Surf adventure essentials: 5 items you shouldn't leave home without
The next step after learning to surf in Perth is to hit the road and go on your very first surf trip. Before you leave though, remember to pack the following 5 surf adventure essentials.
Surfer with all the gear
Now that you’ve mastered the art of standing up and can confidently ride across the face of an unbroken wave, it’s time to take your newfound skills on the road. Many people choose to drive south to explore the Margaret River region’s endless array of spectacular beachbreaks. Some of you might decide to head cross country and check out what the east coast has on offer.
No matter where you decide to go though, you should know that when it comes to hitting the road for a surf trip, it pays to be prepared. You’re no longer learning to surf in Perth after all, which means you need to look after yourself and your gear. Luckily for you, the team here at Go Surf have embarked on more than a handful of salt water surfaris over the years. So we’ve got a fair idea as to the most important surf adventure essentials you need to take with you.
Read on to discover what some of these are and feel free to let us know if there’s something you think we missed.
1. Sunscreen
Australia has the highest rate of skin cancer diagnosis in the world. This means that the first thing you need to throw in your bag when packing for a surf trip to anywhere in our beautiful yet sun-exposed country is sunscreen. Long lasting, eco-friendly sunscreen that’s purpose made for watersports is your best bet. Anything less than 50+ isn’t worth buying. Look for the bottles with UVB and UVA radiation protection.
2. Wax
Dont forget your wax
When learning to surf in Perth you probably didn’t need to consider your wax job. Now that you’re out riding waves by yourself though, wax will play a central role. Available in varying levels of firmness, each of which is suited to different water temperatures, wax is the difference between surfing with confidence and feeling like you’re constantly slipping off your board. Don’t leave home without it if you’d rather not breakdance on the deck of your surfboard every time you try to stand up.
3. Water
There’s nothing worse than having to ration your water because you forget to bring enough for your strike mission to a semi-secluded beach. It may sound arbitrary, but the fact you’ll need to go and buy some and risk missing out on a limited window of good conditions might just spoil a good day of surfing. We recommend taking a reusable bottle with you on the road in addition to a few water cannisters filled with the good stuff to leave in your vehicle.
4. Spare legrope
Don’t forget the spare leash incase you break one during the surf
If you glean anything from this article, make sure it’s this: you’re almost always predetermined to snap your legrope the day you either forget or decide not to bring a backup. Call it a cruel twist of fate or a certified case of surfing irony. But if you don’t want to deal with snapping a legrope then having to borrow one, waste time shopping for a new one or fashion one out of seaweed and palm fronds, do the smart thing and take a spare. It’s not like a legrope takes up too much room in the car anyway, right?
5. Playing cards
When the conditions don’t cooperate or you’re looking for something to do when the sun goes down, playing a few rounds of cards with friends is an epic alternative to simply staring at your phone. It’s social, it’s convenient and most of all, card games are super fun. Better yet, you don’t need to charge a deck of cards or worry about breaking them. So take a deck with you on your next surf adventure and play for wax, legropes or fin keys. It’s always more exciting when there’s something at stake anyway.