Just because the water is colder doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy surfing during the winter! With the right gear, you’ll be paddling to the back of the line up and surfing the winter waves with ease. We caught up with Torpedo7 sponsored surf athlete, Britt Kindred to see what she had to say about choosing a wettie for the cold waters this winter Check it out…

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Tip #1 – Choosing a thicker wetsuit

For the North Island surfers, Britt recommends going for the trusty 4/3mm thickness wetsuit as it provides a comfortable level of warmth and protection from the wind and cold waters. For the brave South Island winter surfers, she recommends going for a 5/4mm wetsuit as it can be a lot colder there.

Tip #2 – Get help finding the right fit

Britt’s second tip for choosing the right winter wetsuit seems a little obvious, but it’s super important! You need to find the perfect size for your body. Are you a medium, or a medium/tall? The best advice is to head in to your local Torpedo7 store and speak to a team member to help you find the best size. “The benefit of having a suit that fits you perfectly, is that it stops cold water flushing through your wetsuit, constantly cooling you down”, says Britt.

Tip #3 – Chest zipper for flexibility

The third tip Britt offers, is to go for a wetsuit that has a chest zipper, rather than a zipper that runs up the back. The chest zipper lets less water through the wettie, and it also gives you more flexibility in the back of the suit for easier paddling.

Tip #4 – Blind stitched and glued seams

The lat tip that Britt offers is to go for a wettie that is blind stitched, and has glued seems. This means that the stitching on the outside of the wetsuit doesn’t go right through the material (which would create a hole). Having it glued on the inside seals it up further so that the water stays out of your suit.

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So don’t let the cold water put you off, grab the right winter wetsuit and we’ll see you out there!