If you’re interested in taking up surfing and want to know how much it costs, you’re in the right place.
We’ll be breaking down the expenses in this post, and giving you a realistic idea as to how much it’s going to cost.
Keep reading to find out more.
SURFING COST BREAKDOWN: EQUIPMENT ESSENTIALS
The water temperature where you live will have a big impact the amount of surfing equipment you’ll need, and how much things will cost.
So do bear that in mind when tallying up the surfing equipment costs below:
SURFBOARD $700 – $1200
Buying a surfboard is an unavoidable part of the sport, and there’s a big difference in what you’ll pay depending upon the type of board you want to buy, and it’s quality.
As with everything you generally get what you pay for, and surfing is no different.
If you’re just a beginner though, there’s no need to be shelling out on expensive boards just yet, and the performance enhancements will be negligible.
So, just choose the best beginner surfboard you can at a reasonable price and you should be good to go.
FINS $90 – $170
Surfboards need fins to grip into the wave to help you steer, and you won’t be able to surf without them.
Now, back in the day surfboard fins would come inclusive with the board, however nowadays that’s often not the case.
And, they don’t come cheap.
The two leading surfboard fin brands are FCS and Future Fins, and they’re ranges usually start from around $90.
LEGROPE $40 – $90
A legrope or leash is chord that attaches a surfer to surfboard to stop it floating away when they fall.
Again, this is an unavoidable cost to surfing I’m afraid.
The good news is though that they’re relatively inexpensive, with ranges starting from about $40.
SURFBOARD WAX $5
Surfers apply a specific type of wax to the deck of their surfboards to add grip, and stop them from slipping off.
Surfboard wax is available in all surf shops and is pretty cheap to buy.
WETSUIT $150 – $600
If you’re not lucky enough to live in the tropics you’re going to need to invest in a wetsuit.
The prices for wetsuits vary considerably with quality, and thickness, with the best wetsuits for surfing in cold water costing much more.
If you’re not sure what thickness wetsuit you’ll need for your location, just ask your local surf shop and they’ll be able to help.
WETSUIT BOOTS $50- $150
When you’re surfing in winter, it’s not uncommon to need wetsuit boots, as the feet are the first thing to go numb in cold water.
Wetsuit boots come in varying thicknesses from 2mm upwards, and the increasing thickness impacts the overall price.
WETSUIT HOOD $40 – $90
Usually the next piece of kit you’ll have to invest in when things get cold is a wetsuit hood.
A wetsuit hood will not only protect your head from ice-cream headaches (brain freeze), but also keep you much warmer too as lots of heat is lost via the head.
WETSUIT GLOVES $40 – $90
When the water get’s really cold you’ll have no option but to purchase wetsuit gloves.
They’re the final piece of kit that is absolutely essential for surfing.
Just like wetsuit boots they come in varying thicknesses, and the price you pay will vary along with it.
OPTIONAL EXTRAS
There are a few additional costs to surfing that aren’t absolutely essential, but are certainly nice to have’s.
SURFBOARD BAG OR BOARD SOCK $90 – $250
Around about 80% of the damage that happens to your surfboard will happen outside of the surf.
Usually knocking it whilst putting it in the car, or banging it moving it from a) to b).
Investing in a board bag or a board sock will go a long way to avoiding this unnecessary damage.
An upfront cost, but a long term investment.
TRACTION PAD $50 – $90
Most surfers like to surf with a traction pad at the tail of their surfboards.
The tail pad helps them to know their foot is in the right place, plus it has a raised kicker that can help with turning manoeuvres.
These traction pads are not absolutely essential, but for many surfers they basically are.
Ultimately it all depends on your preferences.
TOTAL COST OF SURFING BREAKDOWN
Below is a table breaking down how much surfing costs to get started:
|
WARM WATER |
COOL WATER |
COLD WATER |
|
|
SURFBOARD |
$700 – $1200 |
$700 – $1200 |
$700 – $1200 |
|
FINS |
$90 – $170 |
$90 – $170 |
$90 – $170 |
|
LEGROPE |
$40 – $90 |
$40 – $90 |
$40 – $90 |
|
WAX |
$5 |
$5 |
$5 |
|
WETSUIT |
$150 – $600 |
$150 – $600 |
|
|
BOOTS |
Cell | Cell |
$50- $150 |
|
HOOD |
Cell | Cell |
$40 – $90 |
|
GLOVES |
Cell | Cell |
$40 – $90 |
|
TOTAL |
$835 – $1465 |
$985 – $2065 |
$1115 – $2395 |
*OPTIONAL EXTRAS: $140 – $340
CONCLUSION
You’ve hopefully now got a good idea on how much surfing costs as a sport to get started with, and at first sight, the initial outlay might shock you.
But here’s the thing.
Once you’ve made the initial investment it’s free forever more.
No recurring subscriptions, no pay to play – ever.
A small price to pay if you ask me.
Yew!Rowan 
ROWAN CLIFFORD
Rowan is the technical nerd behind the scenes. A lover of everything entrepreneurial, and living a minimal, simple life. Surf, Travel, Create.
