NAME: DRIPPING WET SURF CO. [official website]
LOCATION: Shop 2 / 93 – 95 North Steyne, Manly Beach, Australia
CONTACT: ( 02 ) 9977 3549 (international)

THE SALES TAG: At Dripping Wet we have over 75 years of surfing experience with all shapes and sizes of surfboards.  With one of the largest ranges of Longboards and Mini Mals on the Northern Beaches you will easily be able to find the best board for you.  Dripping Wet hires everything you need for fun in the waves. From your avid learner to experienced surfer, we rent equipment for you and your friends. All we need is a credit card or card imprint, or passport for a deposit and you’re on your way.  We stock legropes, deck grips, boardcovers, fins, clothing, wetsuits, body boards, sunnies, watches, boardshorts, girls cossies, foamies, wax, stickers… you name it we have it.  Also with a huge range of old and new school videos and DVDs its the perfect place to pick up a pressie or cruise through if the surf is flat.

THE REVIEW: Okay, first things first … this surf store is located in Australia. We have visited the store more than several dozen times at different times of the year, and have some good insight on what the store is like from an international traveller’s perspective. Keep this in mind: There is no great shortage of surf shops in Oz … this much we know now. At almost every street corner, you will find a surf shop that caters to watermen of all kinds … ranging from full-fledged retail store outlets, to mom-and-pop shops that showcase local shapers and designers.

Unlike what we have seen in other cities and other countries, Australia seems to have many thriving local surf shops that manage to co-exist and profit alongside each other. Dripping wet has 2 shops: one in Bondi Beach (towards North Bondi) and one in Manly Beach. The Manly store is located towards the north end of Manly beach, directly across from the Surf Club building.

Very easy to find once you get off the ferry or once you hit the main road of North Steyne.  Definitely a plus for would-be-surfers who want to rent a surfboard and lug it across the street for a quick session. The store is jam-packed with a wide variety of surfboards, bogeyboards, skateboards, clothing, accessories, and of course, rental boards.

They have a LOT of stuff in the store, so peruse to your heart’s content … just remember the Australian dollar exchange rate versus your own currency! We found great deals on surfboard day bags and wetties (wetsuits, or rashguards) at the giant sale bin/section directly outside the store on the sidewalk. After the currency exchange, a steal of a deal FCS day bag with full padding turned out to be $30 us dollars. Normally, $80 dollars at surf shops in the US. If you’re willing to lug it around town like we did … buy two!

The staff at Dripping Wet are always busy! Although there were a lot of them on hand in the store, they seemed to be always busy helping a customer at all times — a good sign!

The staff was even willing to hold the day bags for us (without a deposit) until we returned later in the day after a long walk down the “cabbage tree reserve” path. One thing that is truly impressive about the Dripping Wet staff that we encountered the last time we visited: they were always very polite, very helpful, and managed to exude the laid back surfer spirit while ensuring that people were serviced appropriately.

The best part? FREE STICKERS at the front counter … don’t forget yours!

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