Winter ocean sports may be a little hard for people who are just learning to surf, kiteboard, body boarding, or windsurf. The water is very cold and the ocean can be very strong, with large surf, and currents. This dose not mean you cant learn to be a better ocean sports man or woman, in the winter time. There is a few things you must know. Keep in mind if your into winter Kayaking, you can get into a dry suit which may be better for this type of sport.

First, buying a nice winter suit is key, they do keep you very warm, but you will pay for what you get. If money is tight, it is better to wait and get the right suit once, then a few cheap suits over time. I recommend any name brand that is over 6mm thick. The suits run around the same price any where you go. Pick a hardcore shop, any surf shop that is not to commercialized. The reason for this, is the people who work at this type of shop, most of the time, know what they are talking about. Please check our surf shop page for a shop close to you. Winter suits come with a hood, but you will have to buy the booties and gloves as well. See our gear page for more details, and read our winter gear information below.

Where to surf is up to you. In the winter time it is best to find a public beach and try to go with someone. The beaches in the winters are empty and cold. Stay away from points, rocks, and on shore winds. On shore winds can be strong and make the surf messy. It is best to be a little more picky on what you surf in the winter, then any other time of the year. If your sailing, on shore winds on an open ocean beach is what you need, but watch the surf size and look for changes in the winds, you don't want to be blown out to sea.

Winter weather is a lot different then any other time of the year. There is more storms, the ocean waters are colder and are more violent. The winds in the Northeast blow from the Northeast and east more often. The weather as a whole is more active. Make sure you always check the water temps, and weather before leaving your home to go to the beach. You can find this information on our forecast pages. Find the buoy close to you. Buoys are great weather tools and are located all over the ocean.

Gear this is one of the most important part of ocean sports. It can mean a day of fun, or the worst day you ever tried to spend out on the water. We can be very helpful on this subject, because we have spent years out on the water trying out new and old gear to see what works for us. No NES does not favor any surf shop, Surf Company, (except ours of course) or surf products, but we will let you know what works for us.

To surf in the winter you need a winter wet suit. This wet suit is a full suit and has a hood attached to the suit, some hoods are attached, some hoods zip in. We like the attached hoods. Most hoods are now are attached. The winter wet suits start at 5mm. A 5mm wet suit, is a wet suit that is 5 millimeters thick. For exampled a summer suit with 50 to 65 degree waters can be 3mm's thick. From 45 to 55 most surfers wear a 4mm suit. Anything under 45, or any weather where you may need a hood, you should have on a 5mm suit or thicker on.

Wetsuits are made from neoprene, a stretchy synthetic rubber material. The wetsuit is made out of several of these pieces of neoprene stitched together. The neoprene comes in different thickness', from 2 to just over 7mm. The thicker the neoprene the warmer the suit. There are various ways a Wetsuit can be sealed together and the way depends on the designed use of the suit. What type of Wetsuit you go for depends on the conditions that you will be surfing in. A Wetsuit works by trapping a thin layer of water between the Wetsuit and the skin. The body temperature of the surfer heats this water giving a nice warm water blanket. This is why getting a Wetsuit that fits well is a must. The Wetsuit should be a nice tight fit (not too tight that you can't move freely) and should be no baggy areas where the suit comes away from your body. If it is for cold water makes sure that there is also a nice tight fitting neck.

Most of us wear a winter suit that is 6mm thick. The hood is attached. The cost of a good suit like this is around $350.00, one thing you need to know, doing not be cheap when buying winter surf gear. Now of course the winter wetsuits only cover everything but your cheeks, feet, and hands. Your cheeks will be a little cold, just like riding the mountain. But your feet and hands can be covered as well.

Booties and gloves for the winter start at 2mm to 7mm thick. We use 7mm of course, and would recommend everyone else do the same or close to it. Make sure they have a good seal on them. Lots of companies are now using a type of glue seal, instead of stitch, this is better. For the hands get mittens they are warmer and you will get use to them. For the feet get the open toes booties. Also it does not hurt to get these a little bigger and buy some 3mm wet socks. My favorite pair of mittens is made by xcell. They are really warm. Keep in mind that the booties give you better traction then your own feet.

The question we always get is, is it cold? Well this is a funny question because a lot has to do with being cold. Your body temp, circulation, gear, wind, water, etc. Over all if you do everything right, you could still have a cold day. You're not freezing, just cold. Most days you are not cold. In fact the suit is so warm that your sweating before you hit the water. I have surfed on days that the water temp was 34, and the air temp was 2 degrees. I was not cold for the first four hours. I kept moving around creating heat, my suit was completely sealed and new. After around 3 and half hours my feet started to feel cold. I could have stayed in the water for at least another few hours, but got out.

Make sure that your gear is on right. The suit should be tight, just not too tight. The gloves and booties should be tucked under your suit so water can't get in them. The hood pulled down over your head and tight. Email us in "CONTACT" For more information.

Some name brands that work for us - body glove, O'Neill, Quick Silver, yet there is lots more great names out there.

In Photo Water was temp 36, Air Temp 27 degrees. When asked this surfer claimed he was very warm, even after three hours out on the cold waters.