Maybe wetsuit wearers can comment on this: How does the water feel initially when you're suddenly immersed in it, as in the case here, where you jump in the water off the boat? Does it feel shockingly cold at first, and then you warm up, or are you warm from the outset?
Based on my only sub 60° wetsuit swim, when the cold water rushes into your suit it is almost as bad as no suit, but within minutes it is noticeably warmer.
I've been swimming in cold water (down to 58F) with triathletes for years. I wear a swimsuit. They wear long-sleeved wetsuits, neoprene caps and neoprene booties. They CRY getting in 65-degree water. I've seen guys that were ready to bail on a swim because the water was too cold until they saw me in my bikini, quietly easing my way in. An observer would assume that they were suffering way more than I was.
I'd never worn a wetsuit myself, so I always assumed it was like E=H20 said.
Then, I wore a sleeveless wetsuit in 61-degree water for Ironman Arizona. (I only did the swim portion of the race.) Except for the practice swim the day before, I'd never worn a wetsuit. I was SHOCKED at how warm I felt from the very first moment. I felt the chill of the water on my bare arms, but it was NOTHING. I got in the water 10 minutes before the start, and I didn't even have to move to stay warm.
(Without the wetsuit, 61-degrees is pretty darn cold for me. I could have done the 2.4-mile swim without it, but I couldn't have handled waiting at the start.)
Here's my non-expert opinion on triathlon swim deaths: Panic is bad for you, especially if you have a heart condition. Different things cause panic for different people, but a tight wetsuit, a chaotic race start, choppy water, race-day anxiety and an initial shock of cold water would be hot buttons for most people.
Even though I've just said what a tough little cookie I am, I would be afraid to dive headfirst into 52-degree water. Even if I were mummified in neoprene. I would want to be in the water for a few moments before submerging my head.
Maybe wetsuit wearers can comment on this: How does the water feel initially when you're suddenly immersed in it, as in the case here, where you jump in the water off the boat? Does it feel shockingly cold at first, and then you warm up, or are you warm from the outset?
Based on my only sub 60° wetsuit swim, when the cold water rushes into your suit it is almost as bad as no suit, but within minutes it is noticeably warmer.
I've been swimming in cold water (down to 58F) with triathletes for years. I wear a swimsuit. They wear long-sleeved wetsuits, neoprene caps and neoprene booties. They CRY getting in 65-degree water. I've seen guys that were ready to bail on a swim because the water was too cold until they saw me in my bikini, quietly easing my way in. An observer would assume that they were suffering way more than I was.
I'd never worn a wetsuit myself, so I always assumed it was like E=H20 said.
Then, I wore a sleeveless wetsuit in 61-degree water for Ironman Arizona. (I only did the swim portion of the race.) Except for the practice swim the day before, I'd never worn a wetsuit. I was SHOCKED at how warm I felt from the very first moment. I felt the chill of the water on my bare arms, but it was NOTHING. I got in the water 10 minutes before the start, and I didn't even have to move to stay warm.
(Without the wetsuit, 61-degrees is pretty darn cold for me. I could have done the 2.4-mile swim without it, but I couldn't have handled waiting at the start.)
Here's my non-expert opinion on triathlon swim deaths: Panic is bad for you, especially if you have a heart condition. Different things cause panic for different people, but a tight wetsuit, a chaotic race start, choppy water, race-day anxiety and an initial shock of cold water would be hot buttons for most people.
Even though I've just said what a tough little cookie I am, I would be afraid to dive headfirst into 52-degree water. Even if I were mummified in neoprene. I would want to be in the water for a few moments before submerging my head.
