Getting caught underneath a wave can be a terrifying experience, and one that some people don’t survive.

But for Garrett McNamara, holder of the record for surfing the biggest wave, it’s all part of the day job and he’s prepared for it.

The wave he surfed to become the world record holder was measured at 90 feet high, and since he’s preparing to break that record he has taken precautions against running out of air under the water.

Using a special men’s wetsuit, designed by Camelback, which holds a few minutes of extra air in a special “oxygen pocket” for emergencies, Mr McNamara can breathe underwater through a small tube (sorry we can’t be more specific about how it works, but technical details were hard to come by).

When you’re trapped under the water, every minute counts and this enhanced wetsuit could be the difference between life and death.

Hopefully, he won’t have to use the breathing method, but with a private jet ready to take him to the next huge wave at the drop of a hat, his improved men’s wetsuit could see action before long.

There’s no doubt this man is serious about his surfing. Asked in an interview how he knows he’ll survive his next big wave encounter, he simply replied, “I don’t.”

We wish Garrett McNamara luck!

When you’re surfing in a relatively secluded location there are many things that could go wrong, however one new gadget should make sure that at least women and mens wetsuit wearers never run out of phone battery.

A Swedish firm has invented the PowerTrekk mobile phone charger, which only needs one tablespoon of water to power a mobile for ten hours.

Furthermore – before you start thinking that you better have a bottle of mineral or tap water handy – it can run on salt water too!

Apparently it will become available in Europe around May or June this year, and it could be the ideal thing to keep surfers in contact with friends, family, and emergency services at any time during their day on the waves.

Unfortunately it’s going to cost about £165 to buy, but maybe you can purchase a good quality discount wetsuit to help you save up for this handy gadget.

Where can I find low cost, high quality women and mens wetsuits you may ask? Well ocean24seven’s pretty good, we hear.

In all seriousness though, we’ve got some great wetsuits from well-known and trusted brands with discounts applied to them – so have a browse. Enjoy!

Photo © David Berkowitz via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence

We’ve heard of road rage, but surf rage?

Well, it does exist and it’s apparently become more of a problem than usual amongst women and mens wetsuit wearers in popular surf spots Snapper Rocks and Duranbah Beach, down the coast from Brisbane, Australia.

Police have had to begin patrolling the areas to keep people calm and to break up any fights.

Mark Occilupo, a former world surfing title holder states, “Surf rage is pretty prominent, we don’t see fights every day, but you might see a couple a week.”

Apparently two main causes of this behaviour are overcrowded beaches and people ‘dropping in’ on other surfers without respecting the local or more experienced water sports enthusiasts.

One local surfer explains, “Even if I don’t know who the locals are you can pick them out, you can tell, so you respect those guys, you wait your turn, and you will get a wave.

“I almost wish surfing had a golf-like handicap system, where if you’re not that good you can’t surf the dangerous waves…there’s some guys that can really control their equipment and they can come within six inches of you and you’re not worried, others just make a radius of destruction.”

Sounds like a good idea to us. Cutting people up on a wave can result in surfers, body boarders, and swimmers getting injured. Furthermore it can cause arguments which could ruin a good day. Why not let off some steam by buying a great new discount wetsuit instead?

If you’re not as experienced as some of the other women and mens wetsuit wearers in the waves, wait your turn, and if you’re not local, be patient and don’t push in. There are plenty more waves in the sea.

Photo © surfglassy via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence

It has been reported that professional surfers will have to undergo drugs tests before they reach for their women’s and mens wetsuits and participate in sporting competitions.

It is thought that even some of the most talented surfers have turned to drugs in the past, and the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) will be introducing the drugs tests to prevent professional surfers from using performance-enhancing and recreational drugs before competing.

The new policy will be in effect at the upcoming Quiksilver Pro Gold Cost which will take place from 25th February to 7th March in Coolangatta, Australia, where many surfers will be wearing their summer wetsuits to compete against one another.

Although drugs tests are already carried out at some surfing events in the UK and Ireland, the wide-spread testing will aim to prove that surfing is a clean and exemplary sport.

Dave Prodan, a spokesman for the ASP, said, “We believe this is a natural evolution in enhancing the professionalism of our sport.

“This motion has the full support of the surfers on tour as they want to be taken more professionally, and believe this is a step in the right direction. We have been discussing and drafting a policy with the guidance of the World Anti Doping Agency for over two years and the budget, approved at the November board of directors meeting, has just allowed us the possibility of implementing it as soon as [2012].”

Competing professional surfers will have to ensure that they don’t take drugs before they put on their women’s or mens wetsuits as they will be likely to hinder their chances of participating in events.

Photo © paul’s parking via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence

Generally surfing is seen as an environmentally friendly sport. There’s no need for power-hungry stadium lights and no vehicle emissions, but one thing about surfing has been less than squeaky clean.

The way manufacturers shape surf boards has used toxic chemicals and ‘unfriendly’ materials for ages – however this has been changing slowly over the past ten years or so.

For example, environmental surfing organisation Sustainable Surf has been working on projects which act “as a catalyst to speed up an ongoing transformation of the surfing industry and community from its current unsustainable operating model to become the global model of sustainability in action.”

Sounds complicated? Basically they’re trying to help everyone change the surf industry – whether they wear wetsuits or business suits – into something Earth and ocean-friendly.

One of the projects they are currently working on is called Waste to Waves, which is a scheme enabling people to recycle the packaging foam which comes with household items, such as washing machines and TVs, into surf boards.

We love this idea, although it’s only available in America at the moment. Click here to learn more!

Also, did you know that some companies, such as Billabong, already make men and womens wetsuits from recycled materials?

Gold stars for environmental surfing all around!

Photo © Egan Snow via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence

For surfing enthusiasts looking for the next big event at which to don their men or womens wetsuit, Malaysia’s International Surfing Competition may be just the thing.

Held in Cherating, Pahang, the competition is taking place between the 6th and 8th of January and hosts team challenges as well as awarding prizes at individual surfing contests.

People from all over the globe take part in this event, so it should be a good date to mark on the calendar for surfers and water-sport’s spectators.

Although is isn’t a widely know destination for surf, Cherating Beach is known locally as Surfer’s Haven, because it has great waves and fantastic views.

Furthermore, the weather in Malaysia is nice and warm all year round, so there should be no need for a winter wetsuit over there, grab the summer one!

Whichever wetsuit you bring, this International Surfing Compensation seems like the perfect place to put on men and womens wetsuits, catch a wave, practice tricks, and escape the British winter. Enjoy!

Photo © bryannys via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence

Keen surfers flock to beaches all over the globe to improve their skills, and Australia is one of the countries which is widely known for fantastic waves and warm waters which are perfectly suited to the sport.

However, many owners of womens and mens wetsuits in Australia are aware of dangers of sharks in the sea, and one keen surfer had a very lucky escape when he chose to paddle out on his surfboard off the New South Wales north coast.

Stephen King (not the author) was surfing on a beach near Angourie when he became the victim of a shark attack. Fortunately for the 51-year-old, it was his surfboard which suffered the worst damage – the shark bit a large chunk out of its side.

Mr King amazingly made his way back to the shore with only a few scratches on his thigh. There have been numerous reports of shark sightings on Australian coastlines over the last month.

Mr King said, “Just as I was taking off, there was a bang from the side. I cart-wheeled through the air and there was this thrashing beside me.”

He has described himself as “one of the luckiest people on two legs.”

It has not been reported whether Mr King intends to don a mens wetsuit again to take to the waters after the attack, but we’re pretty sure that the news may put several other surfers off putting on their summer wetsuits and hitting the waves for a while yet.

Photo © Magnus BrÃ¥th via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence

Surfing competitors have been putting on their women’s and men’s wetsuits in Hawaii to participate in the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing.

The annual event has been running for 38 years, and there is a total of $82,000 (around £52,000) prize money to be won. Hawaii beaches are renowned for their big waves which make them hugely desirable to surfers around the globe.

The competition runs from 12 November through to 20 December and takes place on the North Shore of Oahu. Heats are held across three different beaches – Haleiwa, Sunset and Pipeline.

Despite a 10 day delay due to calm weather, the second stage of the competition, the World Cup of Surfing, finally got off to a start on 27 November with 10-12ft waves. A record breaking number of people gathered on Sunset beach to view the event, many of whom may have put their own surfing wetsuits aside in favour of watching the pros in action.

The popular competition will see women’s and men’s wetsuits kept at the ready as talented surfers prepare to compete against some of the best surfers in world.

Photo © mrlaugh via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence

It probably wouldn’t be too surprising to hear that beaches in San Diego, California were recently used as the location for a surfing calendar photo shoot, however, these canine surfers certainly weren’t wearing any of the winter wetsuits which are commonly seen in the waters at this time of year.

Nonetheless, the lack of wetsuits didn’t stop these dogs from taking to the waves like pros for various surfing competitions and the annual charity calendar created by 55-year-old Dina Demeo-Grover.

The animal shelter volunteer has been collecting the photographs ever since an elderly lady suggested that she should create a calendar of surfing dogs to make people smile.

Demeo-Grover completed the first calendar in 2007 using photos from different dog surfing competitions and has been releasing them annually ever since with all proceeds going to a variety of different charities.

This year eager surfers included a Jack Russell named Zoey, an English bulldog named Stanley, and a golden retriever called Kalani.

Although they may not have been wearing Quiksilver or Billabong wetsuits, every dog which participated in the sport was fitted with their own life-jacket so that they could swim to back to shore if they chose, however, according to a report, the dogs were making the most of their time in the water.

If these dogs continue to showcase their talented surfing techniques, it may only be a matter of time before they’re kitted out with their own custom made winter wetsuits!

Photo © Port of San Diego via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence

Sunset at Woolacombe

Surfers of all ages donned their winter wetsuits and took to the crumbly waves in the November sunshine for the annual British National Inter-Clubs Championships held at Woolacombe in North Devon recently – and the overall winners were……the Woolacombe Boardriders Surf Club.

In its 19-year history the club had maintained a spectacular record of never having won a single club victory, but 2011 will go down as a red-letter year for the surfers as they won in September, at the Red Bull Break 5 event, and then bagged the biggy on their home surf on the 5th November.

The event was contested by ten teams representing clubs from Croyde, Westward Ho!, Boscombe, Truro and the Isle of Wight, as well as the eventual winners.

Each team was required to have surfers from the junior, women’s, open and masters’ divisions competing, and with two peaks being surfed, the 27 heats saw the overall lead change hands on a number of occasions.

In the end it came down to the nail-biting result of the Super Heat which took place in the fading sunlight of early evening and Woolacombe’s 2011 British Champion, Stuart Campbell, eventually secured a fine six-point victory over super-successful Croyde.

Well done Woolacombe, and all who took part. We look forward to reporting on next year’s competition and hope that you keep on donning your winter wetsuits to carry on training throughout the festive period and beyond.

Image © sam_brighton via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence