Author Topic: Wetsuit  (Read 4741 times)

Wetsuit
« on: 09 August, 2021, 06:56:23 pm »
Off to teh north (Yorkshire) and the sea - expect my daughter will go in for a swim (we got a wetsuit from someone else hand me down).
I am thinking I could do with a wetsuit as I generally feel the cold - but expensive and lots of options and most places won't deliver in time.
Advice would be good
simplicity, truth, equality, peace

Re: Wetsuit
« Reply #1 on: 09 August, 2021, 07:07:00 pm »
Off to teh north (Yorkshire) and the sea - expect my daughter will go in for a swim (we got a wetsuit from someone else hand me down).
I am thinking I could do with a wetsuit as I generally feel the cold - but expensive and lots of options and most places won't deliver in time.
Advice would be good

Stay out of the sea. It’s too bloody cold up there. (“Icebergs in Scarborough Harbour” as my FIL opined)
We are making a New World (Paul Nash, 1918)

Re: Wetsuit
« Reply #2 on: 09 August, 2021, 07:49:55 pm »
I'm a little over 6' and skinny (hence the need of a wetsuit) Should I
* Get a winter weight wetsuit (5/3mm) from mountain warehouse
* Nah, won't need that much, a Gull 3/2 sleeveless will be fine - can get a jacket later if feel the need
* Save £70, suffer for the day and think about it another time

Really I'm trying to figure out whether 5/3 would be crazy hot or 3/2 far too cold; just go for a full suit or whether layering over a Gull would provide more options.  As I haz worn a wetsuit once, about 4 years ago, I could do with any pointers.
simplicity, truth, equality, peace

quixoticgeek

  • Mostly Harmless
Re: Wetsuit
« Reply #3 on: 09 August, 2021, 07:52:20 pm »
I'm a little over 6' and skinny (hence the need of a wetsuit) Should I
* Get a winter weight wetsuit (5/3mm) from mountain warehouse
* Nah, won't need that much, a Gull 3/2 sleeveless will be fine - can get a jacket later if feel the need
* Save £70, suffer for the day and think about it another time

Really I'm trying to figure out whether 5/3 would be crazy hot or 3/2 far too cold; just go for a full suit or whether layering over a Gull would provide more options.  As I haz worn a wetsuit once, about 4 years ago, I could do with any pointers.

Just how long are you expecting to spend in the water at a given time ? I wouldn't find a need for a wetsuit in summer in English water for just swimming about casually. But each to their own. A 5/3 is likely to have more wider uses. Just make sure you try it on and it fits well.

J
--
Beer, bikes, and backpacking
http://b.42q.eu/

Re: Wetsuit
« Reply #4 on: 09 August, 2021, 08:52:18 pm »
Wetsuits stretch to fit. If loose, water runs in and out and they don't work.

A thinner wetsuit will help a lot and will give you a lot more time in water before you feel too cold. A 5 mm wetsuit will be more restrictive to movement and difficult to get on, and can make you float a lot, which isn't helpful, counterintuitively.
Quote from: Kim
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citoyen

  • Occasionally rides a bike
Re: Wetsuit
« Reply #5 on: 09 August, 2021, 09:04:14 pm »
I agree with QG - you don’t need a wetsuit at this time of year. The worst bit is getting over the initial cold shock when you enter the water, but that only lasts a minute or so.

If you feel the cold, you should probably be more concerned with staying warm once you come out of the water - so get dry and put warm clothes on as quickly as possible. And take a flask of hot drink as well - this is essential.

A dryrobe might be a better investment than a wetsuit - they make getting dry and clothed quickly so much easier.
"The future's all yours, you lousy bicycles."

Re: Wetsuit
« Reply #6 on: 09 August, 2021, 09:14:03 pm »
My daughter doesn't feel the cold (as in an spd issue) and will just stay in the water until dragged out.  She isn't swimming above water unaided yet so I need to be in with her, probably from some hours.

Thanks for the replies, even if they range from "it's too cold, don't bother" to "it's too warm for a wetsuit" with a 50:50 split on the 5 and 3 mm widths.
 ;D
simplicity, truth, equality, peace

citoyen

  • Occasionally rides a bike
Re: Wetsuit
« Reply #7 on: 09 August, 2021, 09:14:15 pm »
When I was going in the sea in May, I found neoprene gloves and boots were enough to keep me warm - no wetsuit needed. Not entirely sure I understand why this works, but it does. Something to do with stopping your body wasting energy by sending warm blood to your extremities, and keeping the warmth where you most need it in your core.

They also make sure your fingers don’t seize up with cold and make it impossible to get dressed afterwards.

Just remember that shivering is a good sign. It’s when you get cold enough to stop shivering that you need to worry - it means you’re dangerously hypothermic.
"The future's all yours, you lousy bicycles."

citoyen

  • Occasionally rides a bike
Re: Wetsuit
« Reply #8 on: 09 August, 2021, 09:26:04 pm »
I need to be in with her, probably from some hours.

That puts a different slant on it. Maybe you do need a wetsuit after all. A properly warm one.
"The future's all yours, you lousy bicycles."

hellymedic

  • Just do it!
Re: Wetsuit
« Reply #9 on: 09 August, 2021, 09:27:27 pm »
Hands and feet are very good counter-current heat exchangers and when warm, have a blood flow MUCH greater than that needed for the sparse tissues of the extremities. They can therefore act as a useful heat sink. Likewise, insulating the paws will prevent much more heat loss than insulating the trunk.
Limiting heat loss from the head may also be worthwhile as  the scalp cannot shrink its blood vessels in the cold.

ian

Re: Wetsuit
« Reply #10 on: 09 August, 2021, 09:31:10 pm »
If you're too hot in bed, stick your foot out of the covers, it works.

Till the under-the-bed-monster bites it off, of course.

citoyen

  • Occasionally rides a bike
Re: Wetsuit
« Reply #11 on: 09 August, 2021, 10:02:29 pm »
Likewise, insulating the paws will prevent much more heat loss than insulating the trunk.

There you go, I knew I wasn’t imagining it!
"The future's all yours, you lousy bicycles."

Jaded

  • The Codfather
  • Formerly known as Jaded
Re: Wetsuit
« Reply #12 on: 09 August, 2021, 10:53:58 pm »
Swimming in the North Sea in summer:

If your fingers are white - get out.
It is simpler than it looks.

Re: Wetsuit
« Reply #13 on: 10 August, 2021, 07:18:14 am »
I tried to live with my 2/3mm suit surfing in Cornwall in November / December but gave up after day 1 and bought a 5/4  and it was a transformational, huge difference in comfort.  The teenagers needed booties too, I got away without. 
Strongly recommend https://www.wetsuitoutlet.co.uk/5mm-wetsuits-c-22.html who deliver within a day or two.
 
(in contrast I wore the thick one this summer because my thin one was wet and stinky from the day before and nearly sweated myself into oblivion...)

Re: Wetsuit
« Reply #14 on: 10 August, 2021, 07:34:37 am »
I’ve been swimming occasionally in the Forth, which is about 5 mins from where I live now. Swimming there is very popular, even in winter. Not everyone wears a wetsuit (I don’t) but the serious all year round swimmers do. Those who swim without a suit often wear neoprene gloves and booties (and a wooly hat in winter). Sea temperature is about 15 C at the moment.
I am often asked, what does YOAV stand for? It stands for Yoav On A Velo

Re: Wetsuit
« Reply #15 on: 10 August, 2021, 08:16:40 am »
I have a 3/4 and it is adequate for north atlantic in winter.

Mrs C bought a farmer john, a 2mm top and a jacket. She is prone to cramp - so uses socks and gloves as well. She has a much more versatile combination than mine.

Check out lomo and wetsuit centre.

Annoyingly, I had to buy quite an expensive suit (Cskin), because very few sold something that fitted my hobbit-like shape. I needed a 'short XL'.
<i>Marmite slave</i>

Re: Wetsuit
« Reply #16 on: 10 August, 2021, 11:54:57 am »
So long as you swim quite vigorously and get out when you stop I'd have thought a wet suit is more trouble than it is worth.  I don't swim much in the North Sea but I have swum in waters off the Scottish West Coast which I would say are colder (and cleaner). 
Move Faster and Bake Things

ravenbait

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Re: Wetsuit
« Reply #17 on: 10 August, 2021, 11:58:35 am »
So long as you swim quite vigorously and get out when you stop I'd have thought a wet suit is more trouble than it is worth.  I don't swim much in the North Sea but I have swum in waters off the Scottish West Coast which I would say are colder (and cleaner).

West Coast gets the Gulf Stream. The water is warmer. I've swum a lot on both sides of the country.

How about hiring a wetsuit? Having just bought one for a significant quantity of money and found it ill-fitting (but they are now out of stock in what I suspect might be my size), if you're not swimming regularly it's probably more trouble than it's worth.

Sam
https://ravenbait.com
"Created something? Hah! But that would be irresponsible! And unethical! I would never, ever make... more than one."

Regulator

  • That's Councillor Regulator to you...
Re: Wetsuit
« Reply #18 on: 10 August, 2021, 12:31:46 pm »
Quote from: clarion
I completely agree with Reg.

Green Party Councillor

Re: Wetsuit
« Reply #19 on: 10 August, 2021, 01:24:14 pm »
So long as you swim quite vigorously and get out when you stop I'd have thought a wet suit is more trouble than it is worth.  I don't swim much in the North Sea but I have swum in waters off the Scottish West Coast which I would say are colder (and cleaner).

West Coast gets the Gulf Stream. The water is warmer. I've swum a lot on both sides of the country.

How about hiring a wetsuit? Having just bought one for a significant quantity of money and found it ill-fitting (but they are now out of stock in what I suspect might be my size), if you're not swimming regularly it's probably more trouble than it's worth.

Sam

 



https://www.thebeachguide.co.uk/sea-temperature

The shallow waters of the North Sea beaches get warmed by the sun whereas the deep waters off the Inner Hebrides never get that benefit.

Move Faster and Bake Things

ravenbait

  • Someone's imaginary friend
  • Pudge controls the weather.
    • Someone's imaginary friend
Re: Wetsuit
« Reply #20 on: 10 August, 2021, 03:14:55 pm »
I've never swum in the deep waters on the west coast -- dived, yes, but not swum. I tend to stick to beaches on both sides.

Sam
https://ravenbait.com
"Created something? Hah! But that would be irresponsible! And unethical! I would never, ever make... more than one."

Re: Wetsuit
« Reply #21 on: 10 August, 2021, 03:35:03 pm »
We always swam off our boat rather than beaches but in the N. Sea it was always the shallower water.  High water c. 5pm from a south facing beach :thumbsup:
Move Faster and Bake Things

Re: Wetsuit
« Reply #22 on: 10 August, 2021, 03:46:20 pm »
Water off the hebrides is about 9-13 C most of the year.  13C is unusual. Normal summer temps would be about 10-11.

In winter, the shallower lochs and beaches can be much much colder; we've had a skim of ice on the (sea) loch about 30-100m out from the shoreline in winter.


I'm a bit adapted to it now. More body fat. In 2019 when we first came up on holiday I could only last about 10min the water before starting to get hypothermic (sans wetsuit).

A benefit of a wetsuit is the increase in buoyancy. Without one, even in sea water, I can only just float. With one on, I can comfortably float without exertion. Makes quite a difference if you want to swim and explore.
<i>Marmite slave</i>

Re: Wetsuit
« Reply #23 on: 10 August, 2021, 07:33:06 pm »
Cheers for the graph asterix, I had assumed the water would be much colder.
simplicity, truth, equality, peace

Re: Wetsuit
« Reply #24 on: 10 August, 2021, 09:09:35 pm »
Cheers for the graph asterix, I had assumed the water would be much colder.

The water temperature read from a buoy at Rockall has been around 14.5°C this month. Sorry no link.