Paywall...

But shaming happens here (San Diego) at some swim races, even me wearing a zip up one piece tri suit people were saying it's same as a wetsuit

Here's a non-paywalled version: https://archive.ph/Qw8t6

Some people are idiots.

Looking at some of those race photos, 90% of people seem to be in wetsuits which would be a bit shit for those not racing in bathers. We allow wetsuits for open water races in Australia, but very few wear them. Our water is warmer though. And if you do wear one, you're not eligible for a place/prize.

In Britain, I find some parts of the skins swimming fraternity can be a bit precious (or is that anally retentive) about it all.
Channel Swimming in yer pants Association are right up their (and right up their own arses). British Long Distance Swimming in yer pants Association a good runner up..

The thing is this just puts people off the sport, particularly newcomers. Some people really don't want to freeze their tits off in cold water.
Also swimming in 6 degree C water in a small oair of keks is just shiiite - 5 minutes in the water for a 3+ round trip and faff, this time of year. Not worth it.

The more enlightened organisations allow and support both. And have both skins and wetsuit categories in prizes / trophies. That removes another unnecessary barrier or prejudice getting more people swimming in OW.

Also the stupidity around all of this is that cold water and ablity to swim in it, has more to do with body size and body fat. The bigger you are the better you will last for a long time in cold water. The more insulation you have for the same weight, the longer you will last. The opposite holds in marathon running. Big people with high body fat don't generally marathon well, but they have the options of slowing down or walking. In the water, a small lean person can't "slow down and walk". At some point a small lean athlete, will just generate so little heat that they will die from hypothermia. Its just not safe for smaller lean athletes to be in cold water for a super long time.

Ok I'll STFU because the cold water I'm talking about is 18/19 C haha. Anything under that I'm definitely wearing a wetsuit! I'd imagine there comes a point where it becomes quite dangerous swimming in cold water sans wetsuit e.g cramps, breathing issues, etc

FINA agrees with you, more or less. You're aware that FINA now allows wetsuits now, right??? For those unaware, here are the rules:

• Water temperature of 20o and above: no wetsuit.
• Water temperature between 18 and 19.9o: swimmer can choose to wear a wetsuit or not.
• Water temperature between 16 and 17.9o: wetsuits are compulsory.
• Water temperature below 15.9o: swimmers should not be competing
• 
  

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"Anyone can be who they want to be IF they have the HUNGER and the DRIVE."

This nonsense has been going on as long as there have been swimming wetsuits, and before with other types of togs. It reminds me of the idiots in the pool that get all upset when someone puts on paddles, or fins, or whatever. Let people use what they need or want, doesnt hurt you. And I agree that you either have a separate division for Wettie swimmers, or you leave them out of the awards if you can only foster one division for awards.

I was a pretty good cold water swimmer in my younger days, but it has degenerated over the years and I get cold now. I did do a 2.5 mile swim without the rubber this summer because it was skin to win, but man that 14C degree water almost killed me at the hour mark. Lost feeling in my hands half way through, then my arms with about 300 to go, literally just throwing stumps in front and somehow pulling them back with muscle memory...Great fun though!!!

It has less to do with body size and fat than being twisted in the head if you ask me.

Hello Monty and All,

As you and others have noted ...

No wetsuit swimming in cold water is for fat people ... fat by running and cycling standards ...

You can be any weight to swim the English Channel. Many people add as much as 10kgs or 20 pounds leading up to the swim. The more bodyfat you have, the better your personal insulation.

You can have your insulation on the inside as fat .... or on the outside as a wetsuit ....

Excess body fat contributes to major causes of death and disability, including heart attacks, strokes, high blood pressure, cancer, diabetes, osteoarthritis, fatty liver, and depression. Faced with these risks, it's no wonder that you want to know how much you should weigh.

The wetsuit swimmers in San Francisco should dump that archaic fat swim club and form their own.

Self flagellation is out of style.

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Cheers, Neal

+1 mph Faster

Funny coming from the guy that shames people for their running shoe choice.

I’m in San Diego too, and the open water crowd can sometimes be a bit too much, to be honest. But there’s nobody capable of shaming me into swimming in cold-ass water without a wetsuit. People should mind their own damn business.

I was just in San Diego and I read the water temps at 58°

All the surfers I saw were wearing them, I would have too.

That really depends on the person I guess.. I also wonder if its a bit of tribalism with the swim crowd there like good ol Reptile in article.

Either way I wear what I want when I swim. If it's cold and I want to wear a wetsuit, that's what I'm doing. Especially if its recreational.

I was not wearing a wetsuit. People thought that because it did cover my torso it was. So I actually do appreciate that culture since I am same boat with shoes, but that time they were mistaken. Or perhaps speedos are only allowed?

I did the Indian Wells 70.3 this past December. Water was 57F. I live not far from the Canadian border and swim into October with a thermal wetsuit. I wore my thermal gear for that cold water swim. I was very cold the first few minutes and then my body was warm enough with my thick blueseventy thermal wetsuit, cap and booties. Hands were so cold w/o my blueseventy gloves that it took me 10 minutes in transition my hands were so cold and numb. There is no way I could have done that swim w/o a wetsuit. I'm not super skinny but people consider me thin (Just under 130 lbs and 5 feet 7.5 inches - middle-aged female).

That all being said there are a group of local women I know from doing masters with them in the past who swim outside when it's crazy cold, up until the lakes freeze over. We are talking late November and early December. No wetsuits. From my understanding they have acclimated but also have built up "brown fat" which helps with cold water swimming. They are bigger woman compared to me with more body mass. (bigger bones, strong looking women)

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Death is easy....peaceful. Life is harder.

I am not happy when I see people wearing a wetsuit in anything above 20°C.

I have a wetsuit but it's not for use in swimming / triathlon. It's a surfing wetsuit which I use for diving / windsurfing in cold weather. I don't have one for swimming.

As a result I don't do triathlons which are cold enough to be wetsuit mandatory. However, I regularly swim in water down to 12°C in skin and I hope I will be able to swim distance in ice water as well in the future (I currently do only up to 600 m as I had some bad experience in the past).

Also I'm hoping to lose excess body fat as well as I feel I'm too buoyant in the sea. Swimming the Channel is still my goal but my swimming ability isn't quite there at the moment and I'm catching up the missed training (because of the pandemic) two years ago. I won't consider adding weight for that as well.

I think if we isolate these fat swimmers they will be healthier than fat adults who are sedentary. Although in certain swim camps some have terrible diets (donut buffets), and sorry you cannot out exercise a bad diet

This. When I was doing triathlons, I hated swimming. I hated swimming even more when it was cold. I like to be warm and buoyant. :)
M~

They can have my Roka when they pry it from my warm, buoyant hands!

Take a deep breath. This article is the same one that pops up every five or ten years. The South End club takes pride in being completely retro, almost always with good humor and usually with tongue firmly in cheek.

Back in the day, when Envirosports (the Escape from Alcatraz OG) was still putting on triathlons, Dave Horning's pre-race briefings on the beach traditionally ended with the Ritual Excoriation of the Wetsuit Weenies. Us weenies were more than happy to concede moral superiority to the handful of racers in speedos. Admired their fortitude, if not their BMI, but had no desire to emulate them.

LOL was just gonna post this, from the Alcatraz Challenge I did through the SERC in the early aughts. I recalled it as "there are two categories, non -wetsuit, or the Wetsuit division, also known as the WS or Wussie division."

There is a 10k race I have done, that can be cold. I have done it once in a wetsuit and once in a brief (got cold, dizzy and completely over it by the end). The year I did it in a wetsuit only the hardcore OWS cold swimmers did it in their costumes (temp 14-18 degrees celsius in parts). Spoke to one of the guys I know after to congratulate him on taking out the title (even though he finished a fair bit behind me) he won the non wettie title and massive respect on the day. You got to hand it to them - they can do shit in the cold that not many people have the courage to try

I used to be able to swim in So Cal down to 58 or so in skins. Then I lost weight. My fingers now turn blue in 20 minutes.