Updated wetsuit technology does its best to keep you warm even in winter

We are finally into December, which means there is now no shame in donning some wetsuit gloves, boots and a hood.

I have been putting it off until now as we have had a fairly mild autumn, but it is definitely feeling like winter out there now, especially with the stormy conditions we have had this week at the beaches in the South West.

The crowds are certainly a lot thinner in the line-ups now, but it tends to be January when things really quieten down; that is when the lucky surfers who have saved their hard-earned cash and chosen their holiday time carefully, fly off for warmer waves around the world.

Here at Wavelength we get teased everyday with shots sent in of warm water barrels in turquoise seas, but luckily we also get sent all the latest updates in wetsuit technology which are designed with the less fortunate among us who won't be going anywhere hot in January.

For example, Rip Curl have got a new wetsuit out we have just been testing that has a kind of fleece lining on the inside, which not only keeps you warmer, but also means the wetsuit dries out in 15 minutes. That's definitely good news if you are planning on having two surfs in one day at this time of year.

There were a couple of ok days earlier in the week, when the winds were lighter and a bit more offshore, but generally the waves have not been too great this week in Cornwall and Devon, unless of course you managed to score somewhere sheltered and out of the way.

Elsewhere around the UK there have been plenty of waves, but always with a lot of wind, which tends to be the enemy in winter. Both the North East and Scotland benefited from a big low pressure which hung around the top of the North Sea for a couple of days, but surfing up there at this time of year takes a lot more than a fleece lined wetsuit, it takes commitment.

Back in Cornwall, there was a film premiere planned for Thursday of Innersection, an international surf film which has been put together with clips of certain surfers all around the world.

When the film was being made, it was completely open to any surfer to submit their own clips. Some of the top guys in the world, as well as amateurs from all over, submitted videos of themselves, which got voted on by the public.

The surfers with the most votes won a section in the film, which they then had to go away and film. Among all the world-class entrants, Bude's Reubyn Ash got voted into the film, and started work on his section with Newquay surfer and filmmaker Timmy Boydell.

Timmy's video of Reubyn made it into the final cut of the film, Innersection, which is a huge achievement for both surfer and film-maker. Unfortunately, the premiere was cancelled at the last minute this week due to lack of funding or something similar.

In the meantime, the stormy conditions are set to continue for the rest of the weekend and into next week, so put your hood, gloves and boots on.