Silly question about swimming

Consider purchasing a neoprene swim hood/cap. QR sells one and I think Orca does too.

I have a QR hood made of neoprene and it really makes a difference in the water.

I have the same problem.  I love to swim and have no problem staying in the water, it's just the initial immersion that I always find shocking.  I even grew up with a pool in my backyard.  Guess it's the curse of a lean build.  My dad always taught me to just plunge right in, but I think it's better preparation to ease in, so I usually splash water on myself before going in.  If you judiciously splash on water from a nearby shower that is colder than that which you will be swimming in, it's easier to get in to the compatively less cold water.  Less expensive than a wetsuit and less trouble than bear grease.

Because water is so much more dense compared to air, even 80 degree F water will chill you just as quickly as 42 degree F air. Since a lot of your body heat can be lost through your head, I'm with Steve. Pick up a hood. Promotion has them. Plus, any local dive shop will have what are called dive beanies. They are usually made of 2mm or 3mm thick neoprene. Same thing. Usually less than $20 US.

-Frank

It helps if you have a significant other already in the water making you feel like a wimp. That's what works for me anyway

Thom

I assume you wear a cap when you swim, if not that usually helps immensely. You can wear a hood, or if you need just a little more warmth try a second swim cap. As for what surfers wear you could wear a rash guard which is really thin and lightweight (this is what surfers wear under their wetsuits). Alternatively, there is a company that makes really thin wetsuit/rash guards you can try out. I think the company is called point5 or something like. Very thin neopreme. I'll try to find the web site.

MikeB

No, what really helps is if your up here where it is -7f right now and on the way to the pool there is a breeze coming through the door. By the time you get to the pool you're begging to get in the "warm" water. :-)

you can buy a pair of drag shorts that can be put over your trunks to warm your body up

The neoprene cap is a huge help. Also, there are just some days when you can't do it (see my previous post on this). But, if you are initially just really uncomfortable, it will pass in about 5-10 min. this is what I do. Suffer through a warm up for about 3 min., then just stand there. By this time you can keep your arms and shoulders in. Then I loosen up again for a min. or so and then start on my drills. By the time I'm concentrating on my form I forget the cold pain and before you know it, it feels quite invigorating. I'm a rookie at cold water, and 62-63 deg. is my cutoff, but I'm much more comfortable at it now than I was earlier. Be very careful of the warning signs or at best you will have a very bad day and a terrible headache (again, see my post)