So, I've been swimming open water here in Massachusetts (usually only like 1/2 mile but sometimes more) every day in lakes or the ocean for a little more than a month now, at this time last year I definitely did not need the wetsuit in the lakes... right now I _DEFINITELY_ need the wetsuit in lakes AND the ocean, even in warm spots like Rhode Island or Buzzard's Bay. I am getting ****ing sick of the wetsuit. The thing smells like pee, it's a ***** to get on, it's a ***** to get off, it's a ***** to try to get it to dry every day in time for my swim the next day (especially on rainy damp cold days nearly impossible). When the frick is it going to be swim-trunks season?
Move south if you don't like it. For me, it's never swim trunks anyway at anytime of the year. It's WAY too cold up here to ever comfortably trunk it. And no way I'd expose my skin to the sun even if I was in the tropics. Seriously, reapplying my ENTIRE body with sunscreen every hour. And I still get burnt a little even with doing that No thanks.
Depends on your threshold. Lakes maybe in 2-3 weeks, the ocean, probably a month in a half up there. I used to wait until mid July in Delmarva before even considering entering the ocean for an extended time period with no suit... 72 is my magic number, so check the historical data and see when that will be... Or just take a trip down here. Toasty warm already. 76 here in the water already, 81 if you go down to C FL. Good luck...
At least it gets warm enough to trunk it for a few weeks during summer, right? Try the PNW sometime...you *might* be able to bust down to a 3/2 for a couple of days here and there. But the water doesn't really get below 44 or 45 that often, either.
Yeah actually most of trunk season I still swim with a rashguard for an extra UV / jellyfish / lake monster protection layer. Unless it's a night-swim in a spot with no jellyfish or recent lake monster sightings. I've been thinking about trying to re-fukulate my career in order to allow me to travel arbitrarily, spend some time bumming around...
You might not like my response, I'm sure you just want it to be warmer. Rightfully so. But as Iv said before on here I always wear a suit, never trunk it. Just not my cup of tea. My father bought me something called a "hangAIR". It's basically a nice big thick hanger with a fan in it. Suit is always dry the next day. Helps out allot in the winter when surfing multiple times a day or a few days in a row. When everyone else is complaining about a damp suit I just laugh to myself. It's kinda pricey, probably wouldn't of spent the money on it myself. But after using it I have to say it's worth it. Anyone who surfs in the winter or is weird and always wears a wetsuit, which I think is just me and betty, should consider dishing out some money for this thing. I have something similar for my gloves and boots but that has a heat option. Nothing better then slipping on nice, dry, warm booties when there's snow in the ground
I wear a springy in the summer too, at least in the mornings, mainly b/c I chafe like a leper..but yeah, the rinse/dry process is getting a little old...
I hang my wetsuit to dry out my car window. Works pretty well depending on how early in the day I paddle out. It is so liberating to skin it, though. You get a significant boost in strength and stamina without that rubber holding you back. To cut down on the stink, do what other's have said; dry it, don't pee in it, wash it with just a little detergent or by hand.
Think the ocean is cold? I just went up to my parents house on lake winni. Water in the lake is colder than the ocean as of right now. Absurdly cold. Went to put in his dock posts and whips...felt like my legs were going to break in half. I didn't see it coming, figured it would be a bit better than my trip to Salisbury the other day. Nope. Not so much. I feel you, this place is a nightmare. Thus, I'm moving to FL. Today, the water temp at Sebastian inlet is 81. 81.....it's 81. In the water. Where the fish are. It's broken 81 air temp here maybe 4 times since spring sprung. I will not be looking back once I'm down there.
If there were waves here when it's warm, I'd put a springy on too for the nip and thigh rash guard. I'd fill a gallon gatorade jug full of water and put it on the top of my van while out for a toasty bath when I return.
The gallon jug thing is a good idea for summer. It's also tricky cuz my schedule is like, swim after work most days, which means I need to bring my wetsuit to work / it can't just hang drying in 1 place in between uses, it has to go from my car to my apartment, back to my car, into my office, back into my car, onto my body, back off my body and into my car again... like i'm moving a wet smelly peesuit frickin 7 times a day and that includes multiple sets of stairs/doors/etc.
I like my wetsuit... When I wear the wetsuit= less summer pros and better waves... At least the water temp never drops below 55.... That is in Belmar anyways
Are you guys joking!?!?! I don't know if it's just my young thick skin or you guys thin old skin but i trunk it from begginning of July to about the 5th of september. May 10th in LBI the water was 53 and I was wearing a 3/2 no boots. Oh ya, and there's a lake across the street from my house that I just swam in yesterday and it's easily trunkable.
It's not about the cold. It's about hitting puberty and growing body hair. I used to trunk it when most wore suits. Then I got older, my legs got hairy, wax plus inner thigh hair isn't nice.
