5 Tips to survive winter in

the water.

Noosa winters are not to bad. In fact they’re actually AWESOME! Even though the wind is all off shore, the weather is fantastic! sunny days and chilly nights. The Kitesurfing Australia Acadamy is in the middle of its low wind season in Noosa but give us a call if you around Blowin' Bowen for a lesson in warmer weather.

For those of us staying down here, If you want to get in the water and enjoy the crystal clear waves with dolphins and Whales just off the beach then you only have to brave 19-20 degrees. Not too cold really.
That’s generally the picture for everyone else. For me unfortunately, coming from further north, I have a huge problem with the cold. If its below 25 degrees celsius I’m freezing. Especially when I’m Kitingboarding or surfing for a few hours in the water and a cold wind blowing as well. So here are a few tips for those of you like me who couldn’t imagine going 3 months without being in the water over winter. P.S Not for the faint hearted.

1. A good, well fitting wet suit. This is a no-brainer, an absolute must for us wimps. I have one that’s a bit too big for me I got second hand. Doesn’t really do the job properly, and you don’t really want to be getting a second hand wet suit anyway, you don’t know what the person before you has done in it. YUK!

2. For those of us who can’t afford $400 for a really good wetsuit, the second hand option is the way to go. Give it a good wash before you use it. Get the best fitting one you can – too big is better than too small. Mine is a bit big and underneath it I wear this amazing rashy designed to reflect the heat back to your body. It works a treat.

3. Put on moisturiser before you go out. The oils in the moisturiser add another layer between you and that freezing water. When people attempt to swim the English channel for the record books they use a mixture of Lanolin and Vaseline over their bodies for the cold. I’m seriously considering using this under my wetsuit. Anything to keep out that evil cold.

4. Speaking of doing anything to stay warm, you may have come across the rumors that we pee in the wetsuits to stay warm. Well that’s absolutely true and anyone who says they don’t is a liar. Just remember this when thinking about the second hand wetsuit option. Don’t get me wrong there is nothing like the feeling of warmth spreading throught your wetsuit on a cold morring. The problem is, if you pee too much. The way it works is by keeping a thin layer of 'water' next to your skin which stays warm inside the wetty. If there is too much 'water' the layer is too thick to warm up and every time you move you have a fresh cold layer of ‘water’ flushed around your suit. Defeats the purpose of having a wet suit in the first place, and if you on your surf board floating about its really hard to get all that 'water' out. So don’t drink too much before you go surfing. Kitingsurfings not so bad as it all floats around your ankles anyway.

5. Come prepared, It’s not too bad in Noosa once you’re out of the water because the sun warms you up pretty quick BUT if its cloudy or windy it is soooooooo cold. In your bag/car you need a big fluffy towel, a bottle of hot water wrapped in your towel and a change of clothes. First thing you do is peel off your wetsuit and rinse off the salt and sand with some (hopefully still warm) water, and dry yourself with your (hopefully still warm) towel. Soooo gooood!. Get changed, without bearing your ass to the world, and away you go.

So there is a bit more to do in winter than in summer, when you can grab you board/kite and jump in but if you want to get wet all year round make yourself as comfortable as possible. ENJOY!