I've taken the plunge

Wow! By the widely varying response, it's apparent that how cold is cold really depends on the individual and the degree of acclimitization they've achieved. Some of you stated a need for a wetsuit under 65 while others mentioned the 50's. Here in San Francisco, we went through 5 weeks of 49 degree water this winter without wetsuits for 45-60 minutes (but made a bee line for the showers and sauna afterwards). But having said that, even WITH a wetsuit, there's no way I feel I could do 37 degree water like our friend from the northeast. Again, it's all about what you can get your body conditioned to. The biggest piece of advice is to only increase your time in cold water (with or without a wetsuit) incrementally each time til you build up to where you want to be. And for Rookie about whether training only in a pool will be sufficient to get you ready for an open water event - I encourage you to look at the following differences. Pool / Practice Open Water / Race Day 1) Muggy Indoor air 1)Brisk cool morning 2) 80-85 degree water 2) 55-75 degree water 3) Swim suit 3) Wetsuit – chafing/tight in the chest 4) Flat water 4) Chop and / or waves 5) Excellent water visibility 5) Limited water visibility 6) A wall every 25 – 50 yards 6) 500 -4,000 yards with no land 7) Overhead lights 7) Glaring sun, overcast or fog 8) Fresh water 8) Salt / brackish / aftertaste 9) 2 – 6 swimmers per lane 9) 20-200 swimmers – aquatic version swimming circles of roller derby Score myself on how comfortable you feel / how experienced with each of these open water differences and let that drive your decision on how much practicing to do in the open water. I've seen some pool swimmers absolutely freak out the first time they ever jumped in open water. You want your open water swim to be a rewarding experience so train like you want to race. Sorry if I rambled....

Wow! By the widely varying response, it's apparent that how cold is cold really depends on the individual and the degree of acclimitization they've achieved. Some of you stated a need for a wetsuit under 65 while others mentioned the 50's. Here in San Francisco, we went through 5 weeks of 49 degree water this winter without wetsuits for 45-60 minutes (but made a bee line for the showers and sauna afterwards). But having said that, even WITH a wetsuit, there's no way I feel I could do 37 degree water like our friend from the northeast. Again, it's all about what you can get your body conditioned to. The biggest piece of advice is to only increase your time in cold water (with or without a wetsuit) incrementally each time til you build up to where you want to be. And for Rookie about whether training only in a pool will be sufficient to get you ready for an open water event - I encourage you to look at the following differences. Pool / Practice Open Water / Race Day 1) Muggy Indoor air 1)Brisk cool morning 2) 80-85 degree water 2) 55-75 degree water 3) Swim suit 3) Wetsuit – chafing/tight in the chest 4) Flat water 4) Chop and / or waves 5) Excellent water visibility 5) Limited water visibility 6) A wall every 25 – 50 yards 6) 500 -4,000 yards with no land 7) Overhead lights 7) Glaring sun, overcast or fog 8) Fresh water 8) Salt / brackish / aftertaste 9) 2 – 6 swimmers per lane 9) 20-200 swimmers – aquatic version swimming circles of roller derby Score myself on how comfortable you feel / how experienced with each of these open water differences and let that drive your decision on how much practicing to do in the open water. I've seen some pool swimmers absolutely freak out the first time they ever jumped in open water. You want your open water swim to be a rewarding experience so train like you want to race. Sorry if I rambled....