What a great time of year for surfing!Although the air temps can be warm in autumn and spring, the water is usually still pretty chilly, particularly in spring. For much of autumn/spring, you'll be happy in a 3/2mm steamer, but closer to winter you'll need to transition into a 4/3mm. If you’re on a budget and just want one steamer to go right through winter, check out the Winter recommendations.

We believe the best wetsuits for surfing New Zealand's North Island during autumn and spring are the Defender 3/2mm, the Psycho One 3/2mmand the Hyperfreak 4/3+.

The Defender 3/2mm is a great all-rounder. With a thermal liner to keep you warm, the Defender keeps the water out, and the heat in. Whilst not quite as flexible as the Psycho One or Hyperfreak, its comfortable, durable and incredible value for money - perfect if you already a good 4/3mm for winter.

The Psycho One is top of the range for boys. Very warm and flexible with fully sealed seams, hydrophobic outer fabric and Firewall liner, so you stay drier longer inside the suit. Similar for warmth, the Hyperfreak 4/3+ has glued and taped seams and no firewall liner, but is the stretchiest most comfortable suit we’ve ever made, so the 4/3 feels as free as any 3/2 we’ve ever worn anyway. You can’t go wrong with either, they’re world-leading wetsuits.

If you feel the cold more than most or tend to surf a lot of earlies, you might look at the Psycho One 4/3mm, but most would consider this overkill for this time of year. On the other side of the scale, if you want even more flexibility and are good with a touch less warmth, go for the Hyperfreak 3/2+.

The Reactor II 3/2mm Steameris the most affordable option, without as much stretch/comfort/warmth as the higher end suits, but a worthy suit for the less frequent surfer.

For crew who like to chuck on booties, we’d highly recommend the lightweight Ninja Booties.

It just depends on what’s most important to you - warmth / flexibility / price.

Check out the winter or summer recommendations for further suggestionsif you are leaning towards colder or warmer conditions.