Surfing Without a Wetsuit: How and When You Can Do It

Getting out in the waves and going surfing is an incredibly fun activity whatever the weather.

Although tropical beaches are what spring to most people’s minds when they think about surfing, there are many different climates in which you can go surfing.

However, many of those who are new to surfing want to know what to wear and when. Specifically, can you surf without a wetsuit? Yes, you absolutely can. In water temperature above 63°F (17°C), it’s fine to surf without a wetsuit although the warmer it gets the easier. Below 63°F (17°C): you will quickly get cold and it’s hard to relax. We’ll look at more points below!

Surfing Without a Wetsuit in Warmer Water

Heading out for a surf in warmer water with no suit is fine as you won’t need that much to keep you warm. However, there are a few other factors to consider when surfing without a wetsuit, including:

Wind
Rash or rub
Sun protection
Time in the water

Wind

If there is any wind while you are surfing, you will feel much colder once you are wet and out in the sea than you would on the beach when dry.

This wind chill is made worse when wearing normal clothing in the sea, such as t-shirts and other kinds of shorts.

Normal clothing will cling to you and increase the feeling of wind chill, which you probably won’t want unless you are in the hottest of temperatures.

A wetsuit top like these high-quality surf brand ones on Amazon are a brilliant option to keep wind off you. These are thin, great for movement and can allow you to stay in the water much longer than without.

IMG 20160811 WA0000 — My wife looking happy before a surf with just her wetsuit top and boardshorts. It was a bit cold that day but we had fun!

Rash or rub

You will also find that surfing without proper surf clothing in warmer water will lead to you getting rash or rub from your board and your clothes.

This is usually around the chest/stomach and also the inside of the thighs; both can be quite painful so it is best avoided.

A wetsuit top, as mentioned above, will be a great option to avoid rub on your torso when surfing sans wetsuit in warm water.

As for preventing rub or rash on your legs, a good pair of surf-brand boardshorts like these from Amazon are highly recommended for both men and women.

Sun protection

Surfing without a wetsuit also exposes you to an intense burst of sun and UV rays. You might think that this is a good thing but it can soon play havoc with your skin, especially if you are of the fair skin variety like me!

Wearing normal clothes will do very little for sun protection so just wearing a t-shirt on your torso won’t really help to protect your upper half from sunburn.

With this in mind, a good budget alternative to normal clothes is to get a rash guard t-shirt from a site like Amazon since they will protect you from the sun and from rash in one go, although again a wetsuit top is a better option if you are in cooler water just above the 63°F (17°C) threshold for no-wetsuit surfing.

Time in the water

This is a crucial factor in that, depending on how long you want to stay in the surf without, you will need to wear different items.

If you’re surfing in 63°F (17°C) water with no suit and want to surf for a while, then I’d recommend wearing some thermal shorts under your boardshorts along with a wetsuit top. This will give you maximum warmth without a wetsuit.

However, if you’re planning on only having a splash for a bit of fun, what you wear then really won’t matter that much so it’s not such a big deal.

Again, the warmer the water is above 63°F (17°C), the easier it will be to stay in for longer and have fun.

Surfing Without a Wetsuit in Colder Water

If you are planning on surfing in water temperatures below 63°F (17°C), then there are several issues that you will find.

Before going on, I should say that it is not recommended trying to surf without a wetsuit below 60°F (15.5°C) since anything less than this can be very difficult to surf in, make you feel cold very quickly and, going down a few degrees more, can even be dangerous.

However, if you are desperate to try surfing in 60-63°F (15.5-17°C) waters, then the following are the main points to consider.

You will get cold quickly. This can be a bit of a let down since you will likely want to stay in the surf for a while but, once the cold sets in, it is very difficult to shake off. You can try to stay active out in the surf by paddling around and keeping moving, but this can only do so much for your body temperature.

On top of the above, being cold makes it hard to relax since you will be constantly thinking about the cold. This takes a lot of the fun out of the surfing experience, especially as you may well end up shivering not long into your session.

From there, you will find it hard to learn to surf in cold water without a wetsuit as it takes a long time to catch waves. You will need to sit out in the surf for a good amount of time to catch a few waves, so trying to rush it and surf quickly without a wetsuit will only decrease your chances of improving.

If you want a better idea, check out my dedicated post on how long it really takes to learn to surf (you will be surprised!)

At the extreme end of the temperature scale, it can also be dangerous with risks of hypothermia and other problems associated with the shock of cold water. In short, if it’s really cold, don’t risk it and wait until the seasons change or save up for a wetsuit!

You can get a budget wetsuit for a small amount from sites like Amazon these days and surf safely – so why not spend a little for that peace of mind!