Choosing the right wetsuit thickness for cold water surfing is a trade off between warmth an flexibility. A simple solution would be - just get something really thick and stay warm. But unfortunately a really thick and warm wetsuit would also be very clumsy and would make you move like a penguin. Thicker neoprene means better insulation but it means also that you will have to put more effort into paddling an moving and that it will drain your strength and energy faster.

Lucky for us, todays wetsuits are a lot more flexible than they used to be. Todays 4/3 wetsuit can feel like a 3/2 used to. And then there is extra warmth. New wetsuits are better, more flexible and warmer than they used to be, so these days is not so bad if you are cold water surfer or if you live somewhere where waves only arrive in the cold part of the year.

But still, just how thick of a wetsuit do you need?

Wetsuit thickness

First let us in short explain what the wetsuit thickness numbers actually mean. The thickness of the wetsuit in given in millimeters of neoprene that the wetsuit is made of. Usually you will se numbers like 3/2, 4/3, 5/3, 5/4/3, 6/5/4 etc... This means that your wetsuit is made out of neoprene that is in some parts 3 millimeters and in other parts 2 millimeters thick (or 4mm and 3mm or 5mm and 4mm and 3mm). Why are there two different wetsuit thicknesses? Because parts of your wetsuit where not so much flexibility is needed - like your body and legs can be thicker that parts of your body where you need all the flexibility you can get - like your arms, shoulders, behind your knees, your crotch etc.. So for the first areas they neoprene that is 3mm thick and for others neoprene that is thinner and therefore more flexible. All this is given on a 3/2 wetsuit example but it goes just the same for thicker wetsuits.

How cold is the water?

It's not just the water temperature that counts. There are more factors to how cold will you feel and how thick wetsuit do you need: water temperature, air temperature, wind, cold sensitivity and activity. For a more in depth explanation how each of them influence the feeling of cold, check out our wetsuit temperature guide.

Cold water wetsuits or winter wetsuits

Not every wetsuit is suitable for cold water surfing. Better winter wetsuits have features that will allowe you to get a thinner wetsuit. So cheaper and low quality wetsuit will have to be thicker. What is the difference between a winter - cold water wetsuit and and oridanry wetsuit? Double blindstitched seams, glued seams, liquid taped and seald seams, shorter zipper, bat flap, thermo insulation inside, integrated hood... These are the main features to llok for in a winter wetsuit. Well you can leave out the integrated hoodie if you are not surfing in really extreme temperatures. For more info check out our winter wetsuit guide.

And now finally, to the cold water surfing wetsuit chart.

Cold water surfing wetsuit chart