To pee or not to pee in your wetsuit—how is this still a question 🤯

We can’t believe we’re still having this conversation. Doesn’t everyone pee in their wetsuit, bikini, shortboards in the ocean, while out surfing?

Apparently not!

Picture this: you’ve just emptied your bladder at the beach toilets. You run into the surf with a big smile on your face. Cold water hits your body. Shock, horror—you enter what scientists call diuresis, and your body makes you want to pee so bad.

What do you do? Do you hold it, or do you go with the flow?

Until we researched this subject, we were absolutely convinced that everyone pees in their wetsuits. When you surf in the cold waters of the UK, it’s like a treat. You save it up. How else would you get warm?

But we’ve found out that there are surfers who pee in their wetsuits, those who lie about peeing in their wetsuits, and then there are some who actually don’t. Still in shock—but curious to know why.

We can understand that there are some cons of peeing in your wetsuit.

🚫 Cons of peeing in your wetsuit

👃 Pee smells.
If you’re squeamish, that may not be your thing. Make sure you rinse your wetsuit in fresh water after a session, and we promise you, you won’t smell it afterward.

☣️ Pee is corrosive.
Your wetsuit may become stiffer and deteriorate. We simply don’t believe it. The wetsuit will fall apart from being left in the sun before it disintegrates because of our peeing.

🧪 Pee is full of bacteria.
It can supposedly cause a diaper rash or even burn. Surely, it must be a myth—unless you have some really unhealthy pee.

🎨 Pee can dye your light suit.
If it’s light in color. Beetroot turns it pink, carrots orange, and some medications—blue. (Personally, we’d love to see this!)

🤝 Friends don’t let friends pee in loaned wetsuits.
This we get.

And finally, the biggest con (pun intended) of peeing in your wetsuit…

🦈Sharks are attracted to it.
Bull-shark. According to the University of Florida—and our own Girl Who Can’t Surf Good, Crystal, who studied shark ecology in grad school—your pee has no impact on sharks attacking you.

➕Additional reasons for not peeing in your wetsuit

There are surfers who don’t pee in certain types of wetsuits because the pee travels, and it’s not a pleasant feeling. We totally get that. Or those who believe you should not pee on things that cost $200 and aren’t made to be peed on. And that we don’t get.

Finally, there are those concerned with how harmful pee is to the ocean environment. Hmm. A single fin whale expels 1,000 liters (260 gallons) of urine a day—that’s four large bathtubs. You produce 1.5 liters, or less than half a gallon a day—about two bottles of wine. We think there are other types of pollution we could be more concerned about.

So those were all the reasons why you shouldn’t pee in the ocean. But what’s the case for peeing in your wetsuit?

🌊You don’t have to run back to the toilet when you gotta go—which means you won’t miss any waves! T

That’s a good enough reason. Of course, you still might just start peeing, and then a set will come through that you’re in perfect position for, and you might have to miss it if you can’t multitask.

For those who don’t pee in the ocean—but would like to start—we have a great selection of recommendations from Girls Who Can’t Surf Good.

🤫 Community tips on how to pee secretly:

✅ 1. The “Dive and Go” approach:
Quickly dunk fully underwater before paddling out to appear as if cooling off, making subsequent dripping normal.

✅ 2. “Just Keep Walking” technique:
Casually walk into the water and start peeing immediately—your wetsuit conceals it. 

✅ 3. “Splash for cover”:
Start splashing water around your legs to mask any evidence.

✅ 4. Humor as distraction:
Make a humorous announcement about “warming up the water.”

✅ 5. Act natural and confident:
Pretend nothing’s happening and assume no one’s paying attention. 

We’ll leave you with this: drink a lot of water before surfing. When you’re hydrated, your pee is just like—water.