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how long can you stay in the water??

Posted:
Sun May 06, 2007 8:53 am
by cow
it was fine day with water and air temperature both 22.
After I stayed 2 hrs with my bodie, it was freezing and couldnt stay anylonger. is it supposed to be that cold after 2 hrs?


Posted:
Sun May 06, 2007 8:54 am
by drowningbitbybit
Not if you're in the right wetsuit.
**edit**
Hang on... water temp 22 degrees? Where were you surfing?
Water temp 22C, you should be okay in a pair of boardies for hours.

Posted:
Sun May 06, 2007 8:57 am
by cow
I was at Bondi. Aus.

Posted:
Sun May 06, 2007 9:05 am
by drowningbitbybit
Ah, right.
I was there a couple of weeks ago (ha ha, I love saying that) and stayed in the water for a couple of hours in boardies and a thermal rash vest for a couple of hours with no problem. But Im used to much colder water (about 9 degrees at the moment)
Were you in a wettie?

Posted:
Sun May 06, 2007 9:26 am
by surfdaisy06
In the freezing North Sea I usualy saty surfing fo 2-3 hours. Then i satrt shivering and decide to get out

Posted:
Sun May 06, 2007 12:50 pm
by Jimi
Cow, it's been steamer weather in sydney for the last couple of weeks. 2-3 hrs should be ok if the wetsuit isn't too big for you.

Posted:
Sun May 06, 2007 1:12 pm
by nsidla
I basically always stay in the water as long as I can without making it to the point of shivering so much that I am unable to paddle, stay on my board, and catch waves.


Posted:
Sun May 06, 2007 1:50 pm
by Surfing-Innovation
Water temp of 22 degrees and you're saying it's cold????
18 degrees is about the best we get, and I'm too hot in a 3/2 at that (and I'm a wuss) - got to be boardies and rash vest temps.........

Posted:
Sun May 06, 2007 1:54 pm
by bluesnowcone
right now i can go in the water in a 5/3 and stay in until i physicly cant surf anymore, only thing is their isnt any surf, but finger crossed its looking to bo a good week

Posted:
Sun May 06, 2007 8:15 pm
by tomcat360
Summer time I've stayed in for like 8 hours once. Didn't really surf the whole time, haha. Just chilled in the line up for a while.
Water was around 85 (about 30 deg) . Air like 95-100
That was pretty much just to see how long we could stay in, haha.

Posted:
Sun May 06, 2007 8:19 pm
by passion_of_the_crest
ahh bondi...you can make it there without a wettie for another few weeks or so i reckon...i used to live in that brick tower right above icebergs...2 campbell's parade...know it? i miss that view.

Posted:
Sun May 06, 2007 10:49 pm
by dougirwin13
Hold up people.
You can get hypothermia and die in 22C water.
Soak in water that temp for long enough and your body's core temperarture will drop below the critical 32C and you will eventually die.
Also consider the individual variation in subcutaneous fat and prevailing winds. If someone has very little body fat and there is a fair breeze they might find they can't spend that long in the water.
Still, 22C is pretty warm in my books. When it's that warm here I can stay in the water until hunger and/or thirst drive me in... Then I go back out again
-doug

Posted:
Sun May 06, 2007 11:42 pm
by tomcat360
Yup, I've seen someone get hypothermia in a warm lake in July here.
Real skinny guy, pretty much did everything you are not supposed to do to get hypothermia.
Is the core temp of a body in celcius 32? So nice and even.....98.6 for us.

Posted:
Sun May 06, 2007 11:48 pm
by RJD
tomcat360 wrote:Is the core temp of a body in celcius 32? .
nah, around 37 degrees celcius (36.1 to 37.8 is OK ish.)

Posted:
Mon May 07, 2007 5:31 am
by dougirwin13
Correct. Stage 3 hypothermia, clinically speaking, begins when core temperature drops down to 32C or less.
-doug

Posted:
Mon May 07, 2007 1:08 pm
by Ellie
I think it depends on your own circumstances....wind especially, like doug says. Also, if you were really tired then that always makes me cold. Or if you weren't catching too many waves.
I don't think its too much to be worried about, just make sure you hop out when you do get cold (no hypothermia please!) and have a nice warm cuppa.....

Posted:
Tue May 08, 2007 8:51 am
by cow
well my only concern was that if i feel more cold than other pple, i would go for thicker wettie. and looks like i do. ahaha thanks guys for your tips.


Posted:
Tue May 08, 2007 9:30 am
by tautologies
with a good rashguard against the sun....and some serious sunblock on my head / neck /arms etc...the only limiting factor is whenever I get too thirsty for a smoothie
a.

Posted:
Tue May 08, 2007 12:53 pm
by ^*^BATMAN^*^
I used to teach swimming lessons in a pool. A few times I had to kick the tother instructors out of the pool because they were shaking they were so cold. Even though the water may seem warm, after awhile it will zap all your energy trying to keep your body warm. Make sure you have food in you to keep your body fueled, and come out of the water ever little while to warm up.
I think also it has to do with climatization. I am used to water being like 40 degrees(about 1c), or less. When it gets up to a nice balmy 10c or so, that is awesome, almost time to trunk it then. If I was in OZ(it is fall right now), I would be used to far warmer water.

Posted:
Tue May 08, 2007 1:38 pm
by essex sucks
as long as i want as long as i can still surf