Yep!
As long as the water is not frozen and you have the proper equipment and experience it’s always time for a paddle.
I wil start at the end of May
On the LI south shore bays with farmer john wetsuit (3mm) and a rash guard, progress to a 2mm neo top & neo rodeo shorts as the water gets a bit warmer, and switch to rash guard and neo rodeo shorts when the water gets warm. Some say I’m a bit conservative, but I know my body doesn’t tolerate cold very well.
Enjoy…Lou
You Will Die
There are a dozen very good reasons for YOU not to go out in 40 degree water. Death quite likely.
47 degrees
I was doing demos in an indoor pool earlier today, which had been filled yesterday from water from an underground aquifer. It’s been cold up here so the water in that pool was colder than the same event last year - measured at 47 degrees today. I was wearing 100 and 200 weight fleece/microfleece under a drysuit, hydroskin gloves, Doc’s earplugs, Mystery hood and goggles w/nose cover.
I went in to make sure I could handle the loaner boat OK - had an ice cream headache after two deep braces let alone the first roll. Lost the ice cream headache after that, was replaced by cold hands and chilled face from being rescue bait. Did a balance brace after a few rolls and got literally cold ears right thru to inside even with the ear plugs and hood. But I was doing better than the other person in the pool, who had been in the evening before and had arthritis acting up from it.
That is darned cold water out there right now, at least for most long boaters. The WW and surf folks have different views of cold.
41 Degrees Water. Near 70 Air Yesterday
– Last Updated: Apr-22-07 6:03 AM EST –
One of the regular surf padders felt really hot in his drysuit. So, he took off his neo hood and surfed most of the session without it. He did plenty of rolling and was fine.
Newbie came with a loose wetsuit (too loose I told him from a surfing viewpoint) and a drytop, gloves and neo hood. He said he has (had) a roll but took a several swims. Caught up with him after his first swim. He looked a bit shakened up. Could be combination of swimming in cold water and also just the shock of a first time swim in surf zone. Who knows. He gathered himself and surfed a bit more in the soup/reform area. Took a couple of more swims. Good for him. He'll learn from it. He was dressed okay for it and where he was surfing was maybe waist to chest deep so he can get back to dry land fairly easily.
I was in my 6/5/4 winter suit. I had felt tad bit warm the last several times I went out. I felt definitely hot yesterday. Took several breaks to down at least 1 liter or more of water since I figured I was sweating like crazy under the suit. That helped. I was wetting my wetsuit but I surfed 4 hours in relative comfort. :) I definitely was not ready to take of my hood in 41 degree water. With the hood on, I had no averse feeling or even thought about the "coldness" of the water. Just wasn't an issue. I do think it's time to ratchet down to my 4/3 spring/fall suit.
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