A TIP FROM EMILIO:  Swimming in Cold Water?  Try Emilio's Neoprene Swim Cap Sandwich

There are two types of people in the world...those who are always cold, and those who know that keeping your head warm will keep your body warm.  It has been said that 80% of your body heat is lost through your head.

Emilio's Neoprene Cap Sandwich

Ingredients: 1 Neoprene Swim Cap, 2 latex (or silicone) swim caps.

1.  Put on the first latex swim cap.  Make sure it covers your temples and forehead.
2.  Put on the Neoprene Swim cap over the first latex swim cap.  Again and more importantly, make sure it covers your temples and forehead and that it sits just above your eyebrows as shown in the photo.  This will eliminate "Brain Freeze", or "Ice Cream Headache."
3.  Finally put on the last latex cap.  Make sure it covers the front and back of the Neoprene Cap.

If done properly, your hair will most likely be dry when you exit the water, but more importantly, your head, and your body will stay warm...and your fingers will actually work!

I have done Alcatraz over a dozen times (twice without a wetsuit).  I have raced in the Puget Sound, the English Bay in Vancouver, and in the Milford Sound on the New Zealand's South Island.  All are races where the water temperature was between 48 -54 degrees F (9 - 12 degrees C). Believe me it works!