Surf camp packing list

What the camp gives you

Of the 201 surf weeks whose price we have checked on the camp’s own website, 173 include a board and a wetsuit, 5 do not and 23 do not say. Each camp page shows what its week includes, with the date we read it.

So you usually travel without a board or a wetsuit. If you surf in cold water or want a suit that fits you, bring your own: the table below says which one.

How we get our data

Which wetsuit, by destination and month

Each cell is the median sea temperature of that month over 10 years (2015-2025, NOAA CoralTemp), read off the destination’s largest surf town; its colour is the suit Rip Curl’s chart gives for that water. The countries where no month needs a wetsuit are listed apart. Rip Curl calls its chart a starting point: at the cold edge of a band, or for a two-hour lesson standing in the whitewater, take the next suit up. A sheltered bay or a river mouth can be a degree or two different, and wind makes any water feel colder.

No wetsuit all year

In these countries the water stays above 24 °C in every month at every destination we list: boardshorts and a rash vest are enough, and the rash vest is for the sun, not the cold.

• Bali & Indonesia: 24.6–30.0 °C (76–86 °F)
• Sri Lanka: 27.2–30.1 °C (81–86 °F)
• Costa Rica: 27.8–29.7 °C (82–85 °F)
• Nicaragua: 25.6–30.0 °C (78–86 °F)
• El Salvador: 28.2–30.1 °C (83–86 °F)
• Philippines: 28.1–30.2 °C (83–86 °F)

Key

• Lycra: Boardshorts or rash vest
• 2 mm: 2 mm spring suit
• 3/2: 3/2 mm full suit
• 4/3: 4/3 mm full suit, booties
• 5/4: 4/3 or 5/4 mm, booties and gloves
• 6/5: 5/4 or 6/5 mm hooded

Spain

Portugal

Morocco

France

USA

Camps outside these destinations

Surf towns with a camp in a country the table does not cover, read the same way:

• Kokrobite, Ghana: 23.1–28.7 °C (74–84 °F), from 2 mm spring suit in August to boardshorts or rash vest in May
• Maldives, central atolls: 28.6–30.1 °C (83–86 °F), boardshorts or rash vest all year
• Maldives, Malé atolls: 28.6–30.2 °C (83–86 °F), boardshorts or rash vest all year
• El Pescadero, Mexico: 19.5–28.3 °C (67–83 °F), from 2 mm spring suit in May to boardshorts or rash vest in September
• Puerto Escondido, Mexico: 28.1–30.3 °C (83–87 °F), boardshorts or rash vest all year
• Troncones, Mexico: 27.1–30.4 °C (81–87 °F), boardshorts or rash vest all year
• Jeffreys Bay, South Africa: 17.1–20.7 °C (63–69 °F), from 3/2 mm full suit in August to 2 mm spring suit in January

The list

For the water

• Swimsuit or boardshorts that stay on in the whitewater, to wear under the wetsuit
• Rash vest (lycra): sun on your back in warm water, no rash under the wetsuit
• Your own wetsuit only if the camp does not lend one or the water is cold (see the table)
• Booties in cold water or over reef
• Surf hat or cap for midday sessions in the tropics
• Earplugs if you surf a lot in cold, windy water: they protect against surfer’s ear (exostosis)

Sun

• Mineral sunscreen, water resistant, SPF 30 or 50
• Zinc stick for nose, cheeks, lips and ears
• Lip balm with SPF
• Sunglasses and a hat for the beach
• After-sun or aloe for the first days

Beach and house

• Quick-dry towel or a changing poncho
• Flip-flops
• Reusable water bottle
• Dry bag for phone and keys
• A warm layer for the evenings and after a session

Health and papers

• Passport or ID, and the entry rules of your destination
• Travel insurance: check that it covers surfing, some policies count it as a risk sport
• European Health Insurance Card (EHIC, or the UK GHIC) for Spain, Portugal and France
• Plasters, antiseptic and tape: reef and fin cuts heal slowly in warm water
• Your own medicines, and motion-sickness tablets for boat trips

Sunscreen that lasts a session

Two hours in the water is longer than any sunscreen lasts. The US FDA tests “water resistant” for 40 or 80 minutes and says to reapply at least every two hours, more often when swimming; no sunscreen is waterproof. Put it on 15 minutes before you go in, and again between sessions.

Pick a mineral one. NOAA lists the sunscreen filters that can harm corals and marine life, among them oxybenzone, octinoxate, octocrylene, and zinc oxide and titanium dioxide in nano size. Mineral sunscreens use zinc oxide or titanium dioxide: look for “non-nano” on the label. A zinc stick stays on the face through a session better than a cream.

One maker of this kind is Suntribe: its sunscreens use only non-nano zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, and its range includes a zinc stick with SPF 50 and a sports sunscreen it describes as very water resistant.

Questions

Do I need to bring a wetsuit to a surf camp?

Usually not. Of the 201 surf weeks we have checked, 173 include a board and a wetsuit. Bring your own if the water is cold in your month (a 4/3 or thicker in the table) and you want one that fits, or if your camp’s page does not say it lends one.

Which wetsuit for a surf camp in Spain?

At our destinations in Spain, the sea goes from 12.6 °C (55 °F) at Zarautz in February (4/3 or 5/4 mm, booties and gloves) to 23.7 °C (75 °F) at Tenerife in September (2 mm spring suit). The table above has every destination, month by month.

Which wetsuit for a surf camp in Bali & Indonesia?

None, in any month. At our destinations in Bali & Indonesia the sea stays between 24.6–30.0 °C (76–86 °F), from Red Island in August to Simeulue in April: boardshorts and a rash vest for the sun.

Which wetsuit for a surf camp in Portugal?

At our destinations in Portugal, the sea goes from 14.2 °C (58 °F) at Peniche in March (4/3 mm full suit, booties) to 23.7 °C (75 °F) at Azores in September (2 mm spring suit). The table above has every destination, month by month.

Which wetsuit for a surf camp in Morocco?

At our destinations in Morocco, the sea goes from 16.3 °C (61 °F) at Imsouane in February (3/2 mm full suit) to 20.5 °C (69 °F) at Taghazout in August (2 mm spring suit). The table above has every destination, month by month.

Which wetsuit for a surf camp in Sri Lanka?

None, in any month. At our destinations in Sri Lanka the sea stays between 27.2–30.1 °C (81–86 °F), from Hiriketiya in August to Arugam Bay in April: boardshorts and a rash vest for the sun.

Which wetsuit for a surf camp in France?

At our destinations in France, the sea goes from 11.1 °C (52 °F) at Lacanau in February (4/3 or 5/4 mm, booties and gloves) to 23.0 °C (73 °F) at Biarritz in August (2 mm spring suit). The table above has every destination, month by month.

Which wetsuit for a surf camp in Costa Rica?

None, in any month. At our destinations in Costa Rica the sea stays between 27.8–29.7 °C (82–85 °F), from Tamarindo in January to Jacó in April: boardshorts and a rash vest for the sun.

What sunscreen is best for surfing?

A water-resistant mineral sunscreen (zinc oxide or titanium dioxide, non-nano), with a zinc stick for the face. Reapply between sessions: the FDA says at least every two hours, and water resistance is tested for 40 or 80 minutes.

What do you wear under a wetsuit?

A swimsuit, bikini or boardshorts. Under a rented wetsuit it is also the hygienic choice. In warm water many surfers go without a wetsuit, in a rash vest and boardshorts.

Sources

• NOAA Coral Reef Watch: CoralTemp sea surface temperature
• Rip Curl: wetsuit temperature and thickness guide
• US FDA: Sunscreen, how to help protect your skin from the sun
• NOAA National Ocean Service: Skincare chemicals and coral reefs