Do you wear wetsuits? In Nor-Cal, You should and you should get a good one.

For whatever the reasons, when the topic of surfing come up with other non-surfing people, this is one of the first questions I usually be asked. Yes, the water temperature around Half Moon Bay is typically in the 48 - 58 F range year around including in the dead of winters and the summer. Also, after surfing for a year or so, you will soon realize that surfing is a fall-winter-spring sport in our area, and not really the summer sport (it has something to do with when and where swells come from, I will cover this topic later on on this page).

So a wetsuit is your essential life support system especially for a starter where there is more time being spent inside the water. There might even be a chance you could get temporarily become unable to paddle back due to rip current + fatigue. Then an added confidence and comfort will let you rest and gain the strength back for you to get back.

Also, I've met several people who say "I don't surf here (in Nor Cal) because the water is too cold!" With the new technology in wetsuits, this should no longer be an excuse. With about $400 investment, you will get a technology that will allow you to surf all year! People do surf essentially anywhere in the world anytime of the year.

I have had many different types of wet suits but in the last few years the technology of the material and the structure has changed dramatically making it very comfortable, warm, and easier to get in and out of (but somehow, they dry slower). The one I am using now is made of super-stretch martial on the sleeves with a 4 mm thickness on the body and 3 mm on sleeves (a 4/3 configuration).  The zipper length on the back have been significantly shortened from older models, and also there is an inner sheet that go across the entire back (instead of flaps, they are called Bat Wings or Zen Zips etc.). These features make the suit warmer and zipping up quite easier. Also "blind stitched" panels provide additional comfort in that no harsh stitching areas rub against your skin. On "bat-wing" models with a neck pull-over, be sure to pull up the bat wing part as you put the suit on before you put your arms through the sleeves, then tilt your neck as far back as you can then pull over the neck ring, otherwise all of the buttons will un-do.

Your wetsuit must fit like your second skin and so it should not create any pocket of water inside. Once you get in the water, you cannot return it to the store, so try all different sizes, walk around, and also try paddling moves to make sure that  you can be surfing several hours comfortably. One special area that is important for you to stay warm is the collar closure area. Make sure that you have a tight closure around your neck, the back zipper is zipped all the way up or water will rush in through this area during paddling out the waves or wipe-outs making it almost like not wearing anything at all. If you are wearing booties, be sure that the your suit will go on top of the booties. Otherwise you are going to have two bag of water on your legs when you get out. Now that will make you look very much like a real kook.

Besides protecting you from cold, it will protect you from brushing with corrals, rocks, fins, sun burns, and stings from poisonous sea creatures. A local surf shop guy told me that you would half the number of stitches if you do get injured (we say "I got slashed, man!"). For example, you would walk away with a 5-stitch wound in a wetsuit, but the same accident would cost you 10 stitches if you just had a pair of board shorts on. An ER will set you back by anywhere from $300 to $600 in 2004 dollars and of course you must keep dry for at least a week!

These new wetsuit models costs about high $200's to low $300s. Your suit is your primary life-support system, so I advise that you do not cut very much corners on this equipment. There are very high end winter 6mm models that will go for a bit above $400, but 3/4 mm is quite adequate for all around use in Bay Area surfing, if you ask me. You can also wear a think winter knit or a neoplane-titanium lined  rash-guard.

In the winter, you should bundle yourself up with a 4-mm hood, a pair of gloves and booties. It is said that a significant amount of the body heat is lost from the head. All of these enhance your kook-look fashion but, then, do you really care? With a substantially added comfort and safety, you will stay in the water longer, and advance faster than those whose worries are only their fashion statements.

If you are going to go a lot, like every day, then you'd need two wet suits. Buy the second one in the second season after a year that you know you are going to take up the sport. This will let you get into a dry wet suit for each session, and if a damage occurs, you have a backup.

If you only have one, you can also dry them quicker by blowing a fan at a low setting. This will dry the suit completely before you get up next morning.

Once in the water, you are like a seal or dolphin, be like them and don't  be inhibited from "peeing" in the wetsuit (though some say this might attract sharks). Contrary to what other people say, if you tub rinse the suit in fresh water twice and hang dry it will not smell. Just hosing it down does not remove dirt and bacteria in the rubber cells. Also you can give a good thorough wash in a tub with a small capful of dish detergent or Woolite to wash out these elements as necessary, say once a month or week depending on how much you go out. There is also a product called McNett Myrazyme (http://www.mcnett.com/) that you can get from a Surf Shop, a SCUBA equipment store, or a large sporting good store like REI. This is an enzymatic product that decomposes the smelly elements trapped inside the suit. Just add a capful in the rinsing water and hang the suit dry. But if you ask me, good water rinsing with an occasional detergent wash is just as good. Whatever you do, you should rinse the suit in fresh water and hang it dry every time you go out, then the suit will last for longer time.

And here is how you should dry your booties (tip from a local surf shop guy). If they get stinky, soap wash it, or give it a shot of Lysol. Under no circumstances do not leave them wet in your car for several days. A good amount of microbiological research has been conducted by several of my friends using very realistic experimental conditions, and the results are very reproducible, I am sure that someone will soon know which gene in which bacteria are expressed as we understand these bacterial genomes, so, really, no further proof is needed.