Gloves under review: Oceania Leopard Shark

Waterproof surfing gloves for cold weather

Anyone who hits the water for surfing or foiling during the winter months knows: you can’t do it without gloves. We’ve been on the hunt for the best gloves for years, because so far no manufacturer has offered a truly waterproof solution.

The issue

While virtually every wetsuit brand offers neoprene gloves, the weak point of closed-finger neoprene gloves is always the seams, which - even if glued and blindstiched - start to leak after only a short time and allow water to seep in.

Once the water touches your hands, it doesn’t take long for them to get cold. A fully waterproof glove that allows for effortless gripping is at the top of our wish list. You can read about our experiences so far in the two articles linked below.

The thin, flexible glove lets you windsurf without sore forearms

Oceania Gloves

The Italian brand Oceania offers a waterproof solution with its glove collection (5 models). At first glance, the design is somewhat unusual, as the glove and cuff are made of different materials, connected at the wrist by a wide, non-flexible band. At first glance, they resemble knitted work gloves, but in a waterproof version.

We tested the Oceania ‘Leopard Shark,’ which can be worn with an optional thin liner (Oceania also offers a lined glove, the ‘Orca’). These water sports gloves are priced between 59.90 and 69.90 euros.

Oceania Leopard Shark

The front section is made of a flexible, coated polyester fabric (similar to a thin raincoat). The palm and fingertips are coated with crinkled latex, like typical work gloves, to ensure a good

At the back, the cuff consists of a long sleeve made of skin-friendly silicone. It is very soft and elastic.

The leopard shark's yellow color stands out

The wetsuit is pulled over the cuff of the glove

Both parts of the glove are connected by a cuff—a rigid ring that sits between the wrist and the hand. This type of bonding is necessary due to the different material properties.

This ring is the most challenging part when putting on the gloves, as the widest part of the hand has to fit through it. That’s why buying gloves in the exact right size is essential. Measuring your hand circumference before ordering helps; the manufacturer can provide information on the appropriate Oceania glove size upon request (sizes 7 to 11).

Be careful when putting it on and taking it off so as not to damage either the adhesive or the silicone cuff. Oceania provides video instructions for this (see link below).

The palm of the Oceania Leopard Shark is coated with latex for better grip

The glove is comfortable to wear. The material on the front allows for effortless gripping, and the coating provides good grip on the boom. The silicone cuff fits snugly against the forearm and creates a large overlap area with the wetsuit worn over it. The ring sits directly in front of the wetsuit cuff, so it’s less of a nuisance than expected. The suspected tendency to “slip out” of the glove—due to the relatively loose fit around the ring—doesn’t actually occur in practice. The thin grip surface and the snug fit at the cuff counteract this.

Temperatures

At air temperatures as low as 10°C, you can wear the glove without an underglove and enjoy a comfortable, direct grip without muscle fatigue. When you enter colder water, you’ll quickly feel the cold on your hand, but it stays dry and warms up again quickly as you continue moving.

hen temperatures drop below 10°C, you should wear an underglove depending on your sensitivity to the cold, as your hands cool down much faster. Oceania offers the ‘Classic Thermal Under Gloves FG400N Flexitog’ for this purpose, a thin knitted glove made from a blend of modal, acrylic, and stretch nylon fibers with hollow fibers (5 euros). Alternatively, you can also use a flexible work glove.

Here you can see the long silicone sleeve

The silicone cuff fits under the suit, and the overlap area is relatively large

The liner glove provides better insulation against the cold, as the skin no longer comes into direct contact with the outer glove. The air trapped within the liner’s fabric acts as insulation, making the glove significantly warmer (the layering principle). Even with the increased material thickness on the palm, you can still grip objects more effectively than with neoprene gloves.

You can ride for a long time in temperatures up to 5°C with liner gloves, but when it drops below 3°C, your hands will get cold quickly even with this combination of gloves. Swinging your arms frequently helps, but you already know that.

Waterproof

Thanks to the snug-fitting silicone cuffs, water hardly gets in at all, and your hands stay dry. After short sessions, the liner was always dry. During longer periods on the water, moisture builds up inside the glove, and the cold slowly creeps into your fingers.

Once, after a fall in which a lot of water got into the sleeve of my wetsuit, some water also got into my glove. Water in a glove always makes you feel colder - your fingers get cold much faster.

The Leopard Shark by Oceania Gloves in yellow; other colors are available

The glove makes it easy to grip things. The color is eye-catching; there is no black version available.

Durability

It seems I used too much force with my fingernail, which damaged the silicone cuff and caused it to tear while putting the gloves on. So, being careful when putting them on and taking them off is essential - and that’s why it takes a while. The adhesive bond at the ring held, even though visible adhesive residue on the outside gradually peeled off. The glove material at the front holds up (kitchen gloves are usually worn through or torn after just a few uses); the sturdy polyester fabric of the Oceania Glove and the latex grip show no signs of wear after 10–15 uses.

All in all, this is a solid choice if you're looking for fully waterproof gloves and plan to go out on the water in temperatures as low as 5°C. It's very important to handle these gloves with care when putting them on and taking them off.

Here are the links to the manufacturer:
oceaniasport.shop (Oceania Modelle)
oceaniasport.shop/pages/video (Instructions for putting on and taking off)

Rider: Adrien Bosson Rider: Andre Ludewig Rider: Andre Ludewig Rider: Jose ’Gollito’ Estredo Rider: Lars Petersen Rider: Olaf Barth Rider: Olaf Barth Rider: Olaf Barth Rider: Olaf Barth Rider: Olaf Barth Rider: Olaf Barth Rider: Philip Köster Rider: Robert Büssow Rider: Robert Büssow Rider: Robert Büssow Rider: Sarah-Quita Offringa Rider: Sarah-Quita Offringa Rider: Thomas Traversa Text: Jürgen Schall Photos/Videos: Jürgen Schall DE

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