The Great Fjord Swim Galway....

mad m · 25-09-2012 8:51pm #1

Thinking of doing this, but have to wear a bloody wetsuit...Gave one a go last weekend but by jaysus my arms were hanging off me with it on...

Now I'm thinking of not doing it. Its strictly wetsuit only.

Whats the best thickness to get for this type of swim? Have a few mates were I could get a loan of one or have been told I could rent one, but where in Dublin could you rent one for a weekend?

Its on 13th October.

http://thegreatfjordswim.com/

cjt156 · 26-09-2012 11:28am

Swimming specific suit is what you need, try triathlon shops like wiggle, chainreactioncycles, cyclesuperstore or amphibianking. Some of these rent, but you need to put down a sizeable deposit.
I got an excellent speedo delivered from crc on sale that I've used in several races - fit is crucial. A surfing wetsuit will be like an anchor.

promethius · 26-09-2012 11:33am

if you're getting loan of a surfing style one a 3/2mm summer suit would be adequate. water's still warm, was surfing at the weekend and it felt toasty so that won't be an issue on the day.

they're not using chip timing so will be interesting to see if they successfully record everyone's times considering there's approaching 300 entries. i hope so given the price.

ThOnda · 26-09-2012 10:37pm

That looks fantastic. Already trying to organise car-pool to get there.
I am idiot, so I am swimming in surfing wetsuit and hoping to loose a bit more weight before next season, to buy a swimming one.
What I have found after couple of swims in the wetsuit (3/2mm) is that I am tired like after swimming 1/3 more without it. And because I have fat arse, I have to lover my head a bit, to get my legs deeper into the water. When swimming, I am almost not bending my elbows when raising them from water.
As I said above, an idiot

cjt156 · 27-09-2012 11:19am

While a thin surf suit is better than a thick one, it won't have the same flexibility in the shoulders as a proper swim/tri wetsuit, meaning it'll be really tiring to wear. Even a half decent suit will be a fair amount to shell out for but its well worth the investment IMO.

That fjord swim does look great, overheard people talking about it at the Glendalough event, I'd love to do it but its literally the other side of the country and I've used up all my brownie-points.

paddy no 11 · 28-09-2012 3:04pm

General question

30 lenghts of the pool (25m) translates to 750M but i'm sure the open water swim is much tougher - what distance would you say would be appropiate in the pool to translate into an open water 750m.

Any advice appreciated.

Have a 4/5mm wetsuit, probably be murder, right?

ocisorrenta · 28-09-2012 11:00pm

Open water isn't necessarily tougher than the pool. First of all the sea gives you more buoyancy, then the wetsuit gives you even more buoyancy and then there's the movement of the water, which can often be propellant rather than stalling.

mad m · 29-09-2012 8:08pm

Just another question as regards to wetsuit....If I get a one of those tri wetsuits without the arms is it considered ok to use?

promethius · 30-09-2012 12:37pm

mad m wrote: »

Just another question as regards to wetsuit....If I get a one of those tri wetsuits without the arms is it considered ok to use?

gunshow

i'd say it would be grand, they didn't specify a certain type of wetsiut, ie full steamer or thickness etc. at the same time it might be worth dropping a line if you're worried about it, just so you're not stressed before you start.

MyWebPersona · 01-10-2012 9:56am

I wouldnt worry about it sleeveless wetsuit will be fine and probably better for someone like yourself as you wont have to adjust your stroke to avoid shoulder fatigue.

I would say they have made it wetsuit only as they will be catering for all levels of swimmer and it gives everyone a chance of taking part.

Looks like a great location would like to do this one myself but other plans for that weekend.

littlebug · 01-10-2012 7:13pm

I got an email today saying they're doing wetsuit rentals. I can't decide whether to rent on the day or buy one in advance.

I'm doing the 750...just want to make it to the other side alive before the cutoff time

promethius · 01-10-2012 8:34pm

littlebug wrote: »

I got an email today saying they're doing wetsuit rentals. I can't decide whether to rent on the day or buy one in advance.

I'm doing the 750...just want to make it to the other side alive before the cutoff time

i'd check if the suits are new that are being rented or already used. then weigh that against the normal price in shop or whatever. big big difference between a used suit and a brand new one for these swimming ones.

i've swam and raced in zoot, orca and sailfish. didn't like the sailfish one bit but that's just my opinion of course. material felt cheap for the price, didn't fit well at all.

and of course good luck too!

mad m · 01-10-2012 8:46pm

To me it seems a lot for rental, I may be wrong. Have never swam competitively in a wetsuit. But if your never going to do another swim like it then hey go for it. You have the option to buy and your deposit fee buys it if you want to keep it, I think that's the gist of it..

Also I wonder if they are used or new suits....

sailfish Vibrant: €50 fee, €150 deposit.
sailfish Attack: €80 fee, €220 deposit.
sailfish One/G-Range: €100 fee, €300 deposit

Edit: beaten to it.....

littlebug · 01-10-2012 10:39pm

mad m wrote: »

To me it seems a lot for rental, I may be wrong. Have never swam competitively in a wetsuit. But if your never going to do another swim like it then hey go for it. You have the option to buy and your deposit fee buys it if you want to keep it, I think that's the gist of it..

.

Yeah I think I'll shop around a bit over the next few days. I like to think I'll do more swims so it makes more sense to invest.

MyWebPersona · 02-10-2012 10:17am

Those rentals look pricey would make for a very expensive day renting a suit for €100 plus entry travel etc

Having said that those prices if they are new suits and you like them and want to buy are pretty good.

Equivalent on wiggle prices are

sailfish Vibrant:€299
sailfish Attack: €383
sailfish One: Approx €500
G-Range: €688

Never used sailfish so no idea what they are like have 2 orca suits and they fit me nicely.

promethius · 02-10-2012 11:55am

could make sense to borrow something just to get through killary, then during the winter keep an eye on wiggle etc, they do good deals on this years stock in limited sizes etc but there will definitely be bargains. you won't be using it through the winter anyways, this is the end of the line in killary for most swimmers until next summer.

paddy no 11 · 03-10-2012 10:12pm

Those purchase prices are steep versus a surfing wet suit. would have thought they'd have been cheaper. be tempted to knock the arms of my surfing one as i rarely use it anyway.

cjt156 · 04-10-2012 11:16am

Those are steep but the higher end of the market. You can pick up a perfectly good entry level suit for less than EU150 delivered if you watch the sites mentioned above for offers.
Yes, you take the chance on sizing, but with any internet purchase you have the right to return for full refund.

promethius · 04-10-2012 11:25am

this is a little thinner on the neoprene (suits some people) but is a good example of the value that can be out there. get two about the right size and send back the less of the two fits, i've done this before with stuff on wiggle. no probs.

sconhome · 04-10-2012 6:43pm

paddy no 11 wrote: »

Those purchase prices are steep versus a surfing wet suit. would have thought they'd have been cheaper. be tempted to knock the arms of my surfing one as i rarely use it anyway.

A triathlon or open water wetsuit is not comparable to a surf suit. The neoprene used in a swim suit is of a much higher grade than most surf suits. It is far more flexible to avoid damage mainly to the shoulder rotator cuff muscles but also to ensure a better figure hugging fit which reduces drag in the water.

Cutting the arms off a surf suit is fine, but you will find the weight of the suit and lack of buoyancy may create drag in the water, meaning you will be working so much harder than necessary to keep you body position in the water.

promethius wrote: »

this is a little thinner on the neoprene (suits some people) but is a good example of the value that can be out there. get two about the right size and send back the less of the two fits, i've done this before with stuff on wiggle. no probs.

The TRN is an excellent value suit but is a different quality to an entry level suit swimming wetsuit. The TRN is a training wetsuit designed to increase drag in the water by not having SCS or 39 cell yamamoto neoprene. It is aimed at experienced swimmers to use as a training suit which they would then change into their faster race day suit and gain an advantage.

promethius · 05-10-2012 12:05am

amphkingwest wrote: »

A triathlon or open water wetsuit is not comparable to a surf suit. The neoprene used in a swim suit is of a much higher grade than most surf suits. It is far more flexible to avoid damage mainly to the shoulder rotator cuff muscles but also to ensure a better figure hugging fit which reduces drag in the water.

Cutting the arms off a surf suit is fine, but you will find the weight of the suit and lack of buoyancy may create drag in the water, meaning you will be working so much harder than necessary to keep you body position in the water.

The TRN is an excellent value suit but is a different quality to an entry level suit swimming wetsuit. The TRN is a training wetsuit designed to increase drag in the water by not having SCS or 39 cell yamamoto neoprene. It is aimed at experienced swimmers to use as a training suit which they would then change into their faster race day suit and gain an advantage.

hey i missed that bit, it says its got good durability for training but it doesn't say any drag is intentional? perhaps the result of it being a cheaper suit? loads of positive reviews on wiggle from first timers using it anyways.

i'd love to get one of these actually, my body posn without a suit is very high in the water so the decreased neoprene of this would be interesting. the other thing it might do is allow slightly more bearable winter training in suit in the pool! ie a bit cooler

promethius · 05-10-2012 12:06am

cutting the arms off any suit isn't a great idea either, the suit won't be designed to clamp down at the underarm (where it will be cut) meaning you're going to be flooded with water. even the suits designed to be sleeveless can often have fit issues.

sconhome · 05-10-2012 1:26pm

promethius wrote: »

hey i missed that bit, it says its got good durability for training but it doesn't say any drag is intentional? perhaps the result of it being a cheaper suit? loads of positive reviews on wiggle from first timers using it anyways.

i'd love to get one of these actually, my body posn without a suit is very high in the water so the decreased neoprene of this would be interesting. the other thing it might do is allow slightly more bearable winter training in suit in the pool! ie a bit cooler

Thats exactly it. I gather you're fairly strong technically as a swimmer so you would see the most benefit from training with one & probably not notice the lack of featured that would hinder a beginner.

Essentially by stripping out all the features of a middle to top end suit you get the TRN as a result without the costs of 40 cell neoprene, catch panels, buoyancy, roll panels etc.

The drag is intentional but not highlighted as a feature, its more a result of the lesser grade neoprene and lack of SCS coating like other tri wetsuits. Chlorine resistant so perfect for pool training.

I'd highly recomment it for competent swimmers looking to challenge their technical ability in training but would not recommend it as an entry level suit or for weaker swimmers.

Emeraldy Pebbles · 09-10-2012 11:56am

Killary Harbour is between Galway AND Mayo. Sorry, that just always pisses me off. :pac:

promethius · 09-10-2012 6:55pm

the waves are up now
set aside the 750m, and i'll predict kevin thornton to take the mens, sarah english for the ladies

ThOnda · 09-10-2012 9:09pm

As requested, I am in the second wave. No rush, just to survive and enjoy the scenery. And hopefully don't get pulled out of water by the sweeping boat.
I've got friends to come for the weekend with me, so it could be a nice trip. Hopefully the weather is nice (no snow).
I'll be the idiot in blue surfing C-Skin wetsuit, feel free to smack me on the head

mad m · 09-10-2012 10:27pm

promethius wrote: »

the waves are up now
set aside the 750m, and i'll predict kevin thornton to take the mens, sarah english for the ladies

I'll put Gabriel Byrne down as first over 50 in.....

promethius · 09-10-2012 11:14pm

are they doing AG results/prizes?
huge numbers entered for it, its really caught swimmers attention

mad m · 10-10-2012 6:32am

promethius wrote: »

are they doing AG results/prizes?
huge numbers entered for it, its really caught swimmers attention

It said on their site, 1st to 3rd prizes only, then first master in....that's all. 147 swimmers going off at once. Will be some show alright.

munsterbear · 11-10-2012 10:54am

Hopefully won't be caught by the sweeper boat myself.

And God willing we won't be against the current.

ThOnda · 11-10-2012 9:13pm

I am counting on the coming tide (begins to come in before 10:00), to drift freely to the finish. For my second wave, it should be easy sailing. Or drifting? ;-)
Woke up with sore throat today, it will be fun. Still two days to recover

The Great Fjord Swim Galway....

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