How cold is too cold!?

When I did my first sprint in March, the water temp was in the high 50's. That said, I had a full sleeve wetsuit on, and I still thought it was too cold. Next time I'm going to get a neoprene cap. However, I'm not an experienced tri person nor did I swim in water that cold before.
When I came out, my face, feet, and hands were numb.

Depends what you are comfortable with... I would try an OW swim and see how you feel. You might be fine, you might be frozen.

Me personally? If I need a chainsaw to get into the water, it's almost too cold...

-Frank

My first tri was in 60-degree water last October. I tried it out in September when it was 90 degrees out and thought it was fine. No big deal, right? I didn't need no stinking wetsuit. Well, come October it was 60 degrees out and still 60 degrees in the water -- it seemed much colder the second time. And then on the swim I was pretty close to hypothermic (not sure if that's the right term). Turned 800 meters (which should have taken me about 15 minutes) into a 32-minute survival fest. I could barely breathe, I couldn't put my face in the water, and the best I could muster was a breast stroke. I was passed by people from every wave of participants that started after me.

One good option (that I'm sure would have already been mentioned if other people were up at this hour) is to rent a wetsuit. That's what I should have done on my first tri. Most shops will apply the cost of one (or more?) rental to the purchase of a new suit.

Something that I've read on these boards a number of times is if they allow a wetsuit to use one. I just bought one and haven't used it yet, but I hear they help significantly with floatation as well as insulation.

All that being said, if your tolerance is good, you might not need one. Especially if it is really 300m (that seems awfully short). There are some things you can do that I didn't do that will help. Like, warm up first. Warm up before getting in the water to get the blood flowing, then warm up in the water. Get used to it. Put your face in the water and get used to that. Swim around and don't stop moving unless you have to. Also if it's possible, try the water beforehand to get a feel for it. Hopefully the outside weather will be comparable to what it should be on race day.

And I wouldn't think of it in terms of being a wimp. Is that other guy a wimp because he's doing the bike on a fancy triathlon bike when you're doing it on your mountain bike? No. Is that woman a wimp because she's running with shoes on? No. A wetsuit is a tool just like the other equipment. If it's legal and it helps, even a little or just psychologically, why not use it?

Mike

Thanks all for your thoughts. I verified the swim is just 300m and also did some more research on water temps. The water temp for a this lake will probably be closer to 70ish. I did not think that going 200 miles south would have a 5 or so degree difference.

I'm still deciding what to do. Thinking about a wetsuit rental. I'm also considering not quite a chainsaw, but to have a buddy there that would threaten me physical harm if I got out of the water before I had completed 300m.

During my first sprint tri last June, the water was 65 degrees and I did not wear a wetsuit, just my swimsuit. And I am a delicate female person.

I went out and bought a very light wetsuit (an expense I didn't need, either) for a 500m 68 degree ocean swim. The race is in 2 days, I broke down and bought the wetsuit last weekend and practiced in it. I had lots of agonies about this, knowing that 68 is not that cold, and I couldn't really afford the suit...but, it's cold to me, and you have to consider the ambient temp too. I don't swim in cold water, I'm not used to it, and frankly I don't care for it. I'm not going to let something like cold water turn my DFL into a DNF, you know? I've trained too hard for this. I don't think this makes me a wimp. Poor planning to not go out and acclimate -- sure. A wimp? Nope.

One thing that someone suggested to me that probably saved me from pulling out of the race entirely -- get a neoprene diving cap and wear a swim cap over it. This keeps your head completely dry, keeps the cold water out of your ears, and makes a massive huge difference both physically and psychologically.

Good luck with your tri!