UK wetsuit guide by month what to wear, region by region

The short answer

For most of the UK, wear a 5/4 with boots from December to April and a 4/3 from May to November. Add a hood and gloves when the sea drops under 10°C: February to March in Cornwall, January to March in Devon and Wales, December to April in North East England and Scotland and January to April in Northern Ireland. A 3/2 is only warm enough in summer and early autumn, and in Scotland the sea never gets there.

That's the quick version. The table below is the long one: the wetsuit we'd reach for in each month, in each of the 6 regions we cover, worked out from the average sea temperature at the breaks we forecast there over three years (2023 to 2025).

Our pick for a typical one to two hour session, from the average sea temperature at the breaks we track in each region. Three years (2023 to 2025) of Open-Meteo history.

How we pick the suit

Wetsuit thickness is written as two numbers in millimetres: the first is the neoprene on your body, the second is the arms and legs. A 5/4 is 5mm on the chest and back and 4mm on the limbs. Thicker is warmer, and stiffer.

We match the suit to the sea temperature, because that's what you're sitting in for an hour or two:

• Under 10°C: a 5/4 with a hood, boots and gloves.
• 10 to 12°C: a 5/4 with boots.
• 12 to 15°C: a 4/3.
• 15°C and over: a 3/2.

These are the same thresholds we use on every spot guide and every spot page. They assume an average surfer doing a normal session. If you feel the cold, go a step warmer. If you surf for three hours at a time, or you're a learner spending a lot of time standing in the shallows in the wind, go a step warmer too.

Sea temperature by month and region

These are the averages behind the table above, in °C. They come from three years (2023 to 2025) of Open-Meteo sea surface temperature history at the 13 breaks we have long-term data for.

Average sea surface temperature in °C, 2023 to 2025. Breaks used: Cornwall (Fistral, Watergate Bay, Sennen, Porthleven); Devon (Croyde, Bantham); North East England (Saltburn, Tynemouth Longsands); Wales (Freshwater West, Rest Bay, Porthcawl); Scotland (Thurso East, Pease Bay); Northern Ireland (Whiterocks, Portrush).

A few things jump out:

• The sea lags the air by a couple of months. The water is coldest in February and March, not December or January, and warmest in August, not July. Spring surfers get caught out by this every year: it's warm on the beach in April and the sea is barely warmer than in January.
• Coldest: North East England. The breaks we track there drop to about 6.7°C in February.
• Cornwall in winter is a different world from the North East. In January the sea at the Cornish breaks we track averages 10.3°C. At the North East breaks it's 3.3°C colder. North East England also has the biggest swing of any region, 9.3°C between its coldest and warmest months.
• Scotland never really warms up. The Scottish breaks we track peak at about 14.7°C, so by our rule they never reach 3/2 weather. Bring the 4/3 in August too.
• Warmest: Wales. The breaks we track there reach about 17.9°C in August.

The Swell Otter take: buy the winter suit first

Here's the bit most wetsuit guides miss. In the UK, the best surf and the coldest water arrive together.

Surfable day: at least one daylight hour rated 2 stars or more in three years of history. Averages across the breaks we track in each region.

At the Cornish breaks we track, 85% of January days had surfable waves in our three years of history, against 33% in July. The Atlantic storms that make the swell are winter storms. So if you can only afford one good suit, make it the winter one. A cheap 3/2 for the few warm summer weeks is fine. A cheap 5/4 that leaks in January means you'll stay in the car on the best days of the year.

We'd go further: if you surf the North East or Scotland, a good hood and gloves are worth more than an expensive summer suit. The North East breaks we track sit under 10°C for 5 months of the year.

Autumn is the UK's best-kept secret

If you're planning a trip, look at October. In Cornwall the sea is still about 14.7°C in October, warmer than in May (13.1°C), and the surf is far more reliable: 69% of October days were surfable against 59% in May. Same 4/3, warmer water, 17% more days with waves, and the summer crowds have gone home.

Boots, gloves and hoods

The suit is half of it. Your hands, feet and head lose heat fast, and cold feet are what usually end a winter session.

• Boots: worth it whenever the sea is under 12°C. That's December to April in most of the south west and Wales, and longer up north. 5mm boots for winter, 3mm for the shoulder months.
• Gloves: under 10°C. Three-finger lobster mitts are warmest; 3mm five-finger gloves are easier to paddle in.
• Hood: under 10°C, or any time the wind is strong. A hood also helps keep cold water out of your ears, which matters if you surf all winter.

Don't forget the air and the wind. In January the average daytime high at the North East breaks we track is only about 7°C, and a fresh wind on a wet suit makes it feel much colder. Getting changed is often the coldest part of the session. A changing robe and a flask of something warm make a winter surf a lot more pleasant.

Questions

What wetsuit do I need for surfing in the UK in winter?

A 5/4 with boots at the start and end of winter, and a 5/4 with a hood, boots and gloves once the sea drops under 10°C. That happens in every region we cover: briefly in Cornwall, and for most of December to April in the North East and Scotland. UK sea temperatures are lowest in late winter, so February and March are colder than December.

Can I surf in a 3/2 in the UK?

In high summer, yes, in most regions. By our 15°C rule it's 3/2 weather in Cornwall (June to September), Devon (June to October), North East England (July to August), Wales (June to October) and Northern Ireland (July to August). The Scottish breaks we track never reach 15°C on average, so stay in a 4/3 there.

What is the sea temperature in Cornwall?

About 9.7°C at its coldest in February and 17.2°C at its warmest in August, averaged across the Cornish breaks we track from 2023 to 2025. Every spot guide shows the month-by-month figure for that break.

When is the sea warmest in the UK?

August, across every region we cover. The sea keeps warming after the air has peaked, so early September is usually warmer than June.

Every break's own sea temperature, month by month, is on its spot guide, and the live sea temperature is on each surf forecast.