Manera S-Foam

Recommendation: The Manera S-Foam Surf Helmet looks great, and provides good protection thanks to its non-newtonian fluid foam liner. It is my new top choice for small waves in 2026.

Available from Backcountry.com or Check the price on Amazon.

Review

No point in writing a full review for this one. It performs basically identically to the Olaian Surf Helmet, but it is a little bit lighter and has a thinner profile. On the protection side, it’s the first soft shell surf helmet besides the Game Breaker Pro that features non-newtonian fluid foam. Although it’s a thin layer of it, it should protect your head pretty well - at least as well as the thicker layer of PU in the Olaian. The big difference to the Olaian is that the Manera doesn’t come in very many sizes, and may be hard for you to achieve an ideal fit. This is true for me. My head circumference is 60cm, but the size that fits me, the large, fits up to 61cm (by the way some sites online list the large size as up to 60cm. This is wrong). Despite the lack of sizes, it is still my preferred option for small waves over the Olaian.

One thing to note though, is that, since the liner is primarily non-newtonian foam, it will take on water and add weight during your session (see the weight difference in the table below).

Available from Backcountry.com or Check the price on Amazon.