What Wetsuit Do You Need on the Surf Coast and the Bellarine?
Water temperatures month by month for Victoria's Surf Coast and Bellarine, and what thickness wetsuit you actually need through the year.
The Wetsuit Repair Shack·4 min read
The bench · Ocean Grove
Bass Strait does not do warm. Water on this stretch of coast runs from about 13 degrees in the depths of August to about 18 or 19 degrees at the peak of February, which is cold enough to matter for eight months of the year and never quite warm enough to forget about.
Here is what the water actually does, and what to wear in it.
Water temperatures month by month
Averages for Torquay, Bells and the Bellarine beaches, based on long run sea surface data. Individual days vary, and a hard southwesterly will drop the surface temperature well below the monthly average.
| Season | Average water temperature |
|---|---|
| Summer, December to February | 17 to 19 degrees, peaking in February |
| Autumn, March to May | 15 to 18 degrees, falling steadily |
| Winter, June to August | 13 to 14 degrees, lowest in August |
| Spring, September to November | 13 to 16 degrees, slow to recover |
Two things people get wrong about this.
Spring is colder than autumn at the same air temperature. The water lags the seasons by about two months, so a warm October day sits over 14 degree water. That catches people out every year.
Air temperature and wind matter as much as water temperature. A 15 degree day with a 25 knot southwesterly will hurt more than a still 13 degree morning. Wind chill on a wet suit between waves is what ends most sessions.
What to wear, month by month
December to March. A 3/2 steamer covers it. Plenty of people go springsuit or shorty on the warmest February days, and plenty of people stay in the 3/2 all summer and are more comfortable for it. If you sit around waiting for sets rather than surfing constantly, stay in the full suit.
April to May. 3/2 steamer, adding booties when the water dips under 16. This is the best time of year to be in the water here and the shortest window.
June to August. 4/3 steamer, hooded if you surf regularly. Booties are not optional. Gloves for anyone who surfs early mornings or stays out past an hour. A hood does more for warmth than an extra millimetre of neoprene anywhere else, because a large share of heat loss goes out through your head.
September to November. 4/3 through September and most of October, dropping to a 3/2 when the water crosses 16 degrees, usually late November. Do not put the winter suit away in September.
What actually keeps you warm
Thickness is the number on the label. It is not the thing that decides whether you are cold.
Fit beats thickness. A wetsuit works by trapping a thin layer of water and letting your body heat it. Loose neoprene lets that water move, and moving water takes your heat with it. A well fitted 3/2 beats a baggy 4/3 in the same conditions, every time.
Seams beat thickness. Panels do not leak, joins do. A blindstitched and taped 3/2 will be warmer than a flatlock 4/3. For winter here, look for taped or liquid sealed seams.
Extremities beat thickness. Hood, booties and gloves move the needle far more than an extra millimetre on your torso. If you are cold in a 4/3 in July, buy a hood before you buy a 5/4.
Foam condition beats thickness. A four year old 4/3 with compressed foam performs like a 2mm. The label still says 4/3.
Before you buy a warmer suit
Most people who decide they need a thicker suit actually have a working suit with one failed component.
Run through this first:
- Pinch the foam on the chest and back. Springs back firmly, or feels thin and papery?
- Stretch the neck seal and let go. Snaps back, or stays loose? A stretched seal flushes the entire suit on every duck dive.
- Check the zip baffle for tears and the zip teeth for spreading.
- Turn the suit inside out and run every seam for lifted tape and cracked seal.
Cold that arrives after a duck dive is a flushing problem, and flushing problems are repairs. Cold that is there from the first paddle is compressed foam, and that is the only one that means a new suit.
A stretched neck seal costs a fraction of a new 4/3 to fix and will change your winter completely.
The local view
Ocean Grove, Barwon Heads, Point Lonsdale and Thirteenth Beach sit a touch more exposed than the Torquay side, and the wind does more damage than the difference in water temperature. Anyone surfing the Bellarine through winter should own a hood.
If you surf year round here, two suits beat one. A 3/2 and a 4/3 rotating will each last considerably longer than a single suit doing every session, because the foam gets time to dry out and recover properly between uses.
