Organic Surf Wax

When we sit down and think about the impact our surfing has on the environment, it is easy to spot areas we can all improve on. On a local level our choices are largely based on the equipment we use rather than our mode of transport, although car or van pooling with a mate or two helps.

The most obvious changes we can make in our equipment, besides switching to more environmentally friendly surfboards is to use eco friendly surf wax and wetsuits like the new one from Patagonia which is made from limestone based neoprene as opposed to petrochemical neoprene.

Wax is a short term disposable substance. When we’re done with it we scrape it off our boards and discard it. Over the course of a year this can build up to a lot of wax, so surely using natural surf wax is better than using petrochemical based wax. I recently got interested in making my own surf wax, and I found a natural recipe by Roy Steward. For warm water use 3 parts beeswax and 1 part coconut oil. For cold water, use 3 parts beeswax, 1 part coconut oil, and 1 part tree resin. The tree resin can be tapped from a pine or spruce without damaging the tree. The small puncture in the bark will heal.

First melt the beeswax, then stir in the warm coconut oil (and tree resin for cold water use), then pour into a bun tray used for baking buns, or any other small mold.

 Surf wax is cheap to buy and some people might not want to go to the hassle of making it themselves. Organic, natural surf wax can be bought from a range of manufacturers. We came across an English brand called “Hill’s Organic Surf Wax”, which seems to work well and smells great.