you run the risk of chafing your skin.
