i swim on the south shore of long island, New York and stopped about a week ago when the bay hit 58degreesF. Now that i found a wet suit that actually allows my shoulders to move i want to go back. Is anyone else swimming on the Great South Bay ? and does 58 sound dangerously cold to anybody? There was only one time where i experienced teeth chattering shivering type after-swim conditions and that was probably because i had cut my foot and was having to tend to that.
At low tide the water is only about 2 to 4 feet so it is always reassuring that if there is a real shock to the cold, one can walk back. I was swimming okay without a wetsuit in 60deg temps for 20-25 minutes. I'm wearing a double bathing cap, grease but no goggles because they just fog in the cold.
thank you in advance for your opinions!
In San Francisco, the Bay rarely breaks out of the 50's and during the dead of winter will drop into the low 50's. Swimmers from the South End Rowing Club swim all year round (without wetsuits) but then we have the advantage of having hot showers and a sauna afterwards. 58 in and of itself is not so bad as long as you can get your body to acclimate to that temperature. In other words if you only go in once a week it will be a shocker each time but if you're in several times a week your body will acclimate. Keep on swimming - you're doing great! PS - Wearing a neoprene cap will help tremendously in these lower temps since 30-40 percent of your body heat is lost through your head - wear a neoprene cap and then put a latex or silicon cap over that.
In San Francisco, the Bay rarely breaks out of the 50's and during the dead of winter will drop into the low 50's. Swimmers from the South End Rowing Club swim all year round (without wetsuits) but then we have the advantage of having hot showers and a sauna afterwards. 58 in and of itself is not so bad as long as you can get your body to acclimate to that temperature. In other words if you only go in once a week it will be a shocker each time but if you're in several times a week your body will acclimate. Keep on swimming - you're doing great! PS - Wearing a neoprene cap will help tremendously in these lower temps since 30-40 percent of your body heat is lost through your head - wear a neoprene cap and then put a latex or silicon cap over that.
