Sunrise & Shine: Time to rubber up...responsibly
Air temps have dipped below 117°F and water temps are a balmy 79°, so you know it’s fall in Florida again.
That means a fair amount of dudes selling firewood in flip flops on the side of the road.
It also means…wettys.
For most Florida surfers, the only thing they hate more than being cold in general is having to wear a wetsuit.
Warm water, it's our thing. "California can keep their yearlong chest-high waves for 3/2's in July—we've got a surfing bathtub. Yeah, we might suffer through month-long dry spells more than we'd like, but the water feels nice."
For me though, I really don’t mind wetsuits at all. In fact, I've come to rather like them.
Sure there’s the in-and-out part, the sand in your loins, the still-wet-still-cold issue, plus the extra gear thing, but for someone like me who doesn’t need any more Floridian surface-of-the-Sun UV rays, they’re the laziest, most reliable form of sunscreen I’ve ever found.
Not to mention, being that I only get to surf every few weeks, they’re an extra layer of padding for my rash-ready nibblers.
So, my suggestion: lather up, because wetsuit season also means waves. But do it responsibly, because not all "rubber" is created equal.
Read through to learn more about the dark side of our seal suits.
Worth a watch
Keep your calendar open for the premiere of the forthcoming film, The Big Sea, an "independent, investigative documentary exposing surfing’s hidden links to Cancer Alley and the wetsuit world’s toxic addition to Neoprene."
1000 words are worth a picture
Stab mag details the surprising link between neoprene and the USA's 'Cancer Alley' in St. John's Parish, Louisiana.
Talk surfy to me
On the Waterpeople podcast with Dave Rastavitcz and Lauren Hill, The Big Sea filmmakers, Lewis Arnold and Chris Nelson, talk about the dirty truths behind neoprene and the surf industry's willingness to turn a blind eye. Hopefully that changes soon, though, as this stinky reality is revealed with more and more coverage like the upcoming doco.
Gear garage
It's not all doom and gloom for our critical wardrobe item, there IS a solution to the neoprene nightmare: natural rubber. Patagonia has been pioneering the technology for a handful of years, under their Yulex line, but their latest reveal of the line is exceptionally exciting, with Inertia reviewers claiming, "Yulex finally on par with neoprene."
Live longer with a little weekly laugh
Cooler weather, hot coffees, pumpkins, pumping waves, and......wetsuits.
"No need to hold it in, just let it go."
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