Winter Open Water Swimming Essentials

Welcome to Gear Talk: The Löw Tide Böyz and Swimrun Labs review show!

In this episode, we chat about all things cold open water swimming. We breakdown the science, strategy, and gear for swimming in the cold with a smile. (Smile optional)

Before we get into that, we have some gear updates.

Gear Updates

Just a few short gear updates this week.

Brooke tried out some curved paddles at the pool and she didn’t like them because they didn’t suit her stroke very well.

Winter Swimming Science

There are a lot of things to take into account before swimming in open water when the water temp is getting cold. Both physically and mentally, winter swimming requires some preparation. Whether it’s “cryo-gina” or cold shock, taking a measured approach while going into cold water includes walking slowly into the water, control your breathing, and wait for your mammalian dive reflex to kick in.

The mammalian dive reflex is basically designed to prioritize oxygen to the body’s most important organs and send blood flow to those organs. Adam Skolnick (previous guest of the show) wrote a book (One Breath: Freediving, Death, and the Quest to Shatter Human Limits) about freediving and spent some time explaining this reflex well.

Athletes starting to swim in cold open water should take their time to get used to the cold shock and acclimate over a period of weeks. It’s important to honor the time that it takes to make sure that you make sure that you’re being safe out there. Coldwater also makes you pee a lot more. This means that you should make sure that you’re well hydrated.

Hypothermia is probably what scares people the most about cold water. There are some early warning signs to look out for. When you start losing coordination, get brain fog, or your form breaks down that is a sign of cold incapacitation. Cold incapacitation is what most people consider to be hypothermia and swimmers should be super-mindful of their extremities while swimming to watch for the signs. Shivering in the water is a very bad sign.

The Outdoor Swimming Society is a great resource for more information about swimming in cold water safely.

Getting out of cold water and “re-warming” is very important. Your body can continue to get cold up to 30 minutes after swimming. Swimmers should start re-warming slowly and get dry and don’t try to jump into a hot shower right away.

Cold Water Gear for Open Water Swimming

This is a gear show so we listed out all the important gear from head to toe that you should consider if you’re going to be swimming in the cold stuff.

Head:

TYR Neoprene Swim Caps

blueseventy Thermal Neoprene Skull Cap

ROKA Strapless Thermal Neoprene Swimming Hood

TYR Warmwear Caps

Double up on random Silicone Caps

Earplugs:

Silicone Putty

Wetsuit:

blueseventy Thermal Reaction Wetsuit

ROKA Maverick Pro Thermal Wetsuit

Zone3 Neoprene Warmth Vest

Gloves:

AquaLung 5mm Thermocline Dive Gloves

NRS Maxim 3mm Neoprene Gloves

Booties:

blueseventy Thermal Swim Socks

Seavenger Seasnugs Socks (Brooke’s favorite)

Post-Swim:

Dryrobe Advance Long Sleeve Change Robe

Swimrun-Specific Considerations

For Swimrun, heat/cold management is super important. Luckily there are some easy ways to keep your core temperature where you need it to be. Keeping your swimcap on and not cabbing down after a cold swim can help you warm up during the run leg. Using the right gear, such as socks, can also help keep your core temperature where you want it to be. Being cold can compound over a race and if you can’t properly warm up during a run leg, cold swims can take their toll and lead to a DNF.

Another consideration is that being cold uses more energy and, as such, you may need extra nutrition to account for the additional calorie burning.

Closing Thoughts

So now you’re prepared to try to go into cold water. It’s good for you both mentally and physically so give it a shot. Good luck and godspeed.

That’s it for this week’s Gear Talk show. If you are enjoying the Löw Tide Böyz, please be sure to subscribe to the show on your favorite podcast player. You can find us on Apple Podcast, Spotify, and Google Podcast. You can also follow our meme page on Instagram and on Twitter. Email us at lowtideboyz@gmail.com with any feedback, suggestions, and/or meme suggestions. Finally, you can also support us on Patreon…if you feel so inclined.