when is water too cold for swimming? - Page 2

andtckrtoo · 05-30-07, 09:05 AM

I was going to answer - when you turn blue. But I think when your ears ache is a good clue as well.

RuthNYC · 05-30-07, 09:10 AM

when it's a hot day.

75 degrees feels like bathtub water to me.

RuthNYC

EllieE · 05-30-07, 11:21 AM

When I was a kid, we had swimming practice at 6am at the outdoor pool. Sometimes there were thin sheets of ice on the pool. Brrr! I can't believe I swam in that!

KimberlyN · 05-30-07, 12:08 PM

I think it's really what you're comfortable with, and that will depend what you're doing.
I love to go boogey boarding in the waves, and the ocean off Southern CA is not that warm -- low 70s usually. It's cold at first but once I get used to it and start swimming against the waves, it's fine. When I was a kid, my mom said I should come out when my fingernails turned purple

cab0899 · 05-30-07, 06:33 PM

Okay, I have to admit I was giggling a bit. We're Canadian with an outdoor pool with no heater. The other day the pool was 10C and the kids were jumping in and out. 74 would be like a hot tub for us. Our backyard pool rarely gets more than 65 all summer and the kids swim all day long.

Barbara P · 05-30-07, 07:35 PM

I swim laps every day.
The temperature of the water that is comfortable for me has many variables.

In an indoor pool, in the winter, when the air temp is cool, I like it to be 81 or 82 degrees. I get there in the dark when it is COLD outside (sometimes below zero) and if the water is below 80, then I'm cold. I do warm up after a few laps, but it's a shocker when I get in.

In that same pool, in the summer, when the air temp is warm, I like it to be 80, or even below if we have a heat wave.

In an outdoor pool, if the sun is shinning and it is hot outside, 75 is refreshing. 80 degrees for my laps would wear me out, it would be too warm.

It is really amazing how much difference 1 degree makes in the water, not like in the air. I can tell the difference in a degree in my pool, but I can't tell a one degree difference in air temp.

barbara P

DRD0 · 05-30-07, 07:49 PM

Tonight, air temp was 75 and cloudy and windy, water was 74, felt cold for the first 200 meters, and then I was OK. Did a bunch of quick intervals for 35 minutes for 1400 meters. I survived, and it was warmer than last year's first outdoor swim. Probably be back in on Friday unless it storms.

snapfishsis · 05-31-07, 06:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RuthNYC

when it's a hot day.

75 degrees feels like bathtub water to me.

RuthNYC

Ruth - I guess you have been to the Jersey shore.!!.. we go in even when our ankles ache from the cold... take the plunge, dive in, when you are bluish it is lunch time....

I think in September the water "might've" warmed up to 70-71... it is ALWAYS cold!

Kyra · 05-31-07, 07:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by snapfishsis

Ruth - I guess you have been to the Jersey shore.!!.. we go in even when our ankles ache from the cold... take the plunge, dive in, when you are bluish it is lunch time....

LOL!! This is so true.

We had an outdoor, unheated pool when I was a kid. The water temperature was rarely out of the 70's. I'm totally a "get used to it" person - I'll pretty much jump into anything if I want to swim badly enough, and I'll stay in until my fingernails are turning purple.

mtnmom · 05-31-07, 08:34 AM

I remember as a kid, bodysurfing at Santa Cruz. No wetsuit, just grin and bear it. Now, I can't stand to have my feet in that cold water. I just checked an online source and the current Pacific Ocean temperature in that area is 54 degrees. It peaks in August/September at 60!

We also had a pool and kept it at 80 degrees. Sometimes it felt warm, and at others it felt cool.

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05-30-07, 09:05 AM
andtckrtoo Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Island off the NC Coast	I was going to answer - when you turn blue. But I think when your ears ache is a good clue as well.

05-30-07, 09:10 AM
RuthNYC VF Supporter Join Date: Nov 2001	I swim in the ocean when it's 60 degrees.. when it's a hot day. 75 degrees feels like bathtub water to me. RuthNYC

05-30-07, 11:21 AM
EllieE Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Kansas City, MO	When I was a kid, we had swimming practice at 6am at the outdoor pool. Sometimes there were thin sheets of ice on the pool. Brrr! I can't believe I swam in that! __________________ Ellie E If you can't be a good example, you'll just have to be a horrible warning.

05-30-07, 12:08 PM
KimberlyN VF Supporter Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Silicon Valley, CA	I think it's really what you're comfortable with, and that will depend what you're doing. I love to go boogey boarding in the waves, and the ocean off Southern CA is not that warm -- low 70s usually. It's cold at first but once I get used to it and start swimming against the waves, it's fine. When I was a kid, my mom said I should come out when my fingernails turned purple __________________ Kimberly N

05-30-07, 06:33 PM
cab0899 Join Date: Oct 2002	Okay, I have to admit I was giggling a bit. We're Canadian with an outdoor pool with no heater. The other day the pool was 10C and the kids were jumping in and out. 74 would be like a hot tub for us. Our backyard pool rarely gets more than 65 all summer and the kids swim all day long.

05-30-07, 07:35 PM
Barbara P VF Supporter Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: MiddletownCT	I swim laps every day. The temperature of the water that is comfortable for me has many variables. In an indoor pool, in the winter, when the air temp is cool, I like it to be 81 or 82 degrees. I get there in the dark when it is COLD outside (sometimes below zero) and if the water is below 80, then I'm cold. I do warm up after a few laps, but it's a shocker when I get in. In that same pool, in the summer, when the air temp is warm, I like it to be 80, or even below if we have a heat wave. In an outdoor pool, if the sun is shinning and it is hot outside, 75 is refreshing. 80 degrees for my laps would wear me out, it would be too warm. It is really amazing how much difference 1 degree makes in the water, not like in the air. I can tell the difference in a degree in my pool, but I can't tell a one degree difference in air temp. barbara P __________________ DISCLOSURE: I have a professional relationship with a seller or producer of fitness videos or products. For details, please see my profile

05-30-07, 07:49 PM
DRD0 Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: illinois	Tonight, air temp was 75 and cloudy and windy, water was 74, felt cold for the first 200 meters, and then I was OK. Did a bunch of quick intervals for 35 minutes for 1400 meters. I survived, and it was warmer than last year's first outdoor swim. Probably be back in on Friday unless it storms.

05-31-07, 08:34 AM
mtnmom Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Santa Cruz Mtns, CA	I remember as a kid, bodysurfing at Santa Cruz. No wetsuit, just grin and bear it. Now, I can't stand to have my feet in that cold water. I just checked an online source and the current Pacific Ocean temperature in that area is 54 degrees. It peaks in August/September at 60! We also had a pool and kept it at 80 degrees. Sometimes it felt warm, and at others it felt cool. __________________ ~~Diane~~