Wetsuit Repairs Torquay

Surf Coast suits arrive here in worse shape than anywhere else, and the reason is reef.

Torquay, Jan Juc, Bells and Winki all put you over rock. Beach break damage is a clean fin cut you can glue shut in twenty minutes. Reef damage is ragged, the edges do not line up, and there is usually abrasion around it thinning the panel. Different job, different method.

We are in Ocean Grove, about 25 minutes from Torquay. Drop off in person, or post it in and we will post it back for $15.

What we fix

All brands, including everything sold in Torquay. Rip Curl, Quiksilver, Patagonia, O'Neill, Vissla, Billabong, Xcel, C Skins and Need Essentials.

What Surf Coast suits arrive with

Reef cuts and abrasion. The signature Surf Coast repair. A tear with chewed edges and a palm sized area of thinned rubber around it. We trim back to sound neoprene, bridge the gap with a patch on both faces, then reinforce the abraded area. Patching the tear alone on a reef suit is a false economy, because the thin rubber next to it goes within a month.

Knee blowouts. Torquay locals surf year round, which means a 4/3 or 5/4 doing five hard months. Knees go from wax, sand and paddling on the deck. When a knee blows we reinforce the whole panel rather than just closing the hole.

Shoulder and underarm tears. Cold water suits are thick and stiff, and the underarm is where three panels meet under maximum stretch. Getting in and out of a 5/4 in a cold car park is how most of those start.

Dead zips in July. Winter is the worst possible time for a zip to fail and it is also when they fail, because that is when the suit is being used every day. If yours is catching now, get the slider done before the season, not during it. Replacing the slider on its own costs well under a full zip replacement, and both are listed on the repairs page.

Booties. Cold Surf Coast winters mean booties, and bootie soles come away at the toe from walking over rock. A sole repair gets a season more out of them.

Second suits worth reviving. A lot of Torquay surfers have a decent older suit sitting in the shed with one thing wrong. Send the whole suit in and have everything sorted in one go, with discounted pricing when several repairs are done at the same time. That usually brings it back as a spare, which beats surfing a damp suit two days running.

Reef damage versus fin damage

Worth understanding, because it changes what your repair costs.

A fin cut is a clean slice. The two edges match. We clean the surfaces, glue the cut closed under tension, patch it from the inside, and cure it for 24 hours. The repaired line ends up stronger than the rubber beside it.

A reef tear is a wound. The edges are ragged, material is often missing, and the panel around it has been sanded thin by rock. We trim back to clean rubber, which means the gap gets slightly bigger before it gets fixed, then bridge it with a patch on both faces and reinforce the surrounding area.

The second job takes longer. It is also the one where cheap glue on kit repairs fail most often, because the patch is sitting on abraded rubber that never bonded properly in the first place.

Getting your suit to us

Drop off. 9 to 11 Sinclair Street, Ocean Grove. Thursday and Friday 11am to 5pm, Saturday 9am to 1pm. Drop-off is available when we are closed. About 25 minutes from Torquay via Barwon Heads.

Post it in. Tracked satchel to the same address. Returned for $15 anywhere in Australia, selected at checkout. Drop-off is free.

Wash it in fresh water and dry it inside out for 24 hours first. Every repairer says this and it is not fussiness. Glue will not bond to salt, and a wet suit cannot be properly inspected.

What happens next

We inspect the suit, photograph every issue we find, and send you a fixed quote. You pick what goes ahead. We do the work, hand stitched and seam glued, then pressure test it before it leaves.

Every repair carries a 3 month workmanship warranty.

The cost argument on the Surf Coast

A new 4/3 in a Torquay shop is around $520. A 5/4 with the hood is more. A repair is a small fraction of that, and every job is listed individually on the repairs page with a fixed starting price.

There is a fit argument too. A suit broken in over two winters flushes less and moves better than anything new, and nobody wants to spend June breaking in stiff rubber at Winki.

And the waste argument. Neoprene takes around a century to break down. The Surf Coast has more wetsuits per head than almost anywhere in the country, which makes it one of the places where repair actually moves the needle.

If you want to check whether your suit is worth it, our repair or replace guide runs the numbers, and this piece on Surf Coast water temperatures covers what thickness you actually need.

Surf schools and hire fleets

We handle bulk repair runs for surf schools, hire operations and clubs across Torquay, Jan Juc and Anglesea. End of season is the usual time: a fleet comes in, gets sorted into repair, reinforce and retire, and goes back as one batch with one invoice.

Details on the trade page.

Areas we cover

Torquay, Jan Juc, Bells Beach, Anglesea, Aireys Inlet, Lorne, Bellbrae and Moriac on the Surf Coast. Over the heads we cover Barwon Heads, Point Lonsdale, Queenscliff and local drop off in Ocean Grove, and the Bellarine Peninsula repairs guide covers how the bay side differs from this coast. Geelong and surrounds. Everywhere else in Australia by post.

Frequently asked questions

Where can I get a wetsuit repaired in Torquay?

The Wetsuit Repair Shack is at 9 to 11 Sinclair Street, Ocean Grove, about 25 minutes from Torquay. Drop off Thursday and Friday between 11am and 5pm or Saturday between 9am and 1pm, with drop-off available when we are closed, or post the suit in and have it returned for $15.

Can you fix a reef cut in a wetsuit?

Yes, and it is one of the most common repairs we do for Surf Coast surfers. Reef tears have ragged edges, so we trim back to clean neoprene, bridge the gap with a patch on both faces, and reinforce the abraded area around it so the panel does not fail again. Reinforcement panels are priced per zone on the repairs page.

How much does a wetsuit repair cost on the Surf Coast?

Every job is listed individually on our repairs page with a fixed starting price. Inspection and quoting are free, the quote is fixed in writing with photos before any work begins, and discounted pricing applies when several repairs are done at the same time.

My knee has blown out in my 4/3. Is it worth fixing?

Usually yes. A repair is a fraction of the roughly $520 a replacement suit costs, whether the panel needs bridging or the knee pad replaced. The one thing to check is the rubber around the knee. If it feels papery and stays stretched when you pinch it, the whole panel is near the end and we will tell you.

Do you repair booties and gloves?

Yes. Bootie sole repairs, split toe repairs, bootie seam and zip repairs, and glove finger and seam repairs are all listed individually on the repairs page with a fixed starting price.

Do you repair Rip Curl suits?

Yes, along with every other brand. Rip Curl Flashbomb and E Bomb suits come through constantly, being a Torquay brand.

Book your Surf Coast wetsuit repair

Send a photo and we will tell you what it needs and what it will cost.

Book a repair

The Wetsuit Repair Shack, 9 to 11 Sinclair Street, Ocean Grove VIC 3226. Thursday and Friday 11am to 5pm, Saturday 9am to 1pm. Drop-off available when closed.