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evmo

Post your cold-water swimming experiences here. Water temp, duration, sensations, etc.

Gords

This is my first winter season swimming at least once a week. Fortunately I live I live near the Great Salt Lake in Utah, USA so even though the water is icy cold, it doesn't freeze over due to the high salinity. So I don't need to deal with cutting through ice.

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.

jcmalick

Bloody Brilliant and a once-in-a-lifetime experience (for now)! Lelane (first female to swim across the Delaware Bay) and I did an official Ice Swim mid January off the coast of NJ. Water temps were 38, distance 1 mile, support from kayakers, Coast Guard rescue boat, media outlets, and friends. Entrance into water was quick, and getting the head and breathing down immediately was crucial. Warning, the hardest part is recovery...imagine a blackout from a college party without the ill effect of the hangover! Definitely not for the faint of heart but with proper training, definitely a worthy endeavor especially if you can join the ranks of the International Ice Swimming Association to boot!

evmo

Here's the video of JC & Lelane's ice swim. Hope you don't mind, JC!

evmo

Gords said:
I live I live near the Great Salt Lake in Utah, USA so even though the water is icy cold, it doesn't freeze over due to the high salinity

@Gords I'm curious, does super-saline GSL water "feel" somewhat less cold than regular ocean water, similar to how ocean water feels somewhat less cold than freshwater?

jcmalick

No worries, definitely don't mind!

evmo

Since I'm on a bit of a YouTube-embedding frenzy, here's another great recent ice swim, starring Karen Rogers and Cathy Delneo in Lake Tahoe. Way to go, ladies!

andrew_omahony

I swim year-round in the San Francisco Bay; temperatures ranging from 50 - 62! My first swim was just 0.5 miles, but my skin felt like it was on fire!!

I definitely want to do an ice swim someday!

loneswimmer

If Lewis Pugh or Lynne Cox sign up, they win this thread.

bobswims

When the local high school sectional meet was held at my local pool, they dropped the temperature to 80°. Even better was when the heater broke last year and the temperature "plummeted" to 74°. I had the whole pool to myself for 3 days, and shared it with a couple of hardy souls for an additional 2 days. Despite rumors, I had nothing to do with the failure of the pool heater.

loneswimmer

We've had a warm winter in the south Irish coast, temperatures didn't get below 6C, (42F). When did temps below 10C become "extreme cold" swimming by the way?

GarbageBarge

I'm not interested in cold water swimming for cold water's sake, but I do need to get in open water asap to train for the Kingdom of VT 10 mile swim in early July. Was about to buy a wet suit that I don't intend to race in, just so I could start getting some longer outdoor swims in. I'm in the lower Hudson Valley in NY. Any thoughts on minimum water temperature for multiple miles? I swim at White Pond, if anyone knows it.

Thanks.

mrfinbarr

@GarbageBarge - Temperature scale for open water swim:
http://loneswimmer.com/2011/12/12/introducing-a-precise-open-water-swimming-temperature-scale/

GarbageBarge

mrfinbarr said:
@GarbageBarge - Temperature scale for open water swim:
http://loneswimmer.com/2011/12/12/introducing-a-precise-open-water-swimming-temperature-scale/

@mrfinbarr- Thanks.

mpfmark

I wonder If this could be amended to the temperature thread?

North Sea Seaton Carew noon 02April12 48f

GarbageBarge

mpfmark said:
I wonder If this could be amended to the temperature thread?

North Sea Seaton Carew noon 02April12 48f

How long? Wetsuit or mansuit?

mpfmark

What's a wetsuit ? Wash your mouth out !!

mpfmark

Just started so only 27 mins more tomoro

mpfmark

Tuesday 3 April North Sea Air 3° water 8.3° (47f) tough 35 mins today, took an age to get beyond the breakers and into the swell. MSW says 15ft swell tomoro... Should be fun !!

GarbageBarge

Ok, mpfmark, my question is, why not a wetsuit? I have water in the low 50's here in NY, but I want to start training, outside, for a 10 mile swim in warmer water. Maybe not much warmer since it's a lake in VT and Quebec, early July. I wouldn't race in a wetsuit, but why not extend your training season in one? I've been vacillating on whether to buy one or not, but in the mean time, I haven't gotten an outdoor swim in yet. If the temp is going to prevent me from getting a longer training swim in, I might as well stay in the pool. My desire to go outside is so I can get a longer swim in. Not just see how cold I can bear. Really appreciate any thoughts on this.

Birmingham

@GarbageBarge I would not expect the temp in Lake Memphremagog to be below 65 at that time of year. Even last year when the lake was churned up it was pretty reasonable. We had a very mild winter in VT, the snow has been gone for a few weeks. The lakes all iced off 3-4 weeks ahead of schedule, with no more snow melt to feed them they should warm up nicely by 7/7. I'd guess 68-75 by then. Good luck, enjoy your swim.

GarbageBarge

Thanks for the knowledge @Birmingham. I was semi-kidding about a temp in the 50s in VT, in July, but if you're right, perfect. I'll sign up for 70 right now. I really am looking for some advice on whether to get a wetsuit and start outdoor traing now, or just get in and go for as much as I can take, and build the miles as the water warms up. Makes me a little nervous that I'd be in cold water alone, with no knowledge of how long I can go safely.

Birmingham

@GarbageBarge Given the usual temps in VT that time of year I do not think that cold water acclimatization needs to be a major focus of your training. Getting in some rough water training should be though. When I have done Kingdom Swim I eased into the lake here in Central VT starting around Memorial Day. My advice would be to keep at it in the pool until your lake gets up to your "comfort" zone. When you take the fitness you have earned in the pool into the lake you will translate it into OW fitness quickly. I have not felt behind waiting until Memorial Day, I do my best training in the pool anyway. If your lake is already at 50 you won't have to wait that long even. VT lakes are still sub 40.

evmo

Possibly I'm being purposely controversial here, but... in training for marathon swims, I think many people overestimate the importance of actually training in open water, with three exceptions:

(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...)

mpfmark

My thinking is just if you start to build now. When it gets to 14c you will think its toasty. I said wash your mouth out in a joking fashion. That said I thought marathon swimming meant no rubber as one of the rules ;-)

mpfmark

Wednesday 4 April River Tees England 44f just 25 minutes !

mpfmark

Ellerton Lake North Yorkshire 50f 10c
Hour today

GarbageBarge

The reason I want to get in the pond is so I can get some distance in. I have access to a pool 3 days a week, but I can only get about a half hour, 2000-ish yards before work. So outside, after work or on weekends, is my only opportunity to get any kind of distance work. I'm not worried about getting used to the cold or rough water for VT. Only want to build stamina and shoulders for 10 miles at pace. I'd like to build to 7 miles by June so I'd like to get in now. If mpfmark can do an hour in 50°, I reckon I can too.

mpfmark

Of course you can.
Report back
We are in the river tomoro. It will be fresh so not the hour.

GarbageBarge

I'll be in fresh water. 50° fresh is different than 50° salt?

david_barra

GarbageBarge said:
I'll be in fresh water. 50° fresh is different than 50° salt?

not so much

evmo

GarbageBarge said:
I'll be in fresh water. 50° fresh is different than 50° salt?

Fresh has the reputation of "feeling" about 3°F colder than salt. The mechanism for this is, as far as I know, unknown (but I haven't really looked).

My intuition is that while fresh may "feel" colder than salt, the effect on core temp is equivalent.

mpfmark

Easter Sunday was 35@47/48f River Tees
Monday was 37@47f North Sea

Almost ready to swim to the buoy in the Sea.

mpfmark

River Tees today 47°f 8.3°c 70 minutes

GarbageBarge

So I finally got in the pond for about 40 minutes at 59° last week. No problems, but afterwards, when I stood up from bending down to get my car keys under the car, I nearly fell over. Is that common? Maybe the cold lowered my blood pressure? I didn't shiver, although my torso felt tingly after about 5 minutes out of the water. The temp can only go up now, if we could get some sun in the Hudson Valley.

jcmalick

@garbagebarge...that's bathwater! Cold can have varying effects on each individual swimmer but would not be abnormal the symptoms you described...we can rule out hypothermia! :o)

Mandai

A scientific report of German Bruno Dobelmann (aka Orca) swimming 6h+ in 10C cold waters..."Changes in body core and body surface temperatures during prolonged swimming in water of 10 degrees C - a case report:"
http://www.extremephysiolmed.com/content/1/1/8/abstract

timsroot

Yesterday morning, I got in some 13C water, a new record for me. I was able to get in, but I only ended up swimming about 100m or so. I got in slowly, and took my time before I started to actually swim. My fingers and toes actually felt okay, but when I started to actually swim, my face just felt painfully cold. I stopped and started a few times, but couldn't get my face to not feel painful.

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?

ChickenOSea

Sounds normal after such a big drop, which we experience regularly in the lake here. It's why God invented backstroke. For that reason and no other. I bet you can go a lot further tomorrow. I think some people splash cold water on their faces before getting in but I've never bothered.

loneswimmer

I splash water, and regularly advise it as a valuable (and vital for beginners) safety measure. The Vagus nerve, which is, as I understand it, part of the cardio-respiratory control mechanism, is partly situated behind the sinuses, and therefore susceptible to cold. part of the this mechanism is the Mamallian diving reflex, which can be ovewhelmed by cold and cease to operate. By splashing the cold water you are about to enter on your face, and giving yourself a few seconds, you are helping to acclimatise the dive reflex and allowing it to recover, thus reducing the chance of aspirating water, which is one of the primary causes of death by cold shock.

dc_in_sf

One trick is to pick a point that is ~7 minute swim away. Tell yourself that if you are still uncomfortable after reaching that point you are allowed to get out.

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.

loneswimmer

WaterGirl

Here's another approach. (Warning: bad language. Used in a manner I've never quite seen.)

http://youtu.be/CB8CryXR0cI

Mandai

That's hilarious! Who said we Germans don't have a sense of humor... :)

holte2f

Swam 30minutes in 6C (42.8F) today, coldest of year so far. The force of the river made me get out as still sprinting but 200m downstream... be careful out there all..

ChickenOSea

That's amazing. I only last 5 min at that temp

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