You can only wear your new wetsuit once?
Is that before a race or something? Or is it disposable?

Below 60 is truly cold for most everyone.
Try to swim regularly in open water. You can probably acclimate.

Are you female by any chance? I knew one that was similar, just couldn't get warm before (but she did not get hypothermia). Would actually shiver, etc. even before she got in the water just from the morning cold air. Besides the obvious like ear plugs, neoprene cap, booties, one technique she used was to pour warm water down her wetsuit before she entered the water. Maybe that is something you can consider trying in practice.

The fit of a wetsuit is CRITICAL in how warm you'll be. DeSoto will work with you to get it right, so check in with them if the suit doesn't feel like a glove.

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My business-eBodyboarding.com

Hello, You should try the Aquaman Cell Gold made specially for cold water. The all suit is made with # 40 Yamamoto neoprene on the outside and inside. The neoprene inside the suit will not absorb water like regular textile does on other wetsuit and you will carry less water , the suit will fit snug against your skin and your body who generated the heat will have less water to warm up therefore you will be warmer in the suit.
Also the best deal on the market for a Yamamoto # 40 all over . The suit is only $ 649.99. Check it out at aquamantri.com

The fit of a wetsuit is CRITICAL in how warm you'll be. DeSoto will work with you to get it right, so check in with them if the suit doesn't feel like a glove.
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Train safe & smart
Bob

Swim faster. If you can cut your swim time to 36 min or so, you will spend 20% less time in the cold water.

the people at desoto were just so helpful. do you you all think the aqua man truly will be warmer?

the concept 5 is 5mm all around.

yes i am female.

and its just a wear once policy with trisports.com where i got a huge discount

How did you prepare for the swim start? I am super skinny so I know about cold. What I have learned is I no longer do a water warmup before a cold swim. At HITS this weekend the water was 65 but I still decided to do my warmup dry. Keep warm clothes on. Did running in shoes in my wetsuit. Got in the water a minute before the swim start. Worked great for me!!!

And I have gotten hypothermia during a swim so I know how not to do it.

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I completely agree on the Aquaman Cell Gold!!!!! Absolutely hands down the warmest legal wetsuit I've ever had in 30+ years, and terribly fast! Emillet knows his stuff, for sure. I would also suggest a neoprene cap, as most don't realize how much heat is lost through the head. Go Aquaman for sure.

the aqua man has some parts that are 1-2mm whereas the desoto concept 5 is 5mm sleeves.
has anyone swam in both. i don't understand the technology but 5mm seems warmer to me.

Once again, the Aquaman Cell Gold is the warmest suit I've ever had. I have a second one, the metal cell, for when the water's warmer.

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gary, do you get really cold? have you used the desoto concept 5?

Yes, I get extremely cold. I am freezing here in my apartment now. Have raced in 52 degree water and froze....before this suit was made. Have never used the Concept 5, but Emilio makes great stuff. I really think the extra features of the Gold, lined inside, etc make a difference.

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I personally have desoto though not the concept. I think with the 5mm all around plus I believe desoto actually lets you swim in the wetsuit and still return it if it's not right for you (You should find out from them the exact details), I don't see a down side.

thanks auto, yes they do, i guess i'll try that first, if its not way warmer then i'll reevaluate

i'll just take it in an unheated pool, compare to mine, should be able to tell

My hunch is the wetsuit is less than half the problem since you got hypothermic at O'side.

My main advice is always to do a few swims in similar or colder conditions before a race, for equipment/psychological/training reasons. I swim up the coast during the week where it can get below 50 (!), and have helped a lot of friends get used to OW in the Pacific.

In terms of gear, I always echo Emilio DeSoto's "cap sandwich" advice. Most people can swim in a cold tri with latex/neoprene/latex. If I want to feel really warm, I'll go with two neoprenes under a latex.

The forehead is key, that's where heat loss is concentrated, so make *sure* your caps are pulled low down to your eyebrows, just shy of your goggle seals. The forehead is way more important than the rest of your head and most wetsuit issues.

Goggles: most of us race in goggles, but something like a mask-style Aquasphere Vista is a lot warmer than goggles since it covers above your eyebrows.

Those icy-knives of cold water? I bring a bottle of warm/hot water that I pour into my suit before a cold swim and that stops most of those icy knives through the zipper. In a pinch, I use whatever bottled water is around even if it's chilly. Much of the problem of being comfortable is for the water getting into your wetsuit to warm up, and the pre-swim bottle helps a lot.

I'm lucky enough to be able to swim off the Central Coast most of the year, and *strongly* suggest pre-race warm-ups. You can see it here in CA, there are a lot fewer panicked swimmers with deep water starts than with running starts where most people don't get in first, especially at cold races.

Good luck. Just working the problem will solve it for you.

I swim with some folks who do mid 50s with no wetsuits, and here's their advice (and mine) for cold water:

The neoprene cap is great (as are the booties), and it's a help, but also wear earplugs. Keeping the cold water out of your ears does wonders, and it stops you getting vertigo.

Before you start to swim, drink something hot - even if it's just hot water. Doesn't matter, as long as it's hot and it's in your stomach when you hit the water. It really helps keep you warm.

Ditto when you get out. Have a thermos at T1 and drink something hot when you get out of the water. It'll really warm you up.

Keep moving when you're in the water. I know this sounds like a no-brainer, but you're losing heat every second you're in there, so floating is a bad idea. If you have to stop, do the eggbeater kick and fan your arms.

If it's really cold, you can grease your hands and face (and teeth! Don't laugh, I've done this when the water was below 55). It'll hold in just enough heat.

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Unfortunately the problem at O Side (as you know) is a bit compounded as they do not let you in the water until the wave before you goes off. So three minutes is all you get. I've found it helps if, while waiting for the wave ahead to go off, you sneak down the ramp as far as they let you, scoop up as much water as you can and splash your face continually, and get some down the suit. The suit works in part by warming a thin layer of water, so getting that water warmed up if you can really helps that initial shock

Agree wholeheartedly that keeping the forehead warm is key

the aqua man has some parts that are 1-2mm whereas the desoto concept 5 is 5mm sleeves.
has anyone swam in both. i don't understand the technology but 5mm seems warmer to me.
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Can't speak to the Aquaman but I have both DS T1 tops. The regular T1 I believe is 2mm in the arms and like you posted the Concept is 5mm. I find the Concept to be warmer.

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Train safe & smart
Bob

i with both in a week. now i just need a method of testing. if i take both to the ocean and swim for 10 minutes in one then 10 minutes in the other. is that a good test? will i be automatically warmer in the second? i could do two seperate days but then i don't know if i'll be able to tell. the desoto is very thick, the aqua man is thinner in most areas but i'm trying to trust the technology. both gentleman helping me have been wonderful! OR swim a full 45 minutes and take my body temp maybe.

if it came down to dnf or finish decently, why don't people just use dry suits (diving) for cold water swims. Perhaps there would be less deaths from cold water induced shock heart attacks

I would think the 5mm is much warmer than the 1-2mm. But I would also imagine the 5mm would be much more restrictive in the shoulder area than the thinner one.

I wasn't aware that this suit is specifically designed to be warmer but here is my story: 2012, I did IMAZ in a different wetsuit and almost froze (62 degree water?). Thought about stopping in T1 and I don't even really remember the first 15 or so miles of the bike, I was so cold. 2013, I did IMTahoe but in the Aquaman Cell Gold. I was pretty nervous about the cold water (61 degrees?) given my experience the year before at AZ. I remember about the half way point of the Tahoe swim thinking to myself, boy am I warm, this is really great (and different from my experience a year before). The suit is awesome for me. I bought it really tight to prevent water intrusion and I love it. Finally found wetsuit nirvana after multiple attempts.

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Jason
None of the secrets of success will work unless you do.

Wetsuits and warmth can mean a lot of things.

A wetsuit should be tight on land, but relatively un noticable in water.

The less water a wetsuit lets in while swimming the warmer you will be. If you feel any kind water movement you have either a bad fit or holes in the wetsuit.

Speaking of holes, what conditiion was your wetsuit in? If it have been around the block so to speak a few times (OKAY A LOT OF TIMES) or is not cared for it can become very porious (spelling check I know) which will also let water leak in.

Then finally where do you do your swim training? If you do all of your training in an 82 degree indoor pool at a healthclub, no wetsuit will probably help you out. If possible find some open cold water to swim in regularly. If you are close to the Ocean well......

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