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Vibram Five Finger for Surfing

Vibram Five Finger have changed the way we’re going to be viewing surfing shoes forever. Gone are the days when you can safely go down to the beach in your  barefeet and expect your feet to stay unharmed in this modern concrete and glass world we live. Flip flops, or thongs as they are called in Australia (not to be mistaken with an article of underwear), just don’t cut it any more when it comes to comfort and walking long distance. Tight shins and painful calf muscles usually go hand in hand with prolonged flip flop use. So what am I talking about that will magically solve this problem. Well a shoe manufacturer, well more accurately a shoe Sole manufacturer ‘Vibram’, came up with the idea that protects your feet both in and out of the water whilst not losing any agility, dexterity, grip nor feel so you can still go surfing, learn or take a surf lesson in them. So what am I saying here?

Five finger what?

You can wear your footwear down to the beach, paddle out and surf for the day, then walk home in them without taking away anything from your surfing experience. Lets face the facts, surfers are inherently lazy when it comes to most thing other than surfing. You’ll never have to worry about flip flops or shoes ever again or where your going to put them when you get in the water. You don’t have to worry about carrying down a second pair of booties when your surfing on reef. And most importantly, one that has got me twice quite badly, cold water.

Vibram Five Finger

Vibram Surf Shoe

Vibram Shoe

Feet and cold water

In cold water my feet cramp up and when I transition from laying/paddling to standing position. My feet stayed in the arched position so that when I jumped to my feet I tore the ligaments on the top part of my foot between my toes and ankle. Imagine a ballerina standing on her feet. Now imagine someone with no ballet experience trying to hold their bodies up like that … yes .. OUCH.. 2 trips the doctor and I have learnt my lesson. I always wear footwear when its cold.

So what is Vibram Five Finger?

Vibram Five Finger, is what we’re talking about here is liken to a combination between a pair or toe socks and a pair of shoes. A picture says a thousand words so have a look at it above and it will save me much effort in explaining. With 26 bones, 33 ligaments and 20 muscles your feet are extremely complicated animals. This is why we need to care for them more than we do … no more high heels ladies, they really are not good for you, just ask your chiropractor.

Vibram five fingers brings you the flexibility of a outdoor shoes with the feelings of being barefoot. Five fingers stimulates the muscles in your feet to build strength and lower leg muscles. When translated into surfing terms this means that you will not lose your most important sense whilst surfing. And that is touch. Your contact between board and feet is your best friend.

Well actually more important that your best friend, like your lifeline or last breath. You can feel the surge, the power, the change in angle not to mention the change in weight as you push through your feet to turn and guide the board.

Surfing Safety Equipment

If your serious about your safety, health and love for the sport but don’t want to lose an ounce of feel then this is a must for you. A bare minimum in surf equipment that I believe you need out in the water if your surfing on reef or walking over it to get to that fabulous break. I believe it’s a small price to pay to still enjoy a sport with great benefits and little to no drawbacks. Vibram please send me one pair size 11.

Technorati Tags: five finger, surf equipment, Surf Lesson, surfing, vibram, vibram five finger

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The right wetsuit for you in 2mins flat.

All things are not created equal. This is no different to anything revolving around surfing. Just because two objects, look the same and have the same intended use does mean that they both equal to the task. Likewise with wetsuits and wetsuit design.

Wetsuits come in various shapes, sizes and materials but it doesn’t end there. You have to understand the conditions that your going to be immersing yourself into not to mention how comfortable you body is with colder water. A wise man once told me buy yourself the best wet suit you cant afford.

Geography equals wetsuit type

By understanding our geographic locations and water temperatures we can narrow our wetsuit choices to a handful of designs, manufacturers and styles. From then on in it will come down to the fit. Its all about the fit. I don’t care how great a product is cracked up to be if it doesn’t fit well. Don’t believe me? Try on a pair of your younger brother/sisters shoes and go for 20 minutes jog and tell me that fits not important.

Five minutes of research into your local water temperature and you’ll be able to save hours of driving and shopping. You’ll know what you want before you even leave the house, then its just a case of finding the best. Here I cant help you with that.

Water temperature is key

There are two ways to do this. Go down to your local surf spot and look around to see what other surfers are wearing OR go into a store and ask someone the same question. Second way is to find the water temperature in your local area both summer and winter.

Cold weather surfing conditions

For water temperatures below 10C (50F) I highly recommend a 5 x 3mm wetsuit and some serious determination. The water is very cold, your hands, feet and head will most probably need some

protection from the elements. This I will cover in another article on its own.

Everyone is different and has different tolerances to water temperature. On my first surf lesson I used a borrowed short arm/leg wetsuit that didnt fit properly and boy did I freeze that day. Personally, water temperature below 17C (60F) I use a full 3 x  2  full arm and leg wetsuit with a rash shirt underneath. The rash shirt is there simply for that, to avoid a rash and that extra bit of comfort but that’s a personal thing, What does that mean? It means the chest, torso and groin area has 3mm of wetsuit material thickness while the arms and legs will have 2mm.

Warm weather surfing

For water temperatures between 17C (60F) – 21C(70F)  I use a 2 x 1mm short arm and leg wetsuit with rash shirt. These are for days when the water is too warm for a full blown wetsuit but I still need that little bit extra to keep me in the water longer. Also a must have in windy conditions. When your sitting on your board waiting for the next wave and the wind is howling it seriously chills you down to the bone. The likes of having a cold shower then running in front of a cooling fan for 2 hours… most unpleasant.

Water temperatures over 21C (70F) is a dream come true. I use the bear minimum, rash shirt and board shorts… That’s it.. You don’t need any more. These are your glorious summer days where it’s a pleasure to just sit in the water and be gradually cooled from the blistering summers day heat. On a hot summers day you can actually start to feel nauseas from overheating if your wearing far too much cold weather protection.

So there you have it. Now all you have to do is 2 minutes of research on water temperature in your local area and you will be able to decide which type of wet suit best serves you purpose.  Once you have a thickness type and style (long or short) along with your budget you will find that your selection has been drastically narrowed and all it now comes down to is how big your wallet is and what fits best.

You will find many brands and makes that will cater for your needs. What you will also find is your body shape and size will fit better to certain manufactures, in my case O’Neill wetsuits fit me like a glove. Remember, if it doesn’t fit like a glove then I suggest change your gloves not modify your hands.

Technorati Tags: Surf Lesson, wetsuit

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