Short answer: match your wax to the water temperature. Warm water needs a harder wax, cool water needs a softer one. On the Gold Coast and northern NSW, a hard warm-water wax works almost all year. Down south, and through winter in Sydney, go a softer cool-water wax.
Get it wrong and wax either goes greasy and slides, or sets like soap and won't grip.
Wax by water temperature
| Water temp | Wax | Where and when |
|---|---|---|
| About 20°C and up | Hard / Warm | QLD and northern NSW most of the year, Sydney in summer |
| Below about 20°C | Soft / Cool | Sydney winter, VIC, SA, TAS, southern NSW |
Here on the Gold Coast the water sits around 20–26°C, so it's the warm wax nearly every day of the year.
Base coat and top coat
A base coat is a harder layer that builds the bumps everything else sticks to. A top coat goes on lighter over the top and does the gripping. Skip the base and you'll be re-waxing every surf and still slipping.
In practice the harder bar goes down first. Hard / Warm is the harder of our two, so if you surf cool water it doubles as your base with Soft / Cool built over the top. In warm water the Hard bar does both jobs – criss-cross a base, then build your bumps over it with the same bar.
How to wax a surfboard
- Start clean. New board, or comb the old wax off.
- Criss-cross first. Use the edge of the bar, light pressure, diagonal lines one way then the other.
- Then small circles with the flat of the bar. Little bumps form – that's your grip.
- Cover the right area. Shortboard: tail to just past where your front foot lands, plus the rails. Longboard: the whole deck.
- Top up before each surf with a few circles. Strip and start again every month or two.
Do it in the shade. Waxing a hot board just smears it flat.
My picks
Summer vibes Quick Bumps Surf Wax – Hard / Warm (Orange) ($4.99)
The everyday wax for QLD and northern NSW, and the one that doubles as your base coat if you head south.
Summer vibes Quick Bumps Surf Wax – Soft / Cool (Blue) ($4.99)
For cooler water down south and through winter. Build it over a Hard base rather than straight onto the deck.
Common mistakes
- Cool wax in warm water. It goes soft and greasy and ends up on your chest instead of the board.
- Skipping the base layer. A thin smear of top coat wears off in a few sessions.
- Leaving wax in the car. It melts, and a melted bar never bumps up properly again.
- Waxing in the sun. You smear it flat instead of building bumps.
- Too much wax. A thick slab grips worse than a thin layer with good bumps.
FAQ
Do I need to wax a softboard?
Usually not – the deck grips on its own. If it's gone slippery with age, a light coat helps.
How often should I re-wax?
A few circles before every surf. Full strip and redo every one to two months.
Can I put warm wax over old cool wax?
It'll do for a session, but strip it and start clean for proper grip.
Easiest way to get wax off?
Leave the board in the sun for a few minutes, scrape with a wax comb while it's soft, then wipe with citrus remover. Never petrol or acetone.
Does wax go off?
Yes, it dries out over a year or two and heat speeds that up. Keep bars somewhere cool.
Which wax for an Aussie summer?
Hard / Warm if the water's over about 20°C, which is most of the country in summer. Reach for Soft / Cool if you're heading south.
What's the sand in old wax?
Actual sand, plus dirt. It's why you strip and rebuild – grit stops new wax bonding.
Next
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Cheers,
Branchy
Chris “Branchy” Branch, founder of Summer vibes – 25+ years in surf hardware product development. Designed & developed on the Gold Coast, QLD.