What to wear when the water is cold? You should know, what you consider cold, others may not. You will have to find out your tolerances all on your own.
I started kiteboarding in the Aleutian Islands of Alaska, the Bering Sea. The summer water temperatures were 41/46F (5/8C). I remember using my diving drysuit, booties, gloves and hoodie when on the water out there. Nearly impossible to fit into bindings, grab lines, or bend at the waist to put the board on.
In Anchorage, along Turnagain arm – the water temps in midsummer are 42/50F (5.5/10C) – All of the water draining into the arm comes from the mountains and glaciers in the area.
A full 5/4 wetsuit, booties, gloves and hoodie are standard in the spring and fall months when the air and water are considerably colder. In the summer a 2/3 shortie is great, unless you are in the water a lot or get cold easily.
When it comes to fitment, try not to get gear that fits too tight. Wetsuits should be easy to get into and out of. Wetsuits trap a small amount of water in the suit, your body heats it up and the neoprene keeps it (sort of) warm by insulating it against your body. Gear too tight restricts circulation, that won’t help keep you warm at all.
I’ve kited Alaska in board shorts and a rash guard. I stayed up and out of the water as much as possible, even then 15 minutes was about all I could take before I lost feeling in my hands and feet.
To be honest with you, this winter season in Baja has been warm. Sounds funny out loud when talking about Mexico. I generally don’t wear a full wetsuit in the winter but have been known to throw on a shorty from time to time. This year I didn’t wear a wetsuit all season, the water and air stayed warm (to me) all season.
Others wear wetsuits from 2/3 and 3/4 all winter.
Summers – I wear light suits on account of the jellyfish. The small ones aren’t so bad, but the Portuguese Man O’ Wars and box jellyfish hurt!
