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The Cold Water Thread
evmo
Sydneydev
Post your cold-water swimming experiences here. Water temp, duration, sensations, etc.
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A small group of 4 - 5 of us have really enjoyed it. It got down to just under 1c this winter, but it's up to 6c now and well on its way back up. Can only handle a few short minutes at those extreme temps and am looking forward to much longer swims at less extreme temps.
loneswimmer.com
loneswimmer.com
Thanks.
http://loneswimmer.com/2011/12/12/introducing-a-precise-open-water-swimming-temperature-scale/
North Sea Seaton Carew noon 02April12 48f
How long? Wetsuit or mansuit?
(1) Training for cold water
(2) Training for rough water
(3) Inherent enjoyment
One additional exception is if you have confidence issues in open water - in which case you probably shouldn't be attempting a marathon swim anyway.
If you have previous experience in (and are comfortable in) open water, and cold water isn't an issue (and it probably won't be in the Kingdom Swim)... the only remaining issue is rough-water training. Will a few extra weeks in a wetsuit make a difference for you? I don't know... my guess is probably not.
That said, if you really have the urge to get out in the OW, and a wetsuit helps you do so earlier in the year, then go for it!
FWIW, the winter before my first long marathon swim (Tampa Bay) I trained exclusively in the pool. I lived in Chicago then, and the lake isn't a reasonable temp for long training swims until late May-ish.
(Perfectly happy for anyone to disagree with me on this...)
Hour today
Report back
We are in the river tomoro. It will be fresh so not the hour.
...anything worth doing is worth overdoing.
My intuition is that while fresh may "feel" colder than salt, the effect on core temp is equivalent.
Monday was 37@47f North Sea
Almost ready to swim to the buoy in the Sea.
http://www.extremephysiolmed.com/content/1/1/8/abstract
How normal is this? If I had stuck it out for a couple more minutes, would it have gotten better? The last couple times I have gotten in open water, temperatures have been roughly 19 and 22, which I find cool, and can't just jump right into, but I find very comfortable to swim in. However, I think that part of the problem is that, for me, the jump between 19 and 13 was too much too quick.
Is there any advice anyone can offer?
loneswimmer.com
Concentrate on swimming to that point, gradually increasing the amount of time your face is spending in the water (when it's really cold I'll do breaststroke, water polo freestyle, then one breath per cycle before finally adjusting to my regular breathing pattern of every 1.5 cycle). By the time you hit your target point you will be fine (in my experience).
You will hyperventilate because of the vagus reflex, so keeping your face out of the water and not rushing to adopt your regular breathing pattern is important, especially when you are not used to the experience.
Once you do that a couple of times you can generally get by on the memory of that acclimation process. i.e. it feels insanely cold now, but last week I did this and it was fine by the time I got to point A, so I'll stick it out.
I've never done the splash the face trick, but the gradual facial immersion approach is not all that different.
http://notdrowningswimming.com - open water adventures of a very ordinary swimmer
loneswimmer.com
www.WaterGirl.co
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Mostly I’m alone in the water and now have a kayaker accompanying me in these cooler temps. The temps I’m in are probably laughable to you more experienced folks, but it’s all relative, I guess. I have no cold water goal at this time other than pushing my limits in regards to time in water and how cold I can tolerate. Here is my question: I self-assess with the pinky to fingertip test and stop occasionally to talk to my kayaker to make sure my brain is still communicating w/ my mouth. My friend is very experienced in kayaking but this is an entirely new game supporting a cold water swimmer. We’ve discussed signs of hypothermia, but what do I tell him to do if something should go wrong and we push it too far? We hug the shore so I guess I can exit the water if necessary, but my bag would be a hike away. Or would it be better to grab the back and have him paddle me to the exit point? I don’t plan to push it too fast too far, but nobody hops in planning to have an emergency. In hindsight, I feel stupid for not having a better plan. Any advice regarding safety is welcome.
Be careful of the "after drop". This is when you get out and start to warm up. The cold blood from your limbs goes back to the core and your internal temp drops. The cold water will hurt, but as long as you are moving it will take longer for hypothermia to set in. Don't be concerned about shivering, but be afraid if the shivering stops while you are still in the cold water.
Just one additional tip - important to get covered up immediately after you get ou of the water unless you're fuly acclimated to low water temps.
And dress from the head down - get your head covered with a wool cap first, then dry & cover your upper body, then your lower body.
Then run some sprints up & down the beach.
Then a hot rum toddy...
It is good to have someone there who can tell you to get out, but in reality you need to be able to get out under your own steam. It's not fair on a kayaker to put them in the situation where they can't rescue you.
Can you exit anywhere on the shore? If so, why not bring all your gear on the kayak in a dry bag? Then you can exit quickly and have all your dry clothes at hand?
As you build up experience, you will know how your body reacts to falling temps. It may be the pinkie extending, "the claw", leg cramps, head ache, purple back etc. Don't base your swim distance/time on water temp alone. I always use a combined airtemp and water temp. 10 deg water and 10 deg air is a lot easier than 10 deg water and -5 air. Also sunshine makes a huge difference. If you swim to your limit one day and it's say 30 mins with the sun on your back, and the next day you turn up and it's cloudy and foggy, then it's unlikely you'll make 30 mins again.
So pay heed to the signs. Write down the temps and times etc. If you're extending the times, do it in small steps. Swim regularly to keep / build acclimatisation. Stay safe.
For giggles, try tongue twisters when you get out ;-)
The suggestion to do shorter loops totally makes sense, but here's my problem w/ that. I lose my resolve and motivation when I get near my exit point and if I am anywhere near 30 mins, I think, well that's good enough and get out, even though I know I can go longer. Happens pretty much every time. I am weak. I want to be able to push it as far as possible on the front half, turn around and finish with only fumes in my tank. But so hard to know what my limit is b/c I always feel that nice warm core feeling on the first half. Pretty sure, if necessary, I can exit at any one of the docks along the shoreline and take the foot path back to my parka & bag. I like the dry-bag idea. Will throw an emergency towel, hat and flip-flops in a bag and keep in boat. I do understand water temp is not the only consideration and I am keeping track of everything. I once got pulled from a race for hypothermia. No indiv. kayak support. Scary, I got lucky. Don't want that to ever happen again.
The kayaker thing was my biggest concern and you've confirmed what already I knew. He can't really do anything to rescue me, only monitor my condition. I just need to be smart and take it slowly. I hear you. Definitely, want to do this safely.
@gregoc, you said I thought shivering in the water was a bad sign and to get out immediately. Can't remember where I saw that. I have never started the shivers in water, just a little teeth chattering, but then I know it's time to get out. So in water shivering is ok? Shivers followed by no shivering, bad?
@ColmBreathnach What is this purple back you mentioned? Never heard of that. And I get my giggles from recording selfie videos shivering in the car. Cracks me up. I'll try to do a tongue twister next time.