What temp til you start open water swimming? (Page 2): Triathlon Forum: Slowtwitch Forums

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What temp til you start open water swimming?

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Duffy

Apr 29, 12 12:06

Post #26 of 29 (288 views)

Re: What temp til you start open water swimming? [HXB] [In reply to]	Quote \| Reply

HXB wrote:

I really envy the ocean swimming, but with no goggles? I always thought that wasn't possible.

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The revolution will not be televised.

live2beoutside

Apr 29, 12 12:14

Post #27 of 29 (287 views)

Re: What temp til you start open water swimming? [Duffy] [In reply to]	Quote \| Reply

When I was living in Mobile, AL, I routinely swam in Mobile Bay through the winter. I was fine with a full sleeve wetsuit down to water temperatures around 60. Between 60 and 55, I found that adding a swim cap - not a neoprene cap but just a plain 'ol latex swim cap - would help a bit with keeping my skull comfortable. I don't recall swimming below 55 degrees... I don't think the bay ever got below that during the period I was living down there but I know from what 55-56 felt like that below 55 I would have hand begun to have unbearable problems with feet and hands.

othegrch

Apr 29, 12 12:25

Post #28 of 29 (283 views)

Re: What temp til you start open water swimming? [HXB] [In reply to]	Quote \| Reply

Pssssst. Your eyes are full of salt water right now. I still wear them when OW swimming though.
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"Sometimes it's just easier to do it the hard way."

HXB

Apr 29, 12 13:00

Post #29 of 29 (278 views)

Re: What temp til you start open water swimming? [othegrch] [In reply to]	Quote \| Reply

True, all body fluids are an electrolyte yet drinking salt water would make you extremely sick. Humans have salinity to the order of around 1% (more with tears and sweat) whereas ocean water is 3%. I can't remember the point at which humans can detect (and are therefore affected) salinity in solutions, but it is much lower than the 3% salt water is I believe. I simply meant that any time I have tried to open my eyes in salt water I was met with a pretty prominent stinging along with terrible visibility, I just don't understand how you could effectively do open water swimming session in this fashion but if you can that's pretty cool.

As an aside, if you get a cut on your arm and lick it (i know) even though your saliva has salinity it wouldn't hurt at all yet get in ocean water and it would sting like mad.

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