cold feet

I did a little research to see who's right about water temps, Black’s or Dub. I think Dub is right that the Oregon coast can have colder water than BC due to upwelling and other factors. Still, the left coast doesn't compare to the right coast in terms of frigidity.

Ever see the Patagonia ads of the bearded Malloy brother surfing in BC in a full suit? Notice no gloves? Try no gloves in winter around here. Hell, try 5 mm fingered gloves and see how long you can manage it.

Water temps here have dipped to below 0 C. in winter but generally stay in and around 0. The freezing threshold of sea water depends on the salinity. I heard somewhere, but cannot verify it, that around here water has to dip to -4 C. before it starts to freeze –that’s 24.8 F. All I can say is that I never had icicles on my beard or wetsuit visor when I surfed in Oregon.

By the way, I have a special request for any reader who may know someone working in the wetsuit industry. Can you please ask them to make some winter booties that are worth a shit!

The best booties we can buy at the moment are Xcel’s 7mm Infinity. They are quite warm and comfortable at first. However, if you surf regularly you’re lucky if they’ll continue to keep your feet warm for over three to four months. They begin to deteriorate quickly and after one season they basically do little to keep water out and feet warm.

Now if you were in some sort of manufacturing business and you made a high end product whose lifespan in terms of intended usage was less than three months wouldn’t you go out of business? Perhaps it’s because there’s a lack of competition? Should this be acceptable? OK Xcel reps this is your chance.

Forget the battery powered wetsuits and bloated dry-suits. Most of the winter wetsuits offered by the top companies seem to work well. I use an O’Neil Psycho II 6.4 which is plenty warm and stretchy. But after the first season I had to send it in for repair because the liquid seams on the chest panel were coming apart. They fixed it at no cost, as they should, but now there are seems on the lower part of the sleeve that are splitting in half. Wetsuits are not made to last. This is a sad fact considering the non-renewable materials and exorbitant cost to the consumer.

Wetsuit: $550 or more for an Xcel, Quick or O’Neil – don’t think any of the Yamamoto suits are at the moment are warm enough for NS winters (Matuse, Patagonia, etc.)
Booties: $75 plus for Xcel
Mitts: $75 plus for Xcel
Tax: 14%
Staying warm on a head high glassy day: EXPENSIVE.

I am planning on trying out a pair of the new Patagonia booties. They claim that their boots are made for Icelandic conditions. And given their record of making quality gear, this may be the way to go.


Small kine waves this weekend -may have to go fishin.