cold water surfing

[tony g]

Glad to hear you are staying warm and getting waves! In Oregon when it is cold, I will sometimes fill up a 5 gallon water jug with super hot water. After surfing I get a nice hot shower and a smile on my face. Maybe warm water is over rated. No, I know it's not. It is nice though that wetsuits allow us to surf the cold conditions and still be comfortable.

[Buttertoes]

Absolutely Tony! I have a cheap camping shower bag I fill with hot water and store in an insulated cooler, but can only use it if the air is above freezing. I learned the hard way trying to rinse the salt off on a breezy -5 C day. I lost the feeling in my fingers and needed my husband to help me into the c-c-c-ar haha! I envy those in the really warm water, but the winter conditions here in Nova Scotia were better than the summer conditions were last year. If that's typical I'll keep heading out in the cold!

[jaffa1949]

EEEEEEK! popsicle toes

[Wave4Surf]

First of all you'll definitely need a cap, gloves and shoes and a 5mm+ wetsuit.
Second I would recommend an extra +/- 1mm shirt as well. I'm wearing such a shirt with heatpatches underneath my wetsuit.

If you make sure that your cap, gloves and shoes are stuck well into the wetsuit, you will survive the day in the ocean

[surf patrol]

I'm really interested in hearing first hand from someone who uses the heat patches / h bomb or similar. I keep asking but don't get a response *


* those are real tears!

[Wave4Surf]

I'm really interested in hearing first hand from someone who uses the heat patches / h bomb or similar.
I keep asking but don't get a response *


* those are real tears!

No crying admins! I can tell you this about the heat-patches:
The patches a circular with a 'button' in the middle. If you press the button, some kind of fluid will start flowing, heating the patch up to 40C.
You can't wear them on bare skin, so, in the 1mm shirt, is a hole in which the heat patch can be placed (from the inside).
They will be activated for 45 minutes, then the patch is filled with the white fluid. To reuse them, you have to kind of heat
Them up, zand voortsurfertje will be able to explain this more clearly, as he has done it multiple times.
If you have more questions, you can always ask

[zandvoortsurfertje]

I'm really interested in hearing first hand from someone who uses the heat patches / h bomb or similar.
I keep asking but don't get a response *


* those are real tears!

No crying admins! I can tell you this about the heat-patches:
The patches a circular with a 'button' in the middle. If you press the button, some kind of fluid will start flowing, heating the patch up to 40C.
You can't wear them on bare skin, so, in the 1mm shirt, is a hole in which the heat patch can be placed (from the inside).
They will be activated for 45 minutes, then the patch is filled with the white fluid. To reuse them, you have to kind of heat
Them up, zand voortsurfertje will be able to explain this more clearly, as he has done it multiple times.
If you have more questions, you can always ask

To fullfill this the brand which makes these and are very good is: tiki, we bought them from a dealer in Germany. On the heatpatches itself it says that for more information you should go to tikisurf.co.uk.... here is the link for the heat patches we use http://www.tikisurf.co.uk/Tiki-Reactive-Heat-Pads << They are very handy. As W4S already said you can reuse them: what you do is you put a towel on top of a cooking pan with boiling water then you put 1 or 2 of these patches on and after 5 - 10 minutes the white gel is liquid again and you can reuse it. I would advise after you have used them to wait at least 12 hours until you boil them. Even though the patch works for 40 min. after about 2 hours it is still hard to boil them.

Good luck and stay warm

ZVS & W4S

[surf patrol]

Those heat pads do seem they might be worth trying out. I may well try them out next winter.
I'd really like to give an H Bomb a go, I wonder if I can get a freebie for an SW review

[Tassiedevil]

Surf patrol there is a similar / possibly the same product being sold in Australia as hot suit wetsuit heater packs . These are gel packs that fit into a belt that lies accross your lower back inside your wetsuit . Probably not as warm as the H bomb but a lot cheaper .
.Have just ordered one as am getting ready for the winter . Have used similar heating gel packs as hand warmers in the past you just crack them and place them in your pockets with your frozen hands work great .

Will let you know how the hot suit packs go

[surf patrol]

Thanks Tassiedevil
You mentioned hands, and that's the worst part for me. Now, if only you could get heated wetsuit gloves - that would be something

[Tassiedevil]

Have got to try the hot suit heater pack , not bad .used it a couple of times when the water was cold ( no idea what the water temp was as don't carry a thermometer in the water but maximum temp for the day was around 14 degrees ) . Normally on these days I would wear a rashy under my 4/3 wetsuit .tried the hot suit heater pack with my 3/2 wetsuit and I was actually hot .
Also had the advantage of providing lower back support , great for us oldies .
I think these things offer great value for money . Still would enjoy a H bomb suit but this might get me through for this winter or until I can talk the wife around

[surf patrol]

Wow, droppping down to your 3/2 and losing the rashy - that's good going. I'm definately going to give these a go.

[Tassiedevil]

The drawback on these gel packs is they only last for about an hour after activation and it's a bit of mucking around having to boil them for 15 minutes then wait for them to cool to reuse . I guess a couple of spare gel packs would make them make more user friendly .

Still about $80 compared to about $1500 for a new h bomb I think they are pretty good value . Also in my case I already have a hanger full of wetsuits which I can keep reusing with the gel packs but become redundant if I grabbed one of the H bomb suits .

[drowningbitbybit]

I'm debating moving to tassie (hobart) next year and this thread scares the hell out of me

I cant go back to proper wetsuits! Thats why I moved from the UK!!
To take my mind off it, I might go for a surf right now in the 21C water...

[surf patrol]

I think it's essential to base all lifes big decisions around the thickness and type of wetsuit required

Back to the gel packs, after an hour they stop working but you are still warm at that point. Where would you be at that point if you were not using them. Surely they must increase the length of a colder session?

[surf patrol]

(at least they make you warmer for the first hour)

[Tassiedevil]

Surf patrol I reckon your warmth actually lasts a bit longer then the hour due to your body temperature being up instead of crashing downwards from the moment you duck dive through that 1 st wave and get the 1st cold flush through the wetty ( love that feeling )

DBBB don't let the cold water put you off , great place even though we are in an economic recession at the moment according to the gurus . Even the cold water has it's advantages the biggest one being we rarely get crowded days . And sensitivity to the cold seems to vary a fair bit so you might not find it too bad . I'm a skinny little bugger so I freeze pretty quickly .
My kids rarely ever wear full length wetsuits during the summer while my 3/2 full length seems to live in the back of the car all year round .
Not being smart but you do realize next stop south from Hobart is the South Pole . The north coast is the place to be