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 Bahia 3/2mm or the Bahia 4/3mm.

The Bahia 3/2 has glued and blindstitched seams, MeshSkin chest/back panels and SuperGrill liner, with our seasonal Surf Series print. The Supergrill liner is an internal liner through the body of the suit, which helps trap heat inside to increase your warmth. The Defender series are the 'unisex' versions of the Bahia, with the same construction but alternate colourways and chest zip options.

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.

If you really feel the cold and need extra warmth, you can step up to the Bahia 4/3mm for extra thickness and warmth. On the opposite side of the scale, if you don't feel the cold much or luck out with some warmer conditions look at the Bahia Long Arm Springsuit.

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.