DO I NEED A WETSUIT?

It depends. Find out the water temperature using a surf-forecasting app such as Surfline or Magicseaweed.

Less than 11 °C

Yoh. Surfing the West Coast in winter? You’ll need a 5 mm wetsuit with an attached hood ( Matuse Tumo, R7 900), plus 7 mm booties and gloves. Or maybe just wait for summer? Surfing is tricky enough to learn without having to do it in R10k worth of rubber.

11 to 14 °C

A common temperature on the chilly West Coast. Locals often recommend a 4/3 wetsuit ( Patagonia R3, R6 500) The first number is the thickness, in millimetres, of neoprene covering your core to retain heat; the second is the thickness covering your extremities. Booties are recommended, but gloves are optional.

14 to 18 °C

Standard South Coast water – not freezing, but not quite warm either. A 3/2 suit (XCEL Drylock, R5 300) should give you all the exposure coverage you need.

18 to 23 °C, or warmer, but windy

There are various versions of spring wetsuits that should cover you at this temperature. Spring john/janes ( O’neill Reactor, R1 000) are generally 2 mm thick, short-legged and sleeveless, although there are long-sleeved versions, versions with full legs, and even vests.

23 °C and up

If the air is also warm, you’re good to go in board shorts, but consider a rash guard to protect against sunburn and chafing. Ladies might want a one-piece: Bikinis are cute, but can be … uncooperative.