The invention of the wheel, the Roman arch, the light bulb, the industrial revolution, the personal computer revolution, the pog craze: every era has it’s breakthroughs that we cherish to this day. By opening up a new category in history, the wetsuit is this kind of thing for the surfing realm. But historical analogies are susceptible to grandiosity, so let’s take an incredibly fast and honest look at what the wetsuit really is. We’ll see how the wetsuit relates to surfing in the arctic, and we’ll look at what the future might hold for surfing’s flexible friend.

The wetsuit is a skin-tight body suit that acts as a temporary layer of blubber, keeping you warm even when the ocean gets cold.  This man thought he was wearing a wetsuit, but don’t let him fool you, he’s actually wearing a wet suit.

On the topic of blubber: ocean mammals living in the polar seas have a hefty layer of blubber to keep warm in icy waters. Wetsuits made for the arctic must do this also. The best wetsuits hold a large amount of water, prevent leaking, and are stretchy. Below you can see some of the customary suits that are worn when temperatures go way down.

What is the future of wetsuits and surfing? As a result of warmer and slicker materials we will see new surf break discoveries in cold places, larger surf towns in the arctic circle, a rise in cold-water wax sales, and cold-water surf charters. Eventually most surfers will move to the polar ice caps because of the limitless availability of perfectly uncrowded waves.

In the distant future don’t be surprised to see a wetsuit that is in liquid form. It creates a mutational bond to your nervous system and actually surfs for you. Imagine the potential progression of the sport.

So much has been said and written about territorial surfers. Discovery, legitimacy, absurdity, and secrets are all words that come to mind when talking about this aspect surf culture. Though localism is assumed to live in comfortable climates, have you ever considered what localism might look like in the arctic? An interesting thought, indeed. Although there are a few implications and scenarios the words ‘arctic localism’ might conjure in your mind, this question is only worth a few minutes before we must move on to the  infinitely more confounding ‘what does arctic localism look like online?’

Here are some postings that I found on a forum about surfing in the arctic:

“Not to sound like a pissed local Iceman, but you should keep your comments about visiting surfers to your spot (…). The real locals in [...], would appreciate it if you traveled with a smaller group instead inudating the surf spots with a ton a people.”

- anonymous

Another commenter mocks a beginning surfer’s ability:

“go move back down to [...] california wherever you came from i’ve seen you surf the b-yard, i’d hardly call that surfing. i hope you get caught inside on a big set there and crack your thick head open on the rocks you longboard kook. i’d laugh so hard.”

-Hey ‘boneyard assasin’

This one is the best:

“sure there’s surf there but more than five guys and it’s zooed.It’s a fifty minute drive there is only one peak throws top to bottom then mushes quickly to shoulder. Seems like a long way to go for 38-44 deg water plus most kodiak surfers lack common courtesy and have a habbit of droppin in on their longboards no matter how dangerous the situation. I speak from experience most can’t even make the drop so it leaves you slotted with a log and rider being pitched in front of you (sound familiar boneyard crew).”

-pasagshak or bust

With the arctic line-ups getting so crowded these days, its easy to see that all the pent up animosity must be released somewhere, and where better than the world wide information super-highway.

Life isn’t always leisure and fun, especially when your duty is shoveling snow and you live in Antarctica, or cooking a pot of gruel for dinner. The Arctic Traveler’s work ethic is firm as ice. I would even suggest his work ethic is chiseled from an icicle, compressed with the forward pressure of one thousand glaciers, and determined like a glacier.

One such traveler that comes to mind is Sir Ernest Shackleton. Shackleton’s ship ‘Endurance’ literally was compressed by ice, until it gave out and the ice flows forced the crew into small rescue boats. Only by divine providence did they survive. Through Shackleton’s resolute leadership these men escaped via granite Elephant Island and the interminable South Georgia Island. Today these dangerous voyages are made much safer through computers and graphs.

The Coldwater Contest is on right now in Canada. Click in this link to see a neat video of the cold surfers surfing cold waves: http://www.coldwaterclassic.net/

Life in the extreme south and north is much different than the rest of the world. The sub-zero temperatures require a careful and meticulous approach to survival, and produce some of the most daring expeditions. However, some of the icy frontiers remaining to be pioneered are the art and skill of arctic surfing.

These penguins are in danger of getting pulled down by the undertow caused by big surf.

Here is a picture of some explorers on Kagalaska Island resting from a long day of exploring.

A research complex and radio station at a science base in Antarctica.