Author: <span>Winter Surfer</span>

Cold Water Surfing

Best Cold Water Surf Wax

Choosing the correct wax for winter surfing can be tricky. As the water temperature drops below 10 degrees, many surf waxes become very hard to apply. Even some the ones which are labeled for cold water, become very stiff. And when temperature nears zero degrees Celsius, basically all brands are hard to apply. For example in my experience, Famous Surf Wax for Cold water is almost impossible to use in subzero weather.

The trick is to apply the wax somewhere where the temperature is something between +5 and +15 Celsius. The cold-water surf waxes tend to be very sticky in warmer temperature, and very hard to apply on colder. In my opinion, Far King Xtra Soft and Sticky Bumps Cold are best for freezing temperatures.

What surf wax brands do you prefer in cold water?


Surfer going into a freezing lineup Cold Water Surfing

What is Cold Water Surfing?

When is water truly considered cold? Well, it depends on who do you ask. People who surf only in warm water, such as Hawaii, Bali etc. may say that anything colder than 25°C (77 °F) is freezing cold. On the other end, surfers in Alaska, Norway or Iceland might say that water is cold when it is below 10°C (50 °F).

Here where I live, the sea temperature is around 3°C (37 °F) in winter (before the water freezes) and it can be as high as 20 °C (68 °F) during summer. I mostly use a 5/4 mm wetsuit with a separate hood, and gloves and booties of various thickness depending on the season.