Winter surfing on the East Coast is not for the faint of heart. From near-freezing water temps to beyond-freezing air temps to howling winds, you’re never far from an excuse to not paddle out. So in the spirit of maintaining a healthy amount of water time, we turned to longtime Surfline writer Matt Pruett for some tips on how to survive a winter season on the East Coast.

1. Over-mil.

A well-sealed, 5-7mm fullsuit with (attached) 4mm hood, 7mm boots and 5mm lobster claws will protect you from hypothermia… pretty much anywhere on Earth. That setup will allow you to patiently surf a full tide cycle and and wait for the best sets, instead of catching little ones just to stay warm. And for those really brutal, subzero-windchill days, you may wanna consider wearing a neoprene ski mask underneath your hood to protect that last vulnerable part of your face.

READ MORE: Tips for Taking Care of Your Wetsuit

2. Have two sets of everything.

Two hooded suits, two pair of gloves, two pair of booties… maybe even two towels. Bring enough extra rubber so you’re always putting on dry gear regardless of how many sessions you’re surfing. Few things are more dejecting than putting on a soaking, cold wetsuit and never giving yourself a chance to be warm. You’ll be done before you even begin.

3. Think fast, act faster.

With minimal daylight hours and the likelihood of a one-day window, every waking moment should be spent surfing, preparing to surf, or transporting yourself to the surf. If a big winter storm is on the radar, you’ve gotta get ahead of the bad weather — and the traffic that comes with the bad weather. Get stuck behind a snowstorm, and your driving time quadruples. Get stuck behind a blizzard, and you’ll probably miss the swell entirely.

4. Beef up your stick.

Consider getting a bit heavier glass job, for three reasons: 1. To better float you with all that extra neoprene weight you’ll be carrying; 2. To get you under the lip and down the face easier in the near-gale-force offshores that are common with wintertime frontal systems; and 3. Nor’easters. They tend to be the heaviest swells of the year, and the coldest, and therefore break more boards than the tropical stuff.

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5. Minimize duckdiving.

For beachbreaks (which account for 90% of East Coast surf spots), look for that flat-looking sand for shorebreak — where the better swells tend to work on the incoming tide, that fuller water breaking shallow right off the beach. Otherwise, find a rip to suck you out, hug a pier for a drift session, choose a jetty or a groin or whatever beach nourishment project might be going on — and mind-paddle just like you would mind-surf. Whatever it takes to avoid those mind-numbing, energy-sapping troughs, where getting caught inside and taking ‘em on the head is a given.

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6. Stay warm on land.

Avoid leaving the house without your long underwear, thermals, heavy socks and waterproof gloves and boots. Having cold feet or hands (or what the Nova Scotians might call “two soakers”) before you even suit up is a big no-no. Drink copious amounts of water and coffee, too, to keep you urinating so you can get that warm brine going in your boots. And since you’ll be burning so many more calories in all that neoprene armor, don’t paddle out on an empty stomach. You won’t last.

7. Make friends.

A lion’s share of the whole allure of wintertime surfing is less crowds. But without at least one ride-or-die buddy pushing you into that gray fray, you’re limited to your own head space. And that’s an awful complex place to make an otherwise simple decision. And if a road trip is in order, it helps to have friends in high and low places checking conditions for you, so you can strike accordingly.

8. Just surf out front.

An all-too-familiar East Coast winter pattern goes like this: a storm spends seven days tracking across the country, the wind goes onshore one day then blows hard offshore, so you’ll usually get that one Good to Epic day, maybe the leftover day, and POOF, it’s gone. When facing this situation, don’t waste time checking it hard. If you see a good set on the first surf check, get out there. Surf first, then get creative.

9. Check the water temps on Surfline.

Surfline forecasters spend a lot of time focused on the water temps you see on the cam/report pages. Every day they go through all available observations — from buoys and satellites to measurements from lifeguards and piers — to come up with what they feel are the most accurate real-time water temps in the world. This provides value over some of the model and satellite-generated products that don’t perform well when there are clouds, and it also fills gaps in locations where buoys aren’t everywhere.

10. Do as the pros do… and “Get in the Van.”

“Really, when it comes to surfing in the winter it’s not the actual surfing that gets you — water can only get so cold — it’s the before and after a session when things get brutal,” says New Jersey pro, Rob Kelly. “I remember changing outside my car once, and my hands were so numb I couldn’t turn my key to start the ignition. So I bought an old cargo van and insulated the walls and ceiling behind some wood panels, which has definitely upgraded my winter surfing experience. Having a warm spot out of the elements to put on and take off all your gear is a total game changer. If you’re already cold before you even paddle out, you’re basically fighting an uphill battle.”