Ethical Dilemma

I went surfing today with Will H, who actually turned out to be a great surfing buddy: better than me, but not totally pro. We had a discussion about this ethical issue when he remarked that I had my own wetsuit, though I didn't have my own board. I answered that I had my wetsuit since about the second time I went surfing, because it was such an intimate thing. For me personally, I said, I'd be more likely to urinate in a rented wetsuit than in my own. I would assume that urination simply came with the territory of rentals - therefore neither feeling bad about doing it myself or getting pissed (figuratively) at others for doing it. (The bigger concern would be the fact that that pee is then stuck to ME...)

Will said that he'd feel worse about soiling a rental than his own.

The topic came up again later when I was at the surf shop, and the clerk-dude again remarked that I had a suit with no board. So I decided to sound him out on this issue. He agreed more with Will than with me, though he took the most liberal position of saying that he'll go whenever he has to. He then added that he might give it a second thought for a rental. He left me with this one caveat: when you pee in a brand-new wetsuit, the smell tends to get soaked right it. Season it out a little before you go there.

Before anyone casts aspersions, let me add that it's true: it would make no sense at all to paddle all the back to the beach to use a bathroom, and then paddle all the way out again. Me, I've never gone out for more than two hours at a time, but among the more hardcore, five hours is standard. Nature kicks in by then.