Need Help Choosing Surf Gear for You and Your Kids?

It happens to all of us – when we book a trip but we don’t really know what equipment is best for what occasion or location. If you are planning to go on a family surfing holiday and need help on what to pack, we’re here to help!

O'Neill Reactor Full 3/2mm Youth Wetsuit £40.00

Unless you are going to a tropical destination, you will definitely need a wetsuit to maintain any sense of feeling in the water! Every wetsuit is made up of neoprene, which is used because of the fact it keeps water away from you for extra insulation. The fitting of a wetsuit is not singly important for comfort, as it is essential to make sure that the suit is completely insulating you.

If you were to remain in the UK, for instance, a full-length suit would be most recommended. This style of suit covers your entire body including long sleeves and full leg coverage, so it keeps you lovely and warm.

O'Neill Reactor 2mm Shortie Wetsuit £30.00

However if you were to go to a lovely, warm country, the spring suit/shorty might be a better option for you. It comes with either short or long sleeves, whichever suits you best, and they both have legs that cut off a few inches just below the knee. These are better for warmer conditions also because they are made of a thinner material than the full-length wetsuits.

Now, if you are a beginner it is important to keep a leg leash attaching you to the board. You don’t necessarily have to be a beginner to have a leash as if you were up surfing and you wiped out, where is your board? Well, fortunately it’ll be close enough for you to quickly hop back on before the arrival of the next wave, as well as it being nice and out of the way by the time that you surface. It’s a win win!

Wax is integral for more intermediate or advanced surfers as it is for when you are planning on your board for a long length of time. You can get wax from really any surf shop you might find, and there are different types depending on the temperature of the water that you are surfing in.

Finally (and most importantly), you need a surfboard! When it comes to choosing the surfboard for you, you firstly should take a look at 3 main types of board – only 2 of these happen to be suitable for beginners:

TWF EPS Bodyboards £10.00

Firstly, there are foam boards. These are known as the most forgiving style of board to start on and you can rent them from just about every surf beach! Even though they may be the most forgiving, they don’t have brilliant suitability if you were a beginner wanting to improve, limiting how much skill you can work up to within your first couple of tries, due to their very basic design. However, they are fantastic boards during the learning process, and it is only really necessary for you to rent these boards.

Then there is the pop-out board. A pop-out board is filled with a liquid plastic covered in a mould made in a factory so that these boards can be made in their masses. Choose from a lovely selection in a variety of shapes and sizes. You ought to buy them in a surf store so you can get the very best, and most personal advice on what suits you best. The big boards have a big volume, making it easy for you to catch waves, and as it goes, the small boards have less volume, making it more difficult – it’ll certainly increase your frustration to catch waves!

You most certainly must remember, take your time on choosing the right surfing equipment for you - there’s no rush!

 

Also...

Find out places to surf right on your doorstep.

 May Johnson, June 2015