wetsuits-cold ocean water-need advice

Susan said:

I was just in outer banks NC trying to swim in 60 degree ocean water. it is
REALLY COLD. I got a cheap wetsuit but it was really hard to swim in it. I
was able to get acclimated to swim in the water when in was 64 but we lost 4
degs in a day of wind and rain. what wetsuits do you recommend for swimming
? is it reasonable to expect to be able to acclimate to water below 65
degrees? any tricks? I have plenty of body fat but this was a real
challenge...
thanks--
[email hidden]
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/harrimanhike/

Hi Susan

You should get a specifically designed swimming wetsuit - any of the
reputable brands should be fine eg Ironman, Orca. They are not cheap
but if you are going to be swimming regularly in cold water then
definitely worth investing in.

Both Ironman and Orca here in NZ do wetsuit hire for open water swim
events and then they will have ex-hire suits for sale from time to
time, they also sometimes sell 2nd hand ones that they have traded in.
I got my Ironman suit quite cheap as it was an "end of line" model. If
you advertise at your local pool or masters club, you might find
someone selling one 2nd hand. (Or cost may not be an issue for you, in
which case go for it!) Ironman & Orca both do "women's fit" sizes, I'm
sure other brands do as well.

For added warmth I wear 2 swim caps and I have just acquired a wetsuit
"bonnet" type of cap - with ear flaps and a velcro fastening underneath
(it was a prize at a swim I did last week & got 2nd in my age group).
I haven't had occasion to try it yet as the water around here is quite
warm for this time of the year (late spring here).

You can definitely acclimatise to the colder water, there is a group of
swimmers locally who swim all year round with no wetsuits - the sea
temp. gets down to around 12degC in winter. A swimmer at my masters
club says he swims in water as cold as 9degC without a suit. It's more
a question of whether you want to than whether you can!

When you are swimming in colder water, take a few minutes to get over
the hyper-ventilation state that you experience when you first get in -
I wait for a while before I try putting my face into the water, swim
head-up freestyle or breaststroke until you feel ready.

HTH

Liz D

Susan said:

I was just in outer banks NC trying to swim in 60 degree ocean water. it is
REALLY COLD. I got a cheap wetsuit but it was really hard to swim in it. I
was able to get acclimated to swim in the water when in was 64 but we lost 4
degs in a day of wind and rain. what wetsuits do you recommend for swimming
? is it reasonable to expect to be able to acclimate to water below 65
degrees? any tricks? I have plenty of body fat but this was a real
challenge...
thanks--
[email hidden]
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/harrimanhike/

Hi Susan

You should get a specifically designed swimming wetsuit - any of the
reputable brands should be fine eg Ironman, Orca. They are not cheap
but if you are going to be swimming regularly in cold water then
definitely worth investing in.

Both Ironman and Orca here in NZ do wetsuit hire for open water swim
events and then they will have ex-hire suits for sale from time to
time, they also sometimes sell 2nd hand ones that they have traded in.
I got my Ironman suit quite cheap as it was an "end of line" model. If
you advertise at your local pool or masters club, you might find
someone selling one 2nd hand. (Or cost may not be an issue for you, in
which case go for it!) Ironman & Orca both do "women's fit" sizes, I'm
sure other brands do as well.

For added warmth I wear 2 swim caps and I have just acquired a wetsuit
"bonnet" type of cap - with ear flaps and a velcro fastening underneath
(it was a prize at a swim I did last week & got 2nd in my age group).
I haven't had occasion to try it yet as the water around here is quite
warm for this time of the year (late spring here).

You can definitely acclimatise to the colder water, there is a group of
swimmers locally who swim all year round with no wetsuits - the sea
temp. gets down to around 12degC in winter. A swimmer at my masters
club says he swims in water as cold as 9degC without a suit. It's more
a question of whether you want to than whether you can!

When you are swimming in colder water, take a few minutes to get over
the hyper-ventilation state that you experience when you first get in -
I wait for a while before I try putting my face into the water, swim
head-up freestyle or breaststroke until you feel ready.

HTH

Liz D