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How Cold is Too Cold?

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NoelFigart1
NoelFigart1 Posts: 1,276 Member
in Social Groups
I got in a river and did a VERY SMALL swim today -- mostly to test how I react to cold. I'll be doing an open water swim in a month, and while it will be cold, it's gonna be a lot warmer than the rivers are where I live right now (50F or 10C depending on where you live)

I found out that 50F isn't nearly as scary or miserable as I was scared it was going to be, though yeah.... CHILLY.

What temperature is too cold for you to swim? Do you any of you wear wetsuits?

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  • mpeters1965
    mpeters1965 Posts: 370 Member
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    Long-time Florida girl here, so keep that in mind. I don't own a wetsuit and won't go swimming in less than 72 degrees or so. I can't swim fast enough to keep warm at lower temps.
  • AquaticQuests
    AquaticQuests Posts: 945 Member
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    10 degrees Celsius!
    Woah!
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    edited May 2015
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    NoelFigart1 wrote: »
    I got in a river and did a VERY SMALL swim today -- mostly to test how I react to cold. I'll be doing an open water swim in a month, and while it will be cold, it's gonna be a lot warmer than the rivers are where I live right now (50F or 10C depending on where you live)

    I found out that 50F isn't nearly as scary or miserable as I was scared it was going to be, though yeah.... CHILLY.

    What temperature is too cold for you to swim? Do you any of you wear wetsuits?

    I have swum in 45° water (Lake Michigan and Lake Superior never really get very warm, especially Superior). It is a bit of a shock getting in, then it doesn't bother me. I have not done long swims in those temps, just short fun swims or when I get dumped out of my kayak, so I am not wearing a wetsuit. When I go kayaking on those lakes, I do wear an insulated top because the wind can be a bit cold too and the top helps.

    The lake I grew up swimming in rarely got above 65°, even in the middle of August. It is deep and spring fed so the water rarely had a chance to warm up. It was the prefect temp to swim in.

  • Robertus
    Robertus Posts: 558 Member
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    I love Swiss alps in the summer time. You still see plenty of snow on the higher mountains, but everywhere else is excellent hiking weather and stunningly beautiful. The lakes and streams are freezing cold, being fed by melting glaciers and snow. Well, for some unknown reason, while my wife and I were on our 2-week honeymoon in Switzerland, I made it a point to swim in every mountain lake we hiked by and dip my feet in every stream. I have no idea how cold the water was, but it seemed to be only a little above freezing. Mind you, these were not long swims, just having fun. My wife videotaped it all for posterity.

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