lifestyle

What to bring with you to surf trip and how to prepare yourself

Surf trip is a special kind of journey that requires special preparing. Some things can be bought or rented on site every time, and some are better to get once and carry with you.

We have compiled a list of exactly what you’ll need on a surf trip, as well as seemingly optional little things that will make the trip enjoyable and comfortable.

surf trip

Any journey requires careful preparing  to unforgettable emotions and maximum pleasure. Surf trip is no exception.

It is important to pay attention even to the details such as preparing, as the impression of relaxation is able to spoil the wild beach without changing rooms.

Yes, enjoying the big waves and skating on the board outweighs minor errors. However, many surfers are selected on the coast for only a few weeks a year, so they want the perfect setting.

It is such people who need to make the right list of necessary things before the trip.

It is not necessary to prepare all of this maximum set, although all components are important in their own way.

Board + fin + leash

board fin leash

A set of equipment on which you’ll ride, you are able to rent, or buy your own. Both options have pros and cons.

The main advantage of your own board is that you ride on it, and on familiar equipment it is easier to learn new waves, you know how the board behaves in a particular situation.

On the other hand, renting boards, you are able to try different forms and designs, see what suits you best, this adds an additional element of the game and interest to trip.

surfboard

If we consider the financial side of the issue, then renting a board may  be even cheaper, because it is not cheap, plus not all airlines transport sports equipment without paying

In Asia, e.g., in Bali or Sri Lanka, board rental is cheaper than in Europe. But then it is not everywhere, but only in the most tourist areas.

If you want a surf trip to the Maldives or Mentawai, you definitely need to keep your own board, or go to a group surf camp, where the organizers will prepare it to you, but in this case you’ll have almost no choice.

However, all this applies more to those who already know how to ride, but if you have plans to learn surfing, you definitely do not need to buy your board: in the first stages you’ll surf on special training boards that the surf school will provide.

Prepare surf clothing

Surf clothing wetsuit

The first thing to do is pick up clothes to surf. A wetsuit is perfect with cool water.

Otherwise, shorts or a swimsuit will also not be needed to skii.

To warm waves, put on lycra, which perfectly protects against the negative effects of ultraviolet radiation and prevents rubbing the abdomen. This is especially true to beginners who fidget on the board for a long time.

At the same time, even high-quality wax is slightly irritating to the skin, if guys may get along with a T-shirt and shorts, then the girls will need to purchase a closed swimsuit.

women wetsuit

Of course, swimwear and shorts should be prepared in a surf trip of their own, but their clothing to surf is not limited to.

In tropical countries you’ll definitely need lycra – it is a tight-fitting jacket with long sleeves, which is made of special material, almost like a swimsuit, it protects from the sun, does not become heavy in the water and does not hinder movement.

Again, surfing schools give out lycra to the duration of the lesson, but if you plan to ride on your own in the future, it is better to buy your own.

As a rule, girls have wider choices than boys, many surf brands produce special women’s lycra, a kind of one-piece swimsuit with a long sleeve, practical and looks very feminine.

surf clothing

If you chose Europe, the USA or some other country where the ocean temperature is below 24 ° C, you’ll have to ride in a wetsuit as the destination to the surf trip.

Do not flatter yourself that you bathed in the spring of 18-20 ° C in spring, surfing is 2 hours in the water, plus when you sit wet on the surfboard and a light breeze blows in you, an additional layer of thermal insulation is simply necessary.

Often there are wetsuits at the rental points to  surf boards, but theirs, again, is much better – over time, it stretches a little according to your forms and as a result sits well and warms more efficiently.

Special shoes for reefs

In some places where you have trip to surf you need reef slippers, so prepare them in advance, e.g. in the Philippines you can’t do without them, too sharp reef and many sea urchins.

Slippers are definitely better to buy in advance, they might rarely be found to hire, and it is also very important to choose the right size.

If they are a little large, they will accumulate water, which will make their legs heavier, it will not be comfortable to ride. About shoes that are small, and nothing to say.

Prepare wax, zinc, repair kit

surfer witn sunsccreen on face

It is a mistake to assume that only the shoulders are affected by tanning during the trip.

To surf in the tropics during the trip, zinc is extremely important, which reliably protects from powerful solar radiation in these latitudes.

In its properties, it is even ahead of the best sunscreens, washed off by the waves over time.

Because of this, a dense ointment (zinc) was created by surfers, which is evenly applied to the skin. With such protection from ultraviolet light, you might safely ride half a day.

Sunscreen For Surfing

When choosing a sunscreen, you need to study the labeling so that the product is from UVB and UVA.

The first type of rays does not cause rapid redness, but penetrates into the deeper layers of the skin, injuring them. In the second form, a tan instantly appears, which is also dangerous, because riding on the waves prepares more than one hour.

At night, it is better to wash off zinc, so that the skin is well saturated with oxygen. Therefore, out of surfing will help sunscreen.

To remove the layer you’ll need to prepare wet wipes, as well as coconut or olive oil, which has beneficial properties for the epidermis.

However, before each trip to the beach, the procedure to apply zinc is repeated.

surf wax

Wax and zinc are consumables that you have to buy regularly during the trip and your usual activity. They rub the surfboard with wax so that their feet do not slip, zinc is a special indelible sunscreen paste to the face.

Both that, and another can be bought on the spot, if you go to a popular surfer place, and you need to prepare a margin if the destination is located far from civilization, which is called “in the middle of nowhere”.

If you buy a large jar of zinc and use it during the trip a couple of times a year, it will last for several years. Wax is consumed faster, and in addition, it must be selected according to the temperature regime – tropical wax will not work in cold water and vice versa.

Choosing where to go to surf trip you can always check with our support team whether you need to prepare wax and zinc with you or whether you can buy it on the spot.

surfing repair kit

If you are having a trip with your board, a repair kit is a strategic thing. With a good combination of circumstances, it will not be needed, but sometimes it can greatly help out.

Minor breakdowns, chips and cracks occur during the flight, and simply through negligence on the shore, and, of course, during skiing – in case of unexpected contact of the surfboard with the bottom or with someone else’s surfboard.

In popular surfing places to trip there are repair points, but in a surf safari on a yacht you have to repair the surfboard yourself.

In general, we recommend, just in case, to play it safe and buy a repair kit, it is not expensive and lasts a long time.

Little things that make surf trip more enjoyable

Surfers often change clothes on the beach, especially if the water was cool, after riding a wet wetsuit I want to take off as soon as possible.

Prepare surf poncho

Surf poncho

However, even in the tropics, girls are not recommended sitting in a wet bathing suit for a long time.

At the same time, special places to change clothes are not everywhere, and if you wrap yourself in an ordinary towel, there is a risk that it’ll fall at the wrong time.

In general, surfers have not just come up with a surf poncho – it’s a towel-cloak with a hood and slots for the hands. It is convenient to take off your wet and put on dry ones, and it’s also comfortable to sit and warm yourself, like in a terry bathrobe.

Prepare caps and Panama

Surf hat

When surfing at the height of the day, it’s hard not to get sunburned, even a layer of zinc is worn off a little by the end of a two-hour session, and even from the midday sun, your eyes can get very tired.

The crown of hairless surfers is generally horrified by such treatment.

Special caps and hats for surfing save, they fasten under the chin and do not fly off even during the fall. This item is optional, but can be very useful.

If you feel confident in the ocean, you can ride in an ordinary cap, in general, not losing it is not difficult.

Waterproof bags and wallets

waterproof bag

Surfers are constantly dealing with water and wet things, which must somehow be separated from dry and from electronics.

Instead of wrapping your swimsuit or wetsuit in a regular plastic bag each time, buy yourself a waterproof bag of the right size.

And for the phone, wallet and keys, you can get a small waterproof wallet in which you can prepare and bring them to the beach and the boat, the spray will not be scary.

Thermos and bottle for water

Thermos and bottle for water

Drinking water is good, especially after two hours of surfing.

You can buy water in a tent on the beach, or you can take care of the world’s oceans and reduce the consumption of plastic – buy yourself a beautiful and comfortable bottle, draw water into it at home and carry with you.

We are for the second option.

As for the thermos, you can appreciate its charm in surf trips to cool waves.

There is nothing nicer than taking off a wet wetsuit, wrapping yourself in a warm surf poncho and sitting on the beach and looking at the waves to drink hot tea or coffee.

surfers skin care

Tropical latitudes are distinguished by moist air, which is good to the skin. In France or Portugal, the situation is the opposite, so you need a simple moisturizer.

After riding on the waves, the skin wears off, dries, which is why a surfboard must have a cosmetic moisturizer.

It is extremely important to prepare a towel and bring it with you, which not only is wiped. It will help to hide behind while changing clothes.

In order to have better convenience, you should buy a surf poncho. This is a special towel in the form of a cloak with slits to the hands.

Such a device will allow you to conveniently change your wetsuit or swimsuit to dry clothes.

Your personal list of optional, but pleasant little things will probably expand after the first surf trip, so we recommend that you keep a note on your phone and write them down so you don’t forget the next time!

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