Do I need a wetsuit to paddle board?

Slide to your water temperature. The answer comes from our wetsuit guide, and the second band shows who that water suits.

Water temperature
68°F20°C
3/2 mm suit.

Below 75°F a wetsuit is recommended, and a 3/2 mm suit should be fine. Our conditions guide keeps this for experts paddling hard.

Who the water suits
Link to this result
Reference

The whole range.

Every band in one table, ready to screenshot or cite.

What to wear paddle boarding by water temperature
WaterWhat to wearWho it suits
Above 85°FNo wetsuitBeginners
80 to 85°FNo wetsuitIntermediate paddlers
75 to 80°FNo wetsuitAdvanced paddlers
60 to 75°F3/2 mm wetsuitAdvanced above 70°F, experts below
50 to 60°F4/3 or 5/3 mm wetsuitNot covered by our conditions guide
Below 50°FHigh quality winter wetsuitNot covered by our conditions guide
Method

Where the numbers come from.

Usually noYou do not need a wetsuit unless you are paddle surfing, or in rough water where you might fall in.Do you need a wetsuit for paddleboarding?
75°FAbove 75°F a wetsuit is not doing much. Below it one is recommended, and below 60°F it gets thicker.Do you need a wetsuit for paddleboarding?
Warm and calmA sunny day, warm water and little to no wind. Beginners do best at 85°F and up, because they fall in most.What Are the Best Conditions for Paddle Boarding?
Embed

Put this tool on your site.

Free to use on a club page, a rental shop site or a blog. It carries a link back to Paddle Board Nation.

<iframe src="https://www.paddleboardnation.com/tools/wetsuit/embed/" width="100%" height="640" title="Paddle boarding wetsuit calculator by Paddle Board Nation" loading="lazy"></iframe>

Keep going.

All tools