The cold war: bracing for the annual blast
It's the time of year when we think twice about the value of heading out because, even with the best wetsuit, there will be a degree of discomfort. At some point, even if only when getting changed, we will feel the cold. For the vast majority of us this will be nothing more than an inconvenience but there remains the possibility of more serious consequences for the unlucky few.
The body has a number of responses to cold and these begin the moment you enter the water. Given the difference between your body temperature and even mid-summer water temperatures, you will start to lose heat immediately. If you are active, there is no wind and the water is relatively warm this heat loss is initially so slight that you will not notice it, but any significant amount of wind can cause this to increase. Many surfers travelling to the tropics for the first time assume they will not need a wetsuit only to find out that a brisk trade wind will cool them rapidly.
The body initially responds to heat loss by reducing circulation to the skin. The skin then becomes cooler and so loses less heat to the surroundings. Under most conditions this is not a problem but if it continues it can cause loss of muscle efficiency. For a surfer, paddling suddenly becomes harder. Surfers often mistakenly attribute this to the resistance of their wetsuit. As cooling continues circulation to the extremities, the hands and feet is also reduced. Booties and gloves may help, but ultimately, since the process is triggered by changes to the whole body's heat budget, they cannot prevent it. By this stage it is probably best to come in as the physiological changes are progressively under-mining the ability to surf well. For surfers, shivering is the point of no return. It significantly reduces co-ordination and further reduces muscle efficiency. It is a clear indication that it is time to go in as quickly as possible.
One of the mechanisms causing these changes is the effect of temperature on proteins. Protein is the stuff of life. It is what you and every other living thing is made of. Virtually all your biologically active substances are proteins. The properties of proteins depend on their shape and this can change as temperatures change.
People are generally aware of hypothermia but there are other risks. In particular it has been observed that cold water increases the risk of heart attack. This has usually been attributed to the sudden increase in workload on the heart necessary to redistribute circulation. The veins in the skin contract creating greater resistance to the flow of blood raising blood pressure. More recently research suggests that a protein essential for maintaining the rhythmic pumping action of the heart can be sensitive to relatively small changes in temperature. This has the potential to cause electrical disruption in the heart so that it either pumps inefficiently or stops altogether.
The young, fit and healthy may feel that they are immune to these risks but there is evidence that they are not, as a third source of potential problems arises with breath holding. When we hold our breath the body tries to lower our oxygen demand by reducing the heart rate. This is the exact opposite of our response to cold in which the heart rate has to increase to redistribute blood away from the skin. Put these conflicting demands together and there is evidence that the we are all at some degree of risk.
So we can imagine a couple of scenarios with serious consequences. The first is a simple heart attack when changes to the protein cause the heart to stop. In this situation, unless they are rescued quickly and given CPR, they will die. The second involves a surfer who is already chilled experiencing abnormal heart rhythms and drowning. In this case a post-mortem would probably not reveal the true cause and the death would simply be ascribed to drowning. At locations like Mavericks where genuinely big waves occur in a cold climate it is very possible that this has been a factor in the drownings that have occurred.
There are number of ways of managing these risks. The first is to start off slowly in cold water. Do not jump in and go hard. If possible wade, or paddle slowly, until your body has made that initial adjustment. The second is to stay warm. Make sure you are fully warmed before entering the water. This means no cold hands or feet and absolutely no shivering. Then use the best available wetsuit. Accessories such as hoods, booties and gloves can be added in more extreme conditions. The third is to maintain an energy reserve. Try not to work anywhere near your maximum. This decreases the stress on the heart if something does happen. Finally, know your limits and be prepared to factor cold into the equation. The energy demands of surfing are not predictable. An unexpectedly large set or a set with a large number of waves can cause a surfer's work rate to increase dramatically placing a large workload on the heart. What might be manageable in warm water may not be in cold. Stay safe! //blindboy
For the last five years blindboy has contributed to Swellnet putting his own slant on surfing's cultural quirks and singular experiences. This is the last article from him, at least for some time. We at Swellnet would like to thank BB - as he's become known to regular readers - and wish him all the best. And when the next south swell lights up Dee Why Point may the wave of the day swing your way.
(homepage and above photo, Rip Curl wetsuits)
Comments
Wow, didn't see that coming.
It's been a pleasure reading your stuff BB, a little dark at times but always balanced and lucid.
Great last article but not final I hope. Cold climate surfing and the strain it puts on your body I can relate to.
All the best.
BB, its been good reading your contributions and I'm sorry you leaving the SW team, although can't say I blame you; there are only so many times you can bang your head against a brick wall before you say enough. Thanks for fighting the good fight.
Just a quick good bye. This has been coming for a while and has been driven by a "quit while your ahead" approach more than anything else. I am pretty happy with what I have done at Swellnet but it has been getting harder recently. If, somewhere down the line, I am hit by a wave of inspiration I may return, but last time I stopped writing about surfing it lasted 20 years! I also need to thank Stu and Ben for their support and all the regulars for their various contributions. Happy surfing people!
That article is very well written BB. During this Victorian Winter (coldest in a long time), I have found myself struggling on several occasions after only an hour in the surf - thought it was just me getting old but now I know I should go in when I see these signs.
All the best BB.
I'll miss your articles BB, good luck.
Thanks for the journey BB great to have your take on surfing which aligns most of the time with mine, particularly your disdain for the log. Interesting you say get used to it slowly I suppose to avoid the shock. As Arnie has said been chilly down here this winter and you need every bit of rubber you can find to keep warm. I noticed you didn't mention the heated vests which a fella in the water had on recently and swore by there effectiveness. Anybody down here tried these and are they worth the $250 outlay? 2 hour warmth apparently.
I use a good wetsuit, booties & one of those full hoods which keeps my hair pretty much dry all session. If its real cold I add a pair of wetsuit shorts under my wetsuit. I never feel cold even after a 2 hour plus surf, BUT, the next day I'm stiff and sore and really low on energy. So the issue for me is post surf recovery .... anyone got any thoughts?
All the best.
Be well BB,
thanks for the interesting articles and yarns
nice article....
my middle left toe is my trigger for coming in....when i cant feel it anymore then i know its coffee time.
Bloody hell, you go off the grid for a couple of weeks and what happens? Blindboy retires and Mick gets attacked!
Didn't always agree with your arguments, blindboy, but appreciated the clear effort that went into writing your articles. Not to mention your tireless efforts on the ongoing climate change thread. All the best to you mate.
As for cold water surf, I had a couple of years in the Pacific North West and the extra trick someone told me, which seemed to work, was to put on polypropolene thermals under the wetsuit. Only being there for a couple of years I didn't want to spend up too much so I put together a bit of a hodge-podge of layers based on what I already had to try and minimise stuff to buy:
thermals (top and bottom)
1mm summer vest
hooded vest (1/2mm vest with flashbomb hood)
4/3 wettie
2.5 mm matuse gloves (geoprene, bloody good stuff)
7mm booties
Sometimes I'd add a rashee over the top of the thermals too.
In winter I don't think I surfed for much more than an hour. Summer and autumn wasn't much longer, depending on the location.
Good advice benski…secret is layers. Also applies to our more temperate (than Pacific north) waters. A good option is to use the 1mm summer vests, works well.
Thanks, BB. Your opinion was always interesting and articulate. the ongoing engagement with the comments was also a treat. What to write about now? Try cooking. Bloody good money in writing about cooking.
@Zen (or anyone for that matter)
What is the water temperature around your home?
I have new job and am moving to live and work on the North East Coast of UK where the waves occasionally get good but the water is very cold, ranging from 5 Celsius to 13 Celsius with most of the time the water being between 5 and 10. I'll also be surfing Ireland and Thurso, a lot. Any recommendation for gear given the temperatures where you surf in Japan?
I will spend the $ to be warm. I am thinking the 5.5/4 Flash Bomb (hooded) and the 5/3 Flash Bomb (non-hooded). I thought Patagucci but some say they aren't so flexible. XCel also an option but they seem bulkier.
clif, dont buy your rubber until you get there, cheap as over there.
Will do. Thanks, Udo. Ironically, can't get jack in China and what you have to ironically order in from overseas e.g. Japan (not counting Taiwan as part of China here - controversial here!)
I've spent quite a bit of time surfing in Northern Europe and the North Sea so I'll be able to offer you some first hand tips on what to expect!
Originally from Vicco so was used to surfing cool water, but indeed the North sea gets damn chilly from Jan-Mar.
Some of Europe's best waves up there but it's fickle some bring some patience with you and you will be rewarded!
I use a 5mm wetsuit 3mm hood and 5 or 7 mm booties in the winter. The 7mm boots might sound excessive but the thickness is on top and the sole of the boot is the same. I also get the round toe or internally split toe. I found the split toe makes my big toe hurt after a while.... personal choice on that one.
These days I have 5mm boots that are latex dipped. These are really warm.
http://store.magicseaweed.com/C-Skins-5mm-Split-Toe-NxGen-Boot/Item/29215/
I used to have 5mm gloves in winter but I hated them. I now use 3mm gloves that have been been dipped in latex so the whole thing is waterproof. I find these much warmer and easier to use. I also have thin 1.5mm gloves for the start of winter as these keep you warm and don't feel like your wearing gloves.
For me 5mm wettie is ok, boots and hood too but I don't like gloves. takes a bit of getting used too.
great wetsuit brands are
C-skins(currently have one. really good)
O'neill
xcel - I currently have a 3/2 for summer and France trips
These guys really understand surfing in cold water.
I personally don't mind surfing in colder water. with proper wetsuits these days, you want be bothered by it till late December. In saying that the North sea is extremely cold in winter and I can relate to things described in the artice. in winter I normally don't surf more than 90 mins. I find I am quite tired after that as my body is using more energy.
The colder climes have some great waves with wild and rugged scenery. enjoy!
epic. thank you so much, Mr Vic. that is super helpful - especially the latex idea.
No worries!
get out there and explore. Surfing in places like this has a totally different feel to Aus. It's not as mainstream and an all out surf culture. Crew just go about their surfing quietly and the communities are really cool.
Also the cold cuts out the posers and your left with the guys who really love it.
You can also fly to France in 90 mins. If you get the chance explore Europe. the waves and cultures are awesome
Coming from the emerald isle, winter I used to wear a 5/4 for about 5 years, 3mm gloves, 1.5/2mm hat and 7mm booties. As stated by Mr VIC, 7mm is vital from Jan to mid March at least. NW Ireland water will be around 8C at that time and 6/7C on the east coast, so I reckon North Sea wouldn't be too far off that.
I then moved to a 4.5/3.5 O'Neill that I wore all winter til I moved here. Wore a rashy under the odd time. Got about 60-90 minutes before the cold got you. Good cover on the extremities is the most important but you'll find it's the changing in the wind and rain after is the real killer, a trusty piece of wood to stand on or even newspapers are you friend!
Oh yeah and buy your stuff in UK or Ireland, way cheaper for everything!
and later that wood and paper can be used to build a great bloody big fire to warm oneself.
Thanks, Chicinho!
Hi Clif, scuse my late reply.
Some good advice floating about on this forum. I love the sound of the latex dipped gloves and booties, will definitely look into that one.
From my perspective, Winter here bottoms out at 6 deg water temp and hovers around 8 for a few months. Air temp is the killer here, often wind chills down to well below zero. Hard offshores will see wind chills of minus 10 even in the middle of the day. Sometimes snow on the beach.
I use 5mm Billabong chest zip, 5mm round toe booties (booties suck anyway you look at them and the round toe makes no difference to me compared with a split toe), 5 mm gloves and 3 mm hood. Even at its coldest I'm pretty right in that, changing in and out is the hard part. Shoulder seasons I'm in a 4/3 and 3mm booties, and then a springy for a month (now) then boardies for another then back into the cold water gear. If you surf a few days a week you get a feel for when the cold gear comes off, usually hood first, then gloves, then booties in that order for me. Being a Queenslander I hate rubber but it's a necessary evil. Buy the best you can afford and keep gloves and booties up to date because that's where you really start feeling the cold first and the quickest thing to shorten your sesh is frozen feet.
Finally, I take about 5 litres of hot water in a container to the beach, fill it up as I'm out the door and wrap a couple of towels around it to keep it warm in the car. When you get out and you can dump a couple of litres of hot fresh water down the inside of your suit, you'll love it.
Enjoy the cold waves man, there's something quite rewarding surfing good waves in super cold conditions. Gives you a buzz. Does me anyway.
That's about the conditions I will be in. Brilliant detailed practical advice. I looked all over the interwebs and couldn't find such. So, thank you very much! Hopefully others can find this thread and can use it when they head into cold climes to slide.
Thanks to BB for kicking it off.
Hey clif good to hear you are moving to the sunny north east that's my neck of the woods. Sounds like you've done a bit of homework already, take it your thinking of a place in Yorkshire? You'll love it over here mate, v chilled crew on the whole, so many options, still lots of unsurfed waves. Think the cold water advice has been pretty much nailed, if in doubt head to tynemouth surf co, Steve will sort you out, good bloke. Nice pint of local brew next door as well with the obligatory Aussie behind the bar. Reminds me I need to go and talk cricket with him.
All the best BB.
Yorkshire? Bloody tropical down there! I lived in Whitley Bay for a couple of years as a child. It scarred me for life!
Haha wouldn't have picked that BB! I can see the Spanish City from my house, did you pick up the Geordie twang? Those formative years in the Bay must've set you up for later missions to Hawaii and beyond, there's hope for me yet!
Spanish City now that's a blast from the past! Early experiences there vaccinated me against poker machines for life. I regularly did my pocket money on the penny slots. By the time I got to Australia my accent was so twisted I could barely be understood. My father was Glaswegian, I learnt to speak in a house full of scousers and then got sent to school where Geordie was the only language spoken. My vowels took decades to recover!
We lived in Percy Gardens and backed on to the grammar school playing fields where we conducted an on going battle with the groundsman! Never been back!
Yeah I remember that wooden spinning disc where you basically tried to crawl to the middle then got g forced back to the side, hours of fun! The slots have gone but the building is the same, was empty for a long time like a lot of places after the ship building etc left the area but having a new lease of life these days as a music/arts/conference type venue. Probably not a lot has changed since you tormented the groundsman although a bit of £ being pumped into the area is helping bring it into this century. Give it a couple of years before your visit and it'll be sweet, the Geordie will come flooding back!
Great people the Geordies upnorth, I have some classic memories of that period of my life. Liverpool will always be my team but Newcastle are definitely second favourite.
Aye salt of the earth up here man! Good to hear the Toon are in your thoughts, we need all the help we can get!
Haha exactly where we will live. uh oh ;)
hey upnorth- yes, that is the area. I'll be definitely visiting Steve at Tynemouth as it will be pretty much the local store, and a nice pint next door to boot. Ale of choice there?
Thanks heaps for the advice. Brilliant. Looking forward to a few surfs during autumn when I arrive.
Good stuff clif you'll love it here, autumn is a good time, water is still 'warm' haha. Been getting into Wylam brewery's gold tankard recently although the silver dollar from Tyne bank is a nice drop as well. Give me a shout when you are in the north east and I'll catch you for a pint.
jeezus Clif, you're a glutton for punishment. All the best for the new gig.
BB, have a spell mate, a pause that refreshes. Your voice is too valuable to drift off into the wilderness again.
haha
Yes, but living right on a surfing coast again is going to be brilliant. And I hate crowds so very much and the cold keeps numbers way way down. I just have to suck it up. I've been told preparation is the key. An epic wave literally on my doorstep too - albeit a bit inconsistent. A job and an uncrowded wave - albeit with cold - jeez, I'll take it. I was done with China.
Oh, and I am a masochist. haha.
I notice the photos for this piece come from the Rip Curl H-Bomb marketing/packaging material. I am interested to know how many H-Bomb wearers are out there? I bought mine (a 3/2) 4 yrs ago and wore it yesterday at Pt Leo in freezing conditions and was as warm as toast (battery setting on low)!
PS Booties, gloves and hood helped!
PPS Paid $600 at end of year sale from Peninsula Surf.
PPPS Memla, would say the heated vest would be pretty good too.
I've always found the best way to warm up in cold water was not to prolong the "agony", dive straight under, open up the neck & shreak for a few seconds!! Sounds like I should change that approach after reading your research BB. Cheers.
Haven't always enjoyed your articles but interesting reading none the less. Thanks. All the best BB, from the straw man :-)
good bye, good work and good luck bb,
love your dark slant on it all, and agree with freeride, your conflicting voice is a much needed voice contrasting the way too cosy surf industry
hope it wasn't all too painful for you...
tough gig putting yourself up against the personalities on here, who's silly enough to replace you?
maybe the outsider healed enough for another run
Great article on what I often feel but did not know why (e.g. getting tired after an hour in Winter even when fit).
I also reckon the key is being warm BEFORE you get in the water. Where possible I'll change at home rather than bare feet in the car park.
And the real key is a DRY wetsuit. Not always possible but a mate stumbled onto a shoe warmer with built in fan that you can use to hang your wettie legs over using a coat hanger and takes about 2-3 hours for a bone dry wetsuit.
I was reading how a few of the more well-known surfers in Canada and east coast USA get into their wetsuits and drive to the beach in them. Two thermos should be on call - one with hot water to pour into wetsuit and the other with 21 year old single malt whiskey to gulp from.
Some of the new wetsuits are supposed to dry very quickly. Whether they do or not is another thing.
I may come back to this thread after being a guinea pig testing BB's material here haha
***
I wonder who will come into the writing role. It's a difficult agenda: keeping surfing + writing interesting for the writer and the audience. I like the editorial (albeit light) touch here. Please don't go The Inertia route ...
How about you Clif?
You string a good sentence together.
Too tough a gig for me. I am also unsure if I have thick enough skin for the commentating haha. Tough audience. Stu and BB (and in the past SS) handle it with aplomb.
Ha ha...not much chance of that, we'd sooner move to the freezing north of England than copy their model. Not that it hasn't been successful for them, it just wouldn't be terribly satisfying as a writer and nor, I imagine, would it be satisfying for the readers we seek. It's a shame that BB is hanging up his quill but I sympathise and understand. Not for him the frivolties of surfing, the humdrum repetition, airy contests or cliched travel that comprises so much surf media. He wanted to probe and enquire and keep finding fresh ground, and over five years he did just that and I was thrilled to have his writing on Swellnet. Yet when that terrain has been mapped, as it eventually is, it becomes a challenge to find fresh words - at least in an internet friendly format.
The need to constantly create is constraining, and the internet needs new creations - every single day. The pressure creates a feedback system of stress, the opposite to what I've found is an ideal mindset for good work.
BB is a keen reader, he's got a wide range of tastes. Maybe exposure to new ideas and an absence of pressure will make this fallow period fertile. Maybe his work will appear on Swellnet in the future. I hope so.
As for new writers: Not sure who we'll get on board or if they'll be regular.
Roy Stuart .........give him a go ?
Braithys not bad either.
Edit: Pete Bowes is great to read as well.
Braithys is very good ........but he is still Sulking .
What happened to Braithy?
What about a woman writer/surfer as a regular contributor?
That'd be cool.
Know anyone except Cori Schumacher?
I'd love to see a woman writer step up here.
Thank fuck Germaine Greer don't surf .
I'm sure she has an opinion on it though.
Get in touch with Taylor Miller who would be fantastic!
Also a cycle of contributors:
Cori Schumacher
Rebecca Olive
Holly Thorpe
Lisa Hunter
Krista Comer
Belinda Wheaton
and much much more
The internet is known for horrific misgoyny in comments sections, though. So it may take some convincing. Ask Ellen Pao ex-CEO of Reddit.
Thanks for the stories BB.
Vineland was my favourite.
Hope to see a few more back on here if you ever feel the desire to continue where you left off.
Your efforts to inform and entertain were appreciated and again thanks very much.
I always liked your fuck 'em attitude and the fact that you were an unabashed wave nazi.
PS Cold water can suck my penis.
floyd commented Monday, 27 Jul 2015 at 3:32pm new
I use a good wetsuit, booties & one of those full hoods which keeps my hair pretty much dry all session. If its real cold I add a pair of wetsuit shorts under my wetsuit. I never feel cold even after a 2 hour plus surf, BUT, the next day I'm stiff and sore and really low on energy. So the issue for me is post surf recovery .... anyone got any thoughts?
I used to pull up sore after marathon sessions , but less so now because i keep well hydrated before and during my surfs , if i am surfing our points i scull water between run backs from the beach to the point , and maybe a quick snack bananas, nuts etc
, doing this has made a huge difference to my recovery times and energy..
I had a near fatal heart attack while surfing a point by myself , i ignored the first minor symptoms , a slight flick sensation in my chest , and feeling a bit spun out, ( i had just come off three twelve hour nightshifts with minimal sleep who dosent feel spun out after that ) , i paddled out and caught some waves , then i started feeling really weird , i thought i was having an outer body experience and decided to get out of the water fast, it wasnt till i started walking back that i got the classic chest pain, shortly after i was gasping for air , this was over an hour period , two hours or so waiting on the beach the SES and Ambos got me, i flat lined soon after arriving in hospital.
lessons from that experience , dont ignore any unusual symptoms, mine were pain free for a long time before i hit the water .
Dont leave your fucking phone in the car like i did
( Thank you random stranger for calling 000)
Stay hydrated,not drinking enough, so i have read can help contribute to a heart attack
After a couple of years i am close to normal , thanks to the people who helped me on that Journey , and to Hughie for the best winter of surf in Vicco for ages ..
good luck BB .
Awesome Strawbs. All the best.
Sage advice.
'Many surfers travelling to the tropics for the first time assume they will not need a wetsuit only to find out that a brisk trade wind will cool them rapidly. '
I am off to indo in two months time for the first time. Would it be worth my while to chuck in my 2mm vest. I hadn't even thought of taking it until I read the above quote from BB.
I've felt a little cold during the earlies/beginning of morning trades.
I'd take it. 1mm probably better though.
Sad to see you go BB. All the best for whatever your future holds.
Re the cold water. I dont want seem like I am plugging a product but last year purchased O'neil 4/3 psycho 3. Water in SA has certainly been cold this year but this suit is fantastic.
While the waves around Middleton certainly dont pack the same punch as some breaks, anyone paddling out of the beach in a 3-4 foot swell (and we have had plenty this year yew!!)will know its still a tough paddle. This suit almost makes me overheat its that warm, no joke. I find myself regularly dipping under to cool off.
Oldman, I bought a Psycho 3 backzip just this year and so far not living up to expectations. Super flexy yes but not as warm as previous 4/3's I've had. Sometimes surfing in it, allbeit in pretty cold conditions, I've thought that I should be much warmer. Also, the internal thingy that goes over your neck I find really hard to pull up over my back and over my head. Maybe my arms just aren't flexible enough though.
Last 2 suits, Billabong Solution Platinum and Quikky Cypher I thought were better. When the water warmed up a bit the O'Neill is great though but not head and shoulders above as the reviews would have us believe.
There was a side comment back in the thread about taking a thermos of single malt with you.
Definitely, absolutely, unquestionably NO.
Alcohol is the worst possible thing to consume if you're at all hypothermic. Your skin and extremities are all cold, way colder than your core, and blood supply to those areas reduced. Then the alcohol stimulates the blood flow back into those cold areas. And bingo, your core temp plummets and you're in real trouble.
Step Four when it's too cold, light a fire on the beach, just watch, keep warm and eat lots of steak and eggs (Protein).
Step Five don't go BB.
Thanks for the great read ;)
Zen thanks for the feedback. Maybe your conditions colder. Our water around 13 degree C, but windchill has been a killer. I will make note of your other suits and try next time.
Thanks for your great work, BB. Particularly liked your piece on SW WA a few months back. You really captured the spirit of it, which ain't easy to do on a quick trip.
Thanks for the various interesting read / comments over the years, BB.
My own experience with severe cold is much the same as other cold-climate surfers, no doubt, but I do remember one particular session on the SE NZ coast, one winter...
I had been out for quite a while in crappy cold, on-shore southerly conditions with only marginal waves coming through and not much activity apart from fighting against the rip. I began shivering pretty bad but tried to hang in there for 'one more decent one' (as you do, but like that ever happens when it's on-shore and crappy).
After a time I realised I wasn't shivering anymore, and thought "hey, that's good, I must have warmed up a bit", although I didn't really feel like it. Then my bro said to me, "Dude, your lips are really f'ing purple! Might be time to head in?!?"
Yeah, no crap! ;-) It was only when I got in and started to warm up, that I started to shiver again, so I realised how far I had gone into hyperthermia...Cheers!