What would be your dream season of ow swims?

The short answer to your question is that there are people who swim year round. There are some who live in places like Hawaii or the Carribbean which is less challenging. I'm envious of their situation. The real impressive folks are in San Francisco and La Jolla--the Dolphin Club and South End Rowing Club in the Bay both have a large number of year round swimmers. The La Jolla Cove Swim Club also has a large number of year-rounders. It seems like many of them are several days a week swimmers year round but I'm not sure of all the specifics. Friends of mine and I have swum in the LA waters year round but more as a once a month just to say we have done it sort of thing but not regularly. I don't know how cold you can go without a wetsuit. I think into the low 50s is doable for most people if they keep doing it regularly as the temperature drops to acclimate. I have no idea how cold Lake Washington gets but I suspect colder than 50. Ironically, I remember reading in a book about swimming and/or the ocean, that in the 19th Century, swimming for exercise started as a health restorative to be done in very cold water. I think it was a winter sport not a summer sport for that reason. I'm sure they felt much healthier when they got out of the water.

The short answer to your question is that there are people who swim year round. There are some who live in places like Hawaii or the Carribbean which is less challenging. I'm envious of their situation. The real impressive folks are in San Francisco and La Jolla--the Dolphin Club and South End Rowing Club in the Bay both have a large number of year round swimmers. The La Jolla Cove Swim Club also has a large number of year-rounders. It seems like many of them are several days a week swimmers year round but I'm not sure of all the specifics. Friends of mine and I have swum in the LA waters year round but more as a once a month just to say we have done it sort of thing but not regularly. I don't know how cold you can go without a wetsuit. I think into the low 50s is doable for most people if they keep doing it regularly as the temperature drops to acclimate. I have no idea how cold Lake Washington gets but I suspect colder than 50. Ironically, I remember reading in a book about swimming and/or the ocean, that in the 19th Century, swimming for exercise started as a health restorative to be done in very cold water. I think it was a winter sport not a summer sport for that reason. I'm sure they felt much healthier when they got out of the water.