10 Essentials For Cold Water Surfing

10 Essentials For Cold Water Surfing

When winter rolls around you know that the waves come in “usually”. This means cold waters heading your way. Surfing in the winter can be great or awful depending on how prepared you are. Don’t let the cold stop you from having an awesome surf.

Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned surfing veteran you know that a good winter wetsuit is king. A great wetsuit can be the difference between a 20-30 minute surf and a 2-3 hour surf. With this in mind number one essential for cold water surfing is a hooded wetsuit 4 mm +.

#1 Hooded winter wetsuit

When looking for a winter wetsuit named brands generally make the difference. Brands like O’Neill and Patagonia have generally always had the warmest suits no bias that’s just my experience.

Winter essentials surfing in cold water can be quite costly so keep an eye out during the year. Out of Season these essentials can be far cheaper than in the bleak winter months. spring and early summer you can get some great deals.

Number 2 good wetsuit boots

To go with your hooded suit you want some boots. Your feet will be in the cold water more than the rest of your body so keeping your feet warm and feeling in those toes will be essential. Once you’re up on your feet you will need to feel the board. Boots with thermal lining and 5mm plus will keep your feet toasty warm throughout the winter months.

Number 3 Wetsuit mitts or gloves

This one can be very hit and miss. Paddling efficiency can be impaired for some people depending on what you go for here many people will not wear gloves throughout the winter.

A useful tip If you choose to wear gloves is to wax where you grab the board most. You will want that extra grip for duck diving and popping up.

Number 4 A great surfboard

Depending where you are in the world and your ability an essential cold water surfboard may be different for you. Here in the UK I would recommend the bull short board for beginners and the Motivator, Heatseeker and Detonator for you intermediate and advanced Surfers, these are some of the teams go to boards when it comes to winter waves.

Number 5 thermos and hot drinks a plenty

A quick essential for surfing and keeping warm would be to not get cold to start with. Much like the wetsuit having a hot drink on hand will quickly warm you back up before you jump in. It will keep you warm in your suit for longer and having that thermos ready for when you get out will be useful all through the colder months.

Number 6 cold water wax

A simple but sometimes overlooked essential is cool or cold water wax in the winter months. This is generally softer then the spring and summer waxes it will be much easier to apply and will help to grip your feet when you need it most.

Number 7 somewhere to put your keys

True all year round But having somewhere safe to keep your keys sure beats leaving them on the tyre. It just  doesn’t feel secure enough. You can get waterproof packs that hold keys. Waterproof key fobs that hold your keys inside your wetsuit or the key locks that you can  padlock to your car. The padlock option is our go to just remember to leave it in the car. Because if you leave it at home it’s back to hiding it on the tyre again

number 8 The Van

Once again Ideal for surfing all year round but especially in the winter this surfing winter essential can be a godsend when getting changed  into your wetsuit out of the cold wind and cold conditions outside the van is the perfect mobile changing area.

Number 9 a friend

The coldwater essential to beat them all having a friend to help you get your gloves on ,paddle out with and generally surf with you 😉 can make those cold water surfs that much more enjoyable and memorable.

Number 10 being ready

For many Surfers this is the time we will come out to play,  the storms are more regular and the swell can get epic in the build up  to the colder months keeping your paddle fitness high will make surfing far more enjoyable.

Transitioning from a summer suit to a winter suit can slow you down those extra 2 mm of neoprene can feel like a rubber band against you. So fitness and exercise  will help you get the most out of your winter sessions, you’ll be that much more excited for a Dawn Patrol on a cold morning ,you stay warmer longer simply because your muscles are generating heat. You Surf longer Because you won’t tire so quickly you catch more waves and have more fun.

Exercise and fitness is something we push and believe in quite hard, here is a few posts about how you can improve or maintain your fitness for your cold water surfing.

Let us know if there’s any  essential cold water surfing tricks or items we’ve missed or maybe it’s just something you and your friends do.

 

If you’ve enjoyed this blog let your friends know how they can prepare for the winter surf season by sharing this post.

 

Thank you for Reading

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In 2019 SBS Boards are bringing you the very best in our NEW surfboard range with some brand new construction using our full flex and rapid flex technology aswell as some brand new shapes and designs just for 2019 we have revamped and improved our classic favourites aswell adding more sizes and bigger ranges to our range we know you have come to love. our goal for out 2019 surfboard range is to bring more variety in sizes shapes and styles  as well as more options for advanced and professional riders right to the other end of the spectrum with more choice for beginners.

Our 2019 board have been improved so much that they are now tougher and stronger than ever before using a variety of new construction techniques as well as new materials helping to make our surfboards exceptional quality helping your board last longer and stay lighter with better performance. Take a look at our 2019 surfboard range below and let us know if you have any questions about any of our  surfboards  in the question box below 

New Surfboards 

The Fish Finger

The Fish Finger Is The latest slice of fun in our SBS range and its one of the smoothest fun surfboards we have ever made. The inspiration for this board derived from some incredible retro fish designs we had 10 years back and we wanted to make something just as fun with a more performance element to it perfect for sandbars and beach breaks.

The Fish Finger has a pretty traditional fish outline with its wide point right up front to make catching waves and paddling super easy its then pulled back into a smaller fish tail than most traditional fishes to help with turn quicker and create smoother carves. It’s got a pretty flat rocker compared to most board we make with only a small amount of nose lift which helps this board to rocket down the line in smaller waves.

The main feature of the fish finger is its iconic channel down the centre of the board leaving you with 2 chunkier raised rails helping to channel water towards the tail to generate speed and drive down the line.We would recommend for more skilled surfers they you get a few inches shorter than your traditional shortboard, this should help keep the incredible speed and drive created form the board and still give you that high performance feel when you release in turns.

The fish finger is ideally placed in between your small wave groveler and your performance shortboard for knee Hight to overhead sized surf.

The Fish Finger Features

  • Superfun fish shape  for lose and 
  • High Volume Surfboard
  • Flat rocker/ very stable 
  • Construction is an EPS Foam/Rapid Flex HD Stringer / biaxial Fibreglass and Epoxy Resin
  • Fin system is a Future Fins Twin Fin
  • Highly manoeuvrable,
  • Wide centre point for stability and paddling 
  • Great for intermediate to advanced surfers
  • Ideal Surfed in anthing from2-6 foot waves

Detonator

 

The Detonator is our ultimate performance shortboard, designed for fast-paced and progressive surfing. Without a doubt our ultimate all-around high-performance shortboard. Its 5 fin set up offers maximum drive and work on the bottom turns but still holds strong with supreme grip in big carves and hacks off the lip. The Detonator allows you to pick and choose from thruster to quads depending on the conditions making this board extremely versatile in big and small waves.

We have increased the volume in key areas and slightly lowered the nose entry rocker to make this board easier to paddle and catch waves, without losing that instant responsiveness for quick rail to rail transitions.

We recommend the Detonator for Intermediate to Advanced surfers, and best surfed in waist high to well overhead surf. Overall the Detonator is going to be a great board for fast passed surfing, really tight carves and high-performance manoeuvres in good surf. 

Detonator Features

  • Hight performance outline
  • Lower Volume Surfboard
  • High performance
  • Full rocker/ ideal for barrels and bigger waves 
  • Construction is an EPS Foam/Rapid Flex/wood stringer/ HD Stringer / Fibreglass and Epoxy Resin
  • Fin system is a FCS II Five Fin
  • Incredibly manoeuvrable
  • Light and very responsive
  • Great for intermediate to advanced surfers
  • Ideal in chest to over head high waves

All Round Surfboards

The Heat Seeker 

The Heat Seeker is our team rider Dan Jeffery favourites boards fasted paced and performance surfing with the added extra of foam makes it ideally paced as a small to median ranage surfboard  is our super fun surfboard for, small to medium sized waves, its fast, light and loose, making pretty much anything surf-able. Ideal for year-round surf in the UK, especially in the 1-5-foot, range. We shrunk down our motivator design and gave it a bit more width and volume, combined with its flatter nose entry rocker and slightly less lift in the tail. The wide point has been brought forward making it like an absolute rocket in smaller waves. The added volume upfront means it can create incredible speed from the get-go and makes the board fly’s over flatter section with absolute ease. Its got a Single concave through the entire board, with tonnes of foam in the center under your chest to help paddle speed and catching waves, as well as giving you the buoyancy and planning speed to get through any flat section.

The outline gives it a really fast, loose and skatey feel,  but when you get it on rail you will feel the board stick to your feet like glue and turn in a moment notice.  Softer rails in the centre move into a harder more foiled rail by the fins, gives you tonnes of traction and control in the turns with enough forgiveness for less than ideal waves.  These features make the Heat Seeker unstoppable in average surf giving you incredible speed and stability but with tighter turns and incredible control in the pocket, This board is really going to progress and push the limits of your surfing. The Heat Seeker is great for any intermediate to advanced surfer looking to have the most amount of fun possible in knee to head high waves. Its perfect for British waves and will be a stable in your quiver all year round. 

Heat Seeker Features 

  • wide and stable/ performance outline
  • Medium rocker and volume
  • Ideal every day shortboard 
  • High performance
  • Full rocker/ ideal for barrels and bigger waves 
  • Construction is an EPS Foam/Rapid Flex/wood stringer/ HD Stringer / Fibreglass and Epoxy Resin
  • Fin system is a FCS II 3 Fin (thruster)
  • Incredibly manoeuvrable
  • Light and very responsive
  • Great for intermediate to advanced surfers
  • Ideal in knee high to just over head high waves

The Motivator 

The New and improved Motivator is better than ever and still our most popular selling board and for good reason. No matter what Day or what conditions, you can almost guarantee the motivator going to be perfect for the job. Designed for beginner to advance surfers as an everyday board for almost any wave conditions we get in the UK.
Its design allows catching waves and paddling to become easy and effortless due to its wider nose, fuller rails and additional volume through the deck. This gives you great speed and momentum, whilst still giving you enough control and sensitivity to perform in bigger surf. Its lightweight construction gives it a speedy yet responsive characteristic providing a level of forgiveness in critical manoeuvres. Its Low entry rocker along with single concave allows the board to really fly through the flatter sections of a wave whilst maintaining masses of manoeuvrability in the pocket and smaller surf.   
The Motivator has areas of hidden volume combined with a slightly wide thinner squash tail creating great stability, making it an ideal small to medium wave board that still performs well in the bigger surf. The Motivator is a great everyday shortboard that catches waves and paddles super easy, with enough speed to make average conditions fun.

Motivator Features 

  • Wide and stable outline
  • Medium rocker and higher volume
  • Ideal every day shortboard 
  • Medium- High performance
  • Full rocker/ ideal for barrels and bigger waves 
  • Construction is an EPS Foam/Rapid Flex/wood stringer/ Fibreglass and Epoxy Resin
  • Fin system is a FCS II 3 Fin (thruster)
  • Incredibly manoeuvrable
  • Light and very responsive
  • Great for intermediate to advanced surfers
  • Ideal in knee high to just over head high waves

The Predator 

The Predator isn’t just some of our team riders favourites its also our third best seller and probably our go to board for more advance surfers in smaller waves. its one of our favourite all rounders because its designed with the perfect balance of high-performance features and modern comfort so can be used in a large variety of waves.

It has a progressive hybrid outline that is shorter, wider and thicker than your average surfboard. Its got plenty of volume and width upfront under your chest, which is then pulled back into a more refined rounded pin tail, giving the board a really unique riding style.

The volume up-front gives it that ease of use when paddling and pumping down the line, whilst the pulled in tail keeps it smooth, fast and responsive allowing you to be more agile in tighter sections of bigger waves.

The Predator is a really fun, fast and light all-around board that’s going to give you the confidence and speed in bigger waves as well as the paddle power and wave count in smaller surf ideal for intermediates – expert surfers.

Predator Features 

  • Hybrid fast outline
  • Flat rocker and higher volume
  • Fast lose and reactive in turns
  • High performance in smaller surf
  • Flatter rocker/ ideal for small to medium sized waves 
  • Construction is an EPS Foam/Rapid Flex stringer/ Fibreglass and Epoxy Resin
  • Fin system is a FCS II 3 Fin (thruster)
  • Incredibly manoeuvrable
  • Light and very responsive
  • Great for intermediate to advanced surfers
  • Ideal in knee high to just over head high waves

The Big Squid 

The Big squid is our perfromance longboard thats is a favrouit of team rider Lewis Stritch who surfed it since 2017 . Lewis has surfed it in all types of condidions fromUk small rollers to bigger more powerfullw aves in morocco. if perfromance longboarding is you cup of team then this board is for you.

The Big Squid is our new-school long board with all the traditional fun features of that old-school smooth style. It has a low entry rocker combined with a fuller outline to create the perfect stable platform for cross stepping and nose riding.

The thinned out, tucked in tail allows for incredible rail to rail control for more progressive and modern off the lip style surfing. The pulled in pin tail performs effortlessly with the fin set up allowing this board to be ridden as a single  2+ 1 or even a thruster for added versatility in different waves. That added smoothness between transitions makes this board fast and loose in the pocket giving you just enough release on more progressive manoeuvres. The single concave flatter deck and rocker line of the Big Squid provide incredible speed and momentum for paddling and riding and the volume displacement gives you the ability to be highly manoeuvrable while being incredibly forgiving.

The Big Squid is made with a lightweight EPS foam and robust epoxy construction making it highly manoeuvrable and on average 30% stronger and 20% lighter than average polyurethane boards. This combination allows for huge advantages when turning, and incredible versatility in different sized waves. The Big Squid Longboard is going to be great for any surfer from beginner to advanced looking for a small wave board or a real performance Mal that’s going to keep you stoked for years to come.

Big Squid Features 

  • Performance outline for more responsive surfing
  • Flat rocker Medium nose entry flatter in the centre
  • kick in the tail 
  • Thinned out tail and nose 
  • Fast lose and reactive in turns
  • High performance in shoulder high and above surf
  • Construction is an EPS Foam/ wood stringer/ Fibreglass and Epoxy Resin
  • Fin system is a FCS II 4 Fin quad + centre 
  • Incredibly manoeuvrable
  • Ideal for nose riding/ cross stepping
  • Light and very responsive
  • Great for intermediate to advanced surfers

The Smoking Gun  

The Smoking Gun is a great addition to surfers who love fast paced surfing with plenty of spray its a  fast and fun board designed for high-performance surfing with speed, drive and power in mind. It’s flatter rocker makes the most of the speed you have, providing you with a huge amount of down the line drive and speed, making mincemeat out of mushier flatter sections. This combined with its pulled in tail helps keeps it loose and responsive in the turns whilst being very forgiving on rail.

The Smoking Gun has a low entry rocker that feeds into a single concave that helps the board get up to planning speed quicker. This concave feed through into a double in the back to help get the most out of your turns and keep your board gripping in bigger surf. We pumped it full of volume to make paddling smooth and easy, with its wide point a little further up the board for more stability under your front foot helping plaining speed and landing Ariel manoeuvres.

When it comes to creating spray and landing aerials the smoking gun is faultless and you will love the instant forgiving feeling you get when laying in to a hard turn or big air. The smoking gun Works well as a thruster or quad in varying conditions and can be surfed in knee high to well overhead surf.

Overall the smoking gun is going to be perfect for intermediate to advanced surfers who like fast passed surfing on small to medium sized waves.

The Smoking Gun Features

  • Small wave shape – Very stable
  • Easy to paddle
  • Flat rocker and higher volume
  • Fast lose and reactive in turns
  • Swallow tail
  • High performance in smaller surf
  • Flatter rocker/ ideal for small to medium sized waves 
  • Construction is an EPS Foam/ Wood stringer/ Fibreglass and Epoxy Resin
  • Fin system is a FCS II 5 Fin 
  • Light and very responsive
  • Great for intermediate to advanced surfers
  • Ideal in knee high to just over head high waves

Small Wave Surfboards

The Bull

The Bull is our most fun shortboard in our range for small waves its alos one of our top sellers last year this board expolded in 2018 when we developed our range and hade over 10 sizes avaiable  which means more option for all surfers

The Bull is going to thrive in whatever wave condition it’s in, anything from knee to head high waves and especially perfect in those smaller “mushier” days.

The width and the thickness of the bull means maximum stability while also giving you unparalleled paddle power in the line-up, resulting in you catching more waves easier & faster. It has a slightly narrowed and foiled tail, so it will retain that high-performance responsive feel in the turns, whilst gliding over flatter sections with ease. The Bull is really going to make those smaller days a whole lot of fun.

This is going to be a great transitional board for beginners or anyone who wants to downsize from a longboard to something a bit smaller. This board is also going to be great for surfers that don’t surf so much on a regular basis as well as advanced surfers who want that little extra speed, power and stability in smaller waves. A great all-around entry-level small wave board. 

Overall the Bull is going to be Simple fun and easy to ride, we guarantee this board will make you smile. The Bull comes standard as a 5-fin option because it works well as both a thruster fin and a quad fin setups. This board tends to be ridden most often in the smaller surf, but the versatility in the 5-fin setup allows the bull to work in more powerful waves from anything from knee-high to head high waves

Bull Features

  • Small wave shape – Very stable
  • Easy to paddle/ catches waves easy
  • Quick entry in to waves 
  • Flat rocker and higher volume
  • Fast lose and reactive in turns
  • Squash tail
  • High performance in smaller surf
  • Concaves to help funnel water towards the tail
  • Flatter rocker/ ideal for small to medium sized waves 
  • Construction is an EPS Foam/ Wood stringer/ Fibreglass and Epoxy Resin
  • Fin system is a FCS II 3 Fin (Thruster setup) 
  • Light and very responsive
  • Great for beginner shortboarders -intermediate & advanced surfers
  • Ideal in knee high to just over head high waves

The Spud Stick 

The spud stick  would be a great addition to anyones quiver in 2019  especial for smaller waves and typical summer surf we get in the UK New construction and refined design mean the spud stick is even better and last longer than ever before 

Those Summer day’s with weak messy surf are tough to get motivated for but the spud stick will fly in anything, it’s designed to catch everything and anything that’s moving. It’s going to make any small surf day super fun and super ripable. It has a low entry rocker allowing it to plane quickly and pick up speed whilst also making paddling super easy. it also has a lot more lift in the tail rocker to allow for hard tight turns without losing speed. The boards wider outline combined with a double concave helps to provide lift in the centre, meaning it’s going to be really fast in small waves but when you get it on edge it’s going to turn just like a normal shortboard.

The wider template also means that this board can be surfed by almost any rider, because of the high volume and performance features it could be surfed by a beginner in One-foot waves, or an advanced surfer in anything up to shoulder height.Really ideal for beginners looking to shortboard or the heavier surfer looking for a little more float and FUN, This board is a must for anyone who loves fast-paced performance surfing !!!    Best surfed in ankle to head high surf and can be surfed as a quad or thruster.

Spud Stick Features

  • Small wave shape – Very stable
  • Laid back smooth style 
  • Easy to paddle/ catches waves easy
  • Wide outline – Quick entry in to waves 
  • Flat rocker and higher volume
  • Keeps speed – Quick in flatter sections
  • High performance in smaller surf
  • Concaves to help funnel water towards the tail
  • Low entry rocker to flatt rocker/ ideal for small to medium sized waves 
  • Construction is an EPS Foam/ Wood stringer/ Fibreglass and Epoxy Resin
  • Fin system is a FCS II 5 Fin  
  • Light and very responsive
  • Great for beginner – intermediats  as a first shortboard
  • Great small wave shortboard for advanced surfers
  • Ideal in knee high to just over head high waves
  • Very durable and strong 

The Pea Shooter

The peashooter is a great bigginner surfboard for anone looking to get in to surfing in 2019 with its beginner friendly width and length aswella s a high volumme this board is perfect for most beginners looking to progress from a foam board.

The Pea Shooter is our classic new longboard shape with its emphasis on performance and speed, we guarantee it will turn a few heads and keep you smiling. Designed to be a perfect balance between ease of use and performance Pea Shooter is an excellent board for almost any surfer. It’s a great all-rounder making it suitable for all abilities and levels.

A smooth and easy laid back style with tonnes of float making it an absolute dream to paddle and a beauty to cross step. You will find yourself hanging ten with ease.

Pea Shooter Features

  • Very durable and strong 
  • wide and stable/ cruising single fin outline 
  • Flat – Medium rocker and volume
  • Ideal Beginner longboard every surfboard 
  • High volume 73 L
  • Catches waves easily 
  • Great For cross stepping and nose riding
  • Construction is an EPS Foam/wood stringer/ Fibreglass and Epoxy Resin
  • Fin system is a 2+1 setup with FCS II  and a 6-10 inch center fin
  • Light and very responsive
  • Ideal in knee high to just over head high waves

Mr Whippy  

The Mr Whippy is a great option for beginners and first timers looking for an easy board to learn the surf basics lower volume than a longboards, our Mr Whippy is a minimal shape that is great to progress from a longboard or softboard and start to get to grips with the basics of carving

The Mr whippy is ment to be fun to ride  that why we designed it with two things in mind: paddling and stability. Mr Whippy is going to be a great entry-level board for beginners to intermediates whilst also being really fun as a progressive board for intermediate to advanced surfers in weaker waves.

This board is a lot of things the main one being fun, with a wide outline template and relaxed nose entry rocker, making it incredibly fast and smooth to paddle with practically no effort.
Its flatter deck creates great stability and bucket loads of speed, allowing it ride over flatter sections like nothing else, giving you that silky smooth style of a performance mal. Perfect for those summer days, this board is going to catch anything you throw at it.

Mr Whippy Features

  • Strong Durable construction  
  • Wide and stable/ cruising single fin outline 
  • Medium length -more nonrecoverable than a longboard
  • Flater Rocker and High volume
  • Ideal Beginner  board to progress on to unbroken waves 
  • High volume 40-52 L
  • Catches waves easily 
  • Construction is an EPS Foam/wood stringer/ Fibreglass and Epoxy Resin
  • Fin system is FCS II  3 fin (Thrister)
  • Light and very responsive
  • Great for Beginner to intermediate surfers
  • Ideal in knee high to shoulder high waves

If you are looking for a new surfboard in 2019 you cant go wrong with one of these from our SBS Range  boards of all shapes and sizes designed for every ability from totally beginner to surfing veterans surfing a t an advanced level. if you have any questions about our range of surfboards or want to know more about sbsboards or details of shipping just message us in the box below and will will get back to you as soon as possible.

6 + 3 =

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HOW TO NOT BE A KOOK

Other Sports you may be called a poser. Someone pretending to be better than he/she is and is very clear to see after a short period of time they’re definitely not as good as they think

Surfers seem to have their own language when it comes to describing people getting excited nothing is quite ordinary when you’re a Surfer,  the term is usually used for beginners getting in the way of more advanced Surfers but can be thrown around for a large amount of other people e.g. someone who pretends to know how to surf,  someone who misjudged his own ability dropping in on other Surfers, That one person you always see paddling Out on a huge day and getting destroyed.

But don’t despair if you are a beginner this doesn’t mean you’re a kook sticking to surf etiquette you can be assured you won’t be getting name’s thrown at you

KNOWING THE BASICS

Knowing the basics will assure that you don’t look out of place in the lineup we are all beginners once and knowing when it’s your turn to paddle or even basic positioning on boards and the wave will help you progress quicker.

THINGS TO AVOID

If you are new to surfing Here are some visuals, things to avoid

kook Slam on Instagram  is a great profile to follow this is a Bible of things not to do
We all have an inner kook so embrace the kookyness

want to learn some of the basics here is how to pop up and how to turn you’re two basic skills when learning

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What A Vegan Surfer Eats In 1 Day

What A Vegan Surfer Eats In 1 Day

What A Vegan Surfer Eats In 1 Day

With the growing movement of veganism in the UK and the rest of the world, we wanted to explore what it means to be a vegan surfer in the UK. as our video above shows one of our team rider JACK and what he eats in a day as a vegan surfer in the UK

Veganism has quite literally skyrocketed over the last few years with more people than ever choosing to enjoy a plant-based lifestyle.

If you were unsure of what it means to be vegan don’t worry we have all you need to know. Choosing to eat vegan means you would not eat or use animal products so no meat, cheese dairy honey or any other parts of an animal that are incorporated in food. Vegans not only avoid animal products but they also avoid any exploitation of animals for any purpose, with compassion for the animals health and well being the key reason most chose to eat vegan. many other vegans also refrain from buying products that have been tested on animals such as makeup, cleaning products and most bathroom items. Vegans would also refrain from buying any clothing or products that have animal body parts in it so, for instance, most gelatine sweets, leather sofas, shoes or belts 

But you’re in luck as a surfer in the UK there has never been an easier time to become vegan and you won’t be alone veganism has taken off in the UK as now almost 3.5 million British people call themselves vegan out of the 66,590,551 British total citizens which equates to around 5% of the Uk population.

Awareness of slaughterhouse practices as well as influential documentaries like what

the health and forks over knives have really shaken peoples core beliefs about food and the benefits of eating a plant-based diet. 

Going vegan doesn’t have to be hard tho with over 22,000 register vegan services and products registered with the vegan trademark it’s so easy to do

As a surfer, you might think about going plant-based not only for the animals but for a whole host of other reasons we looked at in our blog

WHY EVERY SURFER SHOULD BE VEGAN .

Reasons like a plant-based diet can be healthier for us and improve our overall physical performance and as a surfer who doesn’t want to surf better and for longer maybe it’s your diet holding you back.

As Surfers that might hit close to home like reducing our carbon footprint on the world as the most up today scientific evidence suggests reducing the impact we have on the environment is essential in the future progressions of the planet most scientists suggest that a change in diet would be more environmentally friendly than most other eco friendly measures like buying an electric car or not using planes and minimising petrol and diesel car usage.

scientists estimate that the production of meat dairy and cheese can be accountable for over 35% of our overall greenhouse emissions,”

Its estimate if animal food production s was to stop and all meat eaters switched to a vegan diet  it would roughly half the overall greenhouse gas emissions currently produced by the planet.

check out some great videos of professional athletes who use a vegan diet to get better performance or check out our TOP6 VEGAN SURFERS ..

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Should All Surfers Be VEGAN?

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Should All Surfers Be VEGAN?

Veganism has grown massively around the world in the last few years, in increase in popularity has been especially noticeable here in the UK. We wanted to delve deeper into what it means to be vegan and why people do it . I’m sure you’ve all heard the stories about ‘militant vegans’ and ‘vegan extremists’ trying to force veganism down peoples throats and get us to change. But what does it mean to be a vegan in the UK and what does it mean to be a vegan surfer?

Let’s get the basics of being Vegan and Veganism, what even is it? A Vegan is someone who abstains from consuming, using and supporting the exploitation of animals, aiming to cause as little harm as possible. Vegan’s do not eat or use any animal products, this includes; meat, cheese, dairy, eggs and even honey. Vegans do not support animal testing and do not buy any products that have been tested on animals, or have any animal products or byproducts in them. This includes things like leather belts, couches suede bags, toiletries and make up.

You may be thinking, that’s a lot of things you can’t have, do, or eat, what can you eat?!  Why would anyone want to be be vegan?! Well hear us out…

As surfers we are just like any other normal folk, we have jobs, families and friends but we like the action of surfing, because of surfing’s very nature. We spend time in places abundant with sea life, interacting with animals and experiencing first hand local Eco systems. Some people might say that surfers have a deeper connection with nature than most, because our very sport uses the waves mother nature provides. if you have spent any time with a surfer, you will know that most of us, in fact probably 99.9% of us want to keep our beaches clean, our waters healthy and plastic free. We are mini Eco-warriors who care about preserving our beautiful coastline and surfing in crystal clear, plastic-free, waves. 

You may still be wondering what all this has to do with being Vegan? Well quite a lot actually. Being Vegan has a few more benefits than just saving some animals, it’s so much more! A lot of our pro surfing hero’s are making the change, so maybe there is something about it that we haven’t thought of?

Surfers like 11-time World Champ – Kelly Slater and two-times World Champ – John John both enjoy a vegan diet and both made the change after they “Became increasingly aware of food and its effec.ts on the human body. A lot of today’s research, including from studies all over the world and governing body’s suggesting that a Whole-Foods, Plant-Based diet is the most optimal for human health. All signs point to a plant based diet as a far better option for human health and performance when compared to that of high animal-product intake.”

The Benefits Of Being A Vegan Surfer 

  1. It’s the Best Way to Help Animals & Sea Life

It’s fair to say we care more about the ocean than most people, because it’s our playground, our place of solitude, so we have a vested interest in protecting it, being as eco-friendly as possible and helping protect the environment is definitely on most surfers agenda. You have probably witnessed if not first hand, certainly on video, footage of places like Bali, with barrelling waves of plastic and it is truly heartbreaking. So we like to keep where we live and our local breaks clean, doing beach clean ups, supporting local businesses that are actively environmentally conscious and friendly.

If there was an oil spill, or a sewage plant leak at your local break, you would be up in arms, especially if your town depended on tourism – as lot of good surf areas in the UK do; having a clean, healthy and thriving eco-system is pretty important to business.

Did you know that animal farming and the production if meat is the number one pollutant of the sea, with their toxic waste products ending up in the sea?

Did you also know that just one person going Vegan saves nearly 200 animals per year? That includes marine life like fish! The easiest way you can help your local community and marine life is as simple as reducing your animal produce intake. Not to mention all the other living creatures you will help, preventing the unnecessary suffering, just by choosing plant-based foods over meateggs, and dairy products.

  1. Slim Down, Shred More, Become Energised

if you’re looking in to some surf mags recently, or any surf platform online, you will probably see us surfers are a pretty lean bunch… with a few exceptions. Staying lean with a healthy body fat percentage keeps us in top surfing shape, so if you have a few extra pounds to lose, why not give it a go? Some of the highest calorie foods include meat, dairy, eggs and in particular milk, but they also lack in other nutrients like fibre, which is essential for a healthy digestive system. Where as a plant-based diet is packed with with fibre, micro nutrients, essential vitamins, minerals and much lower in calories. Overall Vegans are, on average, up to 20lbs/9Kg lighter than meat-eaters.

A lot of pro surfers are finding the benefits of keeping body fat low and energy levels high, but remember this isn’t just a fad diet, or something to do for a quick fix, it’s a total life style change. One that can be easily sustained throughout your entire life and unlike unhealthy fad diets, which leave you feeling tired and don’t keep the pounds off for long, going vegan allows you to keep the excess fat off for good and have plenty of energy.

  1. Be Healthier, Happier & Live Longer

If you’re looking to surf for as long as you can in this life. listen up! We’ve got the answer and no its not the fountain of youth. Being vegan is also great for your health! Not only that it’s also great for improved performance. According to the the World Health Organisation (WHO), as well as the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Vegans are less likely to develop heart diseasecancerdiabetes, and high blood pressure, when compared to their meat-eating counterparts. When you think about it, it makes total sense, you are eating more vegetables, beans, lentils, legumes, nuts and seeds. All of which are super healthy and nutritionally dense, you also cut out a lot of highly inflammatory foods such as; milk, meat and eggs, which are more acidic and cause inflammation in the body.

Vegans are not only healthier and leaner but they are also more likely to get all their daily nutrient requirements, that the body needs to be healthy, such as plant protein, fibre, fats, complex carbs, as well as vitamins and minerals. They can get almost everything they need from plants, without all the nasty stuff in meat that may slow you down and make you sick such as; cholesterol, saturated animal fats and IGF-1 (Insulin Growth Factor-1 hormone).

All these things will put your immune system into over-drive, making it less effective when things like the common cold and flu viruses come around. They decrease energy levels, and in the long-term can lead to a decreased energy expenditure as well as poor overall health.

So if you want to be surfing well in to your 70’s and beyond, maybe switch to a more plant based diet. You never know, it you might still be surfing at 100.

  1. Vegan Food Is Better for Surfers + It’s Delicious

There is nothing like that post surf hunger, the intensity and the speed at which most surfers can demolish a post-surf burrito is incredible; what about if you could have all your favourite foods in the world and they were vegan. Meaning you could continue to enjoy all those delicious foods, whilst reducing your carbon footprint, therefore reducing negative impact on the environment you love so much.

Speaking of burritos these are a staple in the surf community, especially in places like California and they are so easy to veganise! All you have to do is take out the meat, cheese, sour cream and it’s vegan, not to mention a pretty decent post surf meal. if you were to go vegan, it’s easier than even to do and you can still eat all your favourite foods including; burgers“chicken” sandwiches, and ice cream. The only difference is you’ll be ditching the cruelty, cholesterol and the inflammation that go hand in hand with eating animal products and instead switching it to a healthier, more environmentally friendly and ethical plant-based version.

Most supermarkets now stock a good range of vegan brands, if not stocking their own branded vegan friendly foods too, restaurants are also following suit creating amazing, mouthwatering dishes and having a vegan menu. There has been a surge in the increasing demand for vegan food in the UK, with 5% of the UK population now saying they are vegan and this percentage is only growing! As more information about the environmental impact animal produce has on the planet, combined with the health benefits of plant based foods being spoken about more.

This shift will keep companies coming out with more delicious meat and dairy-free options that taste incredible.

Here are just a few that are dishing up the goods; Sainsbury’s, Waitrose, M&S, Tesco and even Iceland all have a huge vegan range now, with plant-based, meat substitutes that look and taste like the real thing, but are much healthier than their animal-derived counterparts and don’t hurt any living beings.

If you can get you hands on some ‘Beyond Meat’ burgers they will blow your mind!

  1. Meat Is More Likely To Make You Ill 

If there is one thing surfers don’t want, it’s to be ill when an epic swell arrives at your local break. Going plant-based could be the better option to to improve your immune system, keep your gut healthy and limit you exposure to harmful bacteria. Animal products and meats are often contaminated with faeces which often contain some harmful bacteria , such as Salmonella and E-Coli to name a couple. This is why animal food is most likely to make you ill, or give you food poisoning, it’s not very often, hear of some one eating raw broccoli and getting food poisoning, but eating a dodgy chicken curry can definitely set you back a few days.

A recent inspection of chicken flesh found that 96% of Tyson chicken packages were contaminated with Campylobacter, a dangerous bacteria that causes 2.4 million cases of food poisoning each year, resulting in diarrhoea, cramping, abdominal pain, and fever. Now that doesn’t sound great! Recent studies in america also stated that eating animal foods such as; chickens, pigs and cows, as well as their by-products like dairy and eggs, was the cause of over 2.4 million illnesses and 5000 deaths in one year!

  1. Help Feed the World

If you want to see a better tomorrow you’ve got to act today! if you eat meat it doesn’t just affect the animals,  it affects people too. Even in today’s super high-tech world there are still millions of people that go hungry and die because of lack of food available. Producing meat on an industrial scale takes tonnes of crops and grains to feed the animals that we breed for slaughter.

Did you know it takes up to 13 pounds of grain, to produce just 1 pound of animal flesh! The sheer volume of grain required to feed the animals would be enough to feed 1000’s of people. With the meat we eat only accounting for 18% of our overall daily calories, that 18% could be better spent on less environmentally damaging and ethically grown foods; like the grains and crops we currently feed to livestock.

The more people that switch to a plant-based vegan diet, the less of a negative impact we have on the planet and with less animals being reared for food, the more crops and grains we have to feed the hungry.

  1. Save the Planet

it’s the challenge of our lifetime and as surfers we see a lot of the negative effects of climate change and pollution first hand; dwindling sea life, poor water quality (bad enough to make you sick) and plastic pollution like never before. It seems like reducing our impact on the planet is no easy feat… However there is one way we can help, if anything it’s the best way we can create the most positive impact in reducing our CO2 emissions and it couldn’t be easier… Go Vegan.

Meat is one of the worst things for the environment, from the land needed to rear these animals, to the volume of crops grown and processed for the animals, to the actual amount of animals themselves, 70 billion are slaughtered each year. The amount of CO2 they produce and the byproducts that get into our water ways quite often create dead zones, poisoning so much marina life, not to mention the effect on your average surfers health.

The carbon emissions created simply by feeding 70 Billion animals and the production of the animal produce after slaughter on its own is unfathomable. It’s well documented that the animal agriculture industry is the single biggest causer of climate change. Adopting a Vegan diet is more effective than switching to a “greener” or electric car in the struggle against climate change.

Researchers at the University of Oxford found that cutting meat and dairy products from your diet, could reduce an individual’s carbon footprint from food by up to 73%. Meanwhile, if everyone stopped eating these foods, they found that global farmland use could be reduced by 75%, an area equivalent to the size of the US, China, Australia and the EU combined! Not only would this result in a significant drop in greenhouse gas emissions, it would also free up wild land lost to agriculture, one of the primary causes for mass wildlife extinction. Now that we know we have just 12 years to make some serious changes, going Vegan sounds like a pretty easy place to start!

 

  1. A lot Of Pros Are Switching To A Vegan Lifestyle 

The list of surfers who are opting to choose a plant based diet for health and performance reasons is growing, aside from Kelly Slater and john john Florence you’ve got surfing power couple, Alana Blanchard and jack Freestone who live animal product free and are still performing pretty well. Other pros and influential surfers include Rob Machado, Rasta, Carissa Moore, Maurice Cole, Nikki Van Dijk and Tia Blanco all big names who made the choice based on health and compassionate reasons.

It’s not only the pros who can make the change though, big time Hollywood actors and keen surfer Chris and Liam Hemsworth, both adopted a vegan lifestyle for health and compassionate reasons and never looked back. Alongside other Hollywood A-listers that are also paving the way like; Natalie Portman, Ariana Grande, Alicia Silverstone, Casey Affleck, Woody Harrelson, Miley Cyrus, Neo and Carrie Underwood.

  1. More Energy = More Surf 

As surfers we are always looking at any way to catch more waves and have more tube time. A recent study found that vegetarians and Vegans in particular tend to have more energy than their meat-eating counter parts, this is perfect if you’ve got a busy line up, having better energy levels might just add a few extra waves into your next session. It’s important to note that previous studies found higher levels of body fat and cholesterol in meat eaters when compared to vegans. The cholesterol and saturated animal fat found in meat, eggs, and dairy products eventually clog the arteries to your heart over time and for us guys that means they impede blood flow to other vital organs as well…

  1. Save The Whales But Not the Pigs

We as people have a weird thing when it comes to animals, we have a lot of favouritism in the UK when it comes to certain species; we love dogs and have them as our pets, we eat pigs and won’t think twice about, but in contrast are outraged when we see places like China eating dogs, the very thought of it causes distress.

We draw a line in the sand between animals considered ‘food’ and animals considered our pets, when in reality they all animals, through documentaries like Blue Planet we find out about whales and their dwindling numbers, we want to know what we can do to save them. On the other hand in japan whales are hunted and killed “for research” code name for –  feeding japan. We have these double standards for these creatures, one we happy to eat, the other we would be horrified to even think about it. Think about it… Would you eat your own dog or cat? Maybe your guinea pig or rabbit? They’re exactly the same as pigschickensfishcows and in fact they are just as intelligent! They can feel fear and excitement, as well as pain and suffering and are even able to have complex relationships . Pigs are so intelligent in fact, they can even learn to play video games!

Thoughts 

 Now reading all this you might think it’s interesting, or you might think that a preachy vegan wrote it…. You might be right. As a surfer and someone who ate meat for 26 years of their life, I have now been plant-based for around 3 of the last years and living a vegan lifestyle for 2 years.  i can see the stark contrast in my health and performance in surfing and ways of thinking. i no longer suffer from an array of gastro-intestinal/stomach related health issues, no more bloating, no more heartburn and acid reflux, no more feeling lethargic all the time and my surfing energy is higher than ever!

I’m probably in the leanest shape possible since becoming vegan and enjoy some of the clearest thinking, bye bye brain fog! i also have the lowest cholesterol levels and and visceral fat percentage i have had in 10 years. When you can see those positive health changes in such a short space of time, you really want to talk about it so other people can feel as good as you do!

 

Let us know if you found this blog helpful, would you like us to write more blogs like this? Even if you hated it all feedback is valuable. 

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