I just moved from El Paso, Texas to LB, CA. This will be my first winter in the ocean and I don't know anything about wet suits. I don't know anything about the ocean for that matter. How cold does the Southern Pacific get in the winter? How thick should my suit be? Brand? Full/Half? etc... Like I said I'm a virgin to this whole thing so any input is welcome. Thank you!
Try to meet this guy -- http://robaquatics.com/
I like a sleeveless wetsuit -- look around for deals on either the Xterra Volt or Vortex (www.xterrawetsuits.com/.../).
Like Amanda said, though, depending upon your cold tolerance and the distance you're going to swim, try swimming without a wetsuit.
Loads of OW races are listed at www.spma.net
Try to find a local tri group or Masters group that does some OW training. I imagine folks at the Long Beach Grunions (http://www.lbgrunions.org/) can point you in the right direction.
I am SO jealous of you I could explode. Try a quick little dip without a wetsuit. Feels awesome. Just play around in the surf. You'll love it!!!!!!! It may feel cold at first but you'll get used to it. Enjoy!
Wetsuits are useful when it's cold but they make you look like a seal.
Highly recommend Tower 26 beach workouts with Gerry Rodrigues. openwaterpedia.com/index.php
They are free (donations accepted) and fantastic. For much of the summer, there were huge turnouts (150-200+) of swimmers & triathletes of all abilities. With some big tri events out of the way, the group has become much smaller - about 60-70 last week - which I liked better. :D He should be doing a few more sessions before ending the season. For your first ocean swim, might want to show up on a calm day. You don't want to fight big waves your first time.
As for wetsuits... good luck getting the right fit. I wear mine, of course, but don't love it. I get cold very easily so I wear it even when the water is high 60's for comfort, but maybe you have higher cold tolerance. And LB? Is that Long Beach, Laguna Beach? Welcome to SoCal.
Highly recommend Tower 26 beach workouts with Gerry Rodrigues. openwaterpedia.com/index.php
Thanks for this ... I'm going to try to hit this some time when I'm back in the LA area ... need to strategically plan a Wednesday business trip :)
