The Winter Gear Guide
Essential gear for paddling the colder months
Fall and Winter are some on the best times to paddle in the Bay Area especially for beginners! The winds are much calmer than summer time and we get more reliable swells for learning to surf. The only catch is it's a little colder than summer so you need some extra layers to have a good time.
What do I need to stay warm?
Booties and Gloves: If you are a recreational paddler than you don't need to invest in a whole lot to get out there, yoga pants and a non-cotton jacket are enough to keep you warm (as long as you don't fall in). Booties will keep your toes nice and warm especially if you are paddling on the coast. Gloves are nice to keep circulation in your hands as well.
Thermal protection: If you plan on adventures where you're likely to fall in you'll need some sort of thermal protection. This can range from a "farmer" overall style wetsuit, wetsuit tops or bottoms, or even a full surf-style "Steamer" wetsuit. Wetsuit technology has advanced a lot and we have a variety of options to fit different needs for our paddlers! Changing ponchos are also a great buy to keep warm while you change from wet to dry clothes.
Surf SUP board: Generally speaking, Northern swells in the winter time provide much more reliable and consistent waves for surfing for us on the West coast. If you ever wanted to get into SUP surfing, Fall/Winter is the best time to learn with October to January months providing great conditions for both beginners and intermediate surfers. We offer SUP surf lessons and we have a wide variety of SUP surf boards we curated specifically for our local conditions!