65 degrees

Every July 1st, Canada Day we used to go to swim a 1 mile swim at Center Island in Toronto in Lake Ontario. The water in that area never warms up above 50 degrees at that time of the year always an off shore breeze there, it was cold but it never seemed to bother us, sure we gasped for air and froze our butts, but we still finished. I raced in this race from the age of 12 to 17. No wet suits... Hey 65 degrees almost seems warm once you get in there.

If you are close to the Hudson grab a friend and take a dip.

I live in South Florida and am used to swimming in water in the high 70 tp 90 degree range. 2 weeks ago I was in California and the water was 63 degrees. I swam and it didn't feel that bad- was colder when I got out. Make sure you have a means to rewarm once you finish the swim or you body temperature will continue to drop. Have fun.

Amy - Although you will probably feel a bit cold on the face and feet, with the wetsuit you should be able to make it. Here's a trick that you might try if it'd convenient: Take a thermos of warm (not scalding) water and drink 8-12 ounces right before (3-5 minutes) the race. This should help keep your blood circulating in your peripheral areas. Go for it. -LBJ

A lot coud depend on the air temp too. If it's a warm/hot day, the cold water might even feel good. I'm a newcomer to open water swims myself. Last year, I did an ocean swim and the race info site recommended having a wetsuit b/c the water temp was around 65-70. But I asked the masters' coach what he thought, and he said it wasn't really necessary to have a wetsuit. He never wore one and said many didn't. He also thought it could cause more problems than not, if you're not used to wetsuits. I ended up not wearing one and was actually glad I didn't b/c it was so hot that day that the cold water was welcome. True, there were some chilly pockets in the water, but mostly I didn't notice being uncomfortable. Besides the heat of the day, I also think it helped that (1) I was wearing two swim caps, the one the race provided and my own underneath; (2) I think the swimming itself kept me warm enough. After the swim was over, it got so hot that it wasn't too long before I wanted to be back in the water!

From what I can tell, it would be good to use a silicon cap. I only started swimming "open water" last month but with the cap, 1-mile should be doable in 65* water even without the wetsuit. This past month, I've seen several other newbies knock off 1+ miles in 60-65* water without wetsuits.

Last night I started swimming in an outdoor pool. i'm still cold. the water was 72 degrees. This is getting me back for all of the tiems I've complained about water inthe mid-80s.

I'm a regular open water swimmer with a 2004 English Channel swim (2007 will be my double-crossing) When I go out open-water in late April or early May in Minnesota, or in Lake Superior anytime, I like to jog in place a little to get the motor going. The more open water swimming you do, the sooner that heater motor kicks in when you get in. If you do get really cold while you're swimming, it's important to keep moving once you get out. Once all that cold blood from the extremities starts flowing back in when you stop, you can get much colder in the core.

Since others have addressed the cold, my advice is about the borrowed wetsuit. If possible, do a practice swim in the pool with the wetsuit to see if it fits well and to see if it creates any hot spots (friction burns). Many a swimmer comes out of a race rubbed raw in places. If you do find a hot spot or two, get some body glide to apply before the race.