I doubt I'll make it out to Sarasota for the 2013 Pan Am Masters pool meet, but noticed there was going to be an OW event and briefly considered plopping this onto my 'dream' list for 2013, but then I noticed the projected water temperature -- www.panamericanmasters2013.org/.../ -- of 85 degrees.
I was trying to do a quick google search on recommendations that came out after Fran Crippen's death, but this seems a bit risky for USMS to put on an event with known high temperatures ... even if it is only a 3KM swim.
I was trying to do a quick google search on recommendations that came out...USA Swimming Rules
702.2 WATER/AIR TEMPERATURE — The race shall not begin if the following conditions are not satisfied (effective 9/17/11):
.1 The water temperature shall not be less than 16°C (60.8° F).
.2 For races of 5K and above, the water temperature shall not exceed 29.45° C (85° F).
.3 The air temperature and water temperature when added together shall not be less than 30°C (118° F) nor greater than 63° C (177.4° F).
The nearest NOAA buoy to Siesta Key Beach is the one in Venice, Florida (about 10 miles south), which is Station VENF1 (see www.ndbc.noaa.gov/station_page.php ).
I used to take a thermometer with me to Siesta every time I swam and I found that the water at Siesta is usually at least a couple of degrees cooler than what the Venice buoy is reading.
This is historical data that I downloaded from the NOAA web page mentioned above. It shows the Venice water temperature each year on June 13th at 8:00am.
Station VENF1, June 13, 8:00am
2009 - 85.3
2010 - 85.3
2011 - 86.5 (June 10; looks like the buoy thermometer broke later that day and wasn't fixed for a couple of months)
2012 - 88.7 (June 13, 9:00am)
Based on my observations I would subtract 2-3 degrees from those readings to get an approximate Siesta water temperature.
The 2012 reading seems suspiciously high to me. We have been swimming there every weekend and it has never felt that warm this year. Today the paper says it is 84 degrees.
8 Bridges Stage 5 passes by Indian Point.... this heats the water up a bit, and we were getting readings of 82 degrees this year.
I consumed 32oz / hr and still felt dry. I wouldn't be able to "race" in that temperature, but I could swim comfortably for a long time.
