You pull into the parking lot, the sun is just rising and the rays zap through the morning cloud to reveal green waves peeling along the point like neon lazer beams. It is on! It’s cooking, banging, pumping, firing, going off!

You pull your clothes off in a hurry flashing bits and bobs at the other people who are pulling into the parking lot, those other people who could potentially take your waves! One leg in the wetsuit, sunscreen being smooshed on your face and in your eyes, leashes, wax in your mouth, other arm through…right you’re ready to go. And then you stare at the nifty electronic key in your hand and think ‘What the hell should I do with my key?’

By now the other surfers are on the edge of the water and you’re scuttling around trying to find some shrubbery to hide it in that’s close enough to the water to keep an eye on it, but also not to obvious. Yep, that guy who parked next to you just got his first barrel already and you’re looking for a plastic bag so you can bury the key in the sand. And you just really hope the tide isn’t shifting right now, because it won’t be so fun if it gets washed away.

Eventually you get into the water, and when you get out after surfing yourself stupid, someone has picked up the can you were using as a marker for your buried key, and you’re forced to dig up half the beach to find it. Familiar? Well fear not dear fancy key owners, there are two options that will help you solve this problem one time shoe shine.

Firstly, there is the Surf Lock. An Aussie product, the Surf Lock is perfect for when you don’t have a key string in your suit or your boardies, when you want to surf in a bikini and are in a relatively safe place. It’s like an enormous padlock with a number code to open it up. You put your key inside and snap it onto your tow loop or door handle. It looks pretty solid, but if you’re in a seriously dodgy isolated place where someone can spend quality time working with a crowbar and a hammer I don’t know how long it would last. But it is infinitely handy, as most normal surf spots are pretty busy and no-one could get away busting it open.

But for uber peace of mind, there is the surf key pouch. This is about as water-proof as you can get, and is made of specialized rubber and plastic. I got my hands on the Derevko model. There are three zip-lock seals outside of the pouch that fold up on each other, and a Velcro strip to keep it wrapped up nice and tight. It’s about the size of a cell phone and has a string to tie it into your suit or boardies, and you might think it would feel awkward but it really doesn’t. It sits snugly in the hollow of your back, and you’ll forget it’s even there! It was the best $8/R50 I’ve ever spent!