Wetsuit Woes

The wetsuit saga I blogged about months ago is not quite over. I did find a thin 3/2 today for $99. Since I don't take good care of my suits, I decided I didn't deserve a better suit than the one pictured above. My last 3/2 cost me almost $300 and it fell apart after a little over a year. I'll admit that some of that is my fault. I'm not fastidious in the care of my wetsuits. I'd rather completely dry them in the sun than put on a damp wetsuit the next time I surf. But would that cause the suit to split at the seams where the arms meet the torso? It's not like I've gained weight or anything. I think that suit should have held up a little better than that. Even though the company repaired the seams, water is now rushing in at other seams. In other words, my current 3/2 is not keeping me warm. I almost bought another Body Glove Vapor for a little over $200 online—I got a 4/3 Vapor a few months ago for that price—before deciding against that. I didn't want to spend the money. Then I happened upon an eBay wetsuit seller. What intrigued me about these wetuits was that there were colors other than black. I, for one, am sick of the all-black wetsuit. However, I'm not quite sure I'm ready to rock a blue wetsuit or a brown one. I was seriously toying with the idea of buying one of them. Then I happened upon the one I found today. It won't keep me warm throughout the winter. I'm certain of that. I don't really care. The lack of warmth will force me into that 4/3. As much as I hate thick wetsuits like that, I can't fight the fact that I also hate being cold. See? There's a method to my madness.

I did surf Friday at the pier on the shorter board. My progression on that board isn't coming as quickly as I'd like. I can't complain though. I do catch waves every time I'm on that thing. I even found the elusive shoulder that the board and I have been chasing for weeks. Somehow, my pop-up finally got me to the sweet spot on the board. For once, I wasn't perched on the tail of the board; I was right in the middle. I saw that little bit of open face and managed a few pumps. It was nothing spectacular, but it was enough to prevent me from getting discouraged.