Water temperature

kingQuez

Are there any sites that list typical/current water temperatures for the sea? Wondering when its going to be ok to get in the first splash of the year.. race season is looming

dited

Try here. The M2 buoy is about 37 km off Howth Head but it'll still give an indication of what it'll be like in the bay. 7.9 degrees at the moment. [Puts wetsuit back in wardrobe.]

kingQuez

Was taking a quick look at the TI site, but cant seem to find details on required water temperature before a race would be cancelled or have its swim cut short? After the concern over water temperature at tri an mhi last year I'd meant to look it up before now... anyone know?

Fazz

kingQuez wrote: »

Was taking a quick look at the TI site, but cant seem to find details on required water temperature before a race would be cancelled or have its swim cut short? After the concern over water temperature at tri an mhi last year I'd meant to look it up before now... anyone know?

13 degrees - see last years thread.
http://touch.boards.ie/thread/2056619434?page=3

Think its more the temp before and after outside the water that's a factor also as if its a warm day then swim be grand.

Think that's a factor in Tri an Mhi moved to a 12pm start and also a week later this year.

Didn't sound like it was too bad for those that raced it?
The 2 laps prob helped.

Ill be in the ow in a few weeks for prep I think. Shock the systen sooner rather than later!

catweazle

Bambatta usually talks himself up every year to be in OW swimming by Paddys Day but it never seems to quiet happen like that

Clum

Fazz wrote: »

Think that's a factor in Tri an Mhi moved to a 12pm start and also a week later this year.

Didn't sound like it was too bad for those that raced it?
The 2 laps prob helped.

Oh it was bad alright! Quite a few couldn't carry on after the swim and gave up in T1. Others came back on their bikes after just a few kms of cycling.

I'll never forget how cold I was in T1 that day! I think I'd covered about 20kms on the bike before I felt warm.

The interpretation of the rule that day was 'the water temperature and air temperature are too low so we'll make the swim longer by doing two laps instead of one'. (Maybe it was my imagination but it felt like the swim was longer than 1900m)

mrbungle

Water was 11 degrees that day.

interested

catweazle wrote: »

Bambatta usually talks himself up every year to be in OW swimming by Paddys Day but it never seems to quiet happen like that

Id a quick splash without the suit Paddys day off the west coast. I wasn't in long, it was cold ... but no where near as bad as I thought it would be. That said, with the amount of snow about right now and wind direction, Id imagine it's fairly fresh in the Irish Sea. I still plan to start the acclimatisation process in the last 2 weeks of April - but seriously, enough of Winter for one year !

Begs

kingQuez wrote: »

Are there any sites that list typical/current water temperatures for the sea? Wondering when its going to be ok to get in the first splash of the year.. race season is looming

I use www.yr.no for the weather as it has proved to be fairly accurate (to the hour!) a fair amount of the time. It's the Norwegian met office website. I'm sure there is a water temp section on the site.
Generally it's May by the time sea temps are a "reasonable" temp but rivers tend to take longer to warm up.

Briando

Begs wrote: »

I use www.yr.no for the weather as it has proved to be fairly accurate (to the hour!) a fair amount of the time. It's the Norwegian met office website. I'm sure there is a water temp section on the site.
Generally it's May by the time sea temps are a "reasonable" temp but rivers tend to take longer to warm up.

Went for a swim on the first weekend of May last year and the first 5 minutes were very hard on my head/face.

Will try it again this year.

Its ok once your body adjusts a little.

Bambaata

catweazle wrote: »

Bambatta usually talks himself up every year to be in OW swimming by Paddys Day but it never seems to quiet happen like that

None of that this year for me thank god as im aiming at an October peak race rather than a May one like the last two years! I will get in by the end of this month though as ive first race end of May.

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

Bambaata wrote: »

None of that this year for me thank god as im aiming at an October peak race rather than a May one like the last two years! I will get in by the end of this month though as ive first race end of May.

Give me a shout if up my way as i also plan on getting in by the end of the month.

vigos

I found this site today which displays water temperatures for areas where the OPW has responbility for. Its mainly rivers/lakes but it does seem to have information for the sea temperature in some harbours around the country

http://waterlevel.ie/

Anyway it might help some of ye out.

mossym

vigos wrote: »

I found this site today which displays water temperatures for areas where the OPW has responbility for. Its mainly rivers/lakes but it does seem to have information for the sea temperature in some harbours around the country

http://waterlevel.ie/

Anyway it might help some of ye out.

chers for that, going to bookmark it. shows water in lough derg (Scariff reading) as still less than 7.5C.

anyone braving OW yet?

enzeder

mossym wrote: »

anyone braving OW yet?

I'd be willing to give it a shot this week or if anyone else is keen (Dublin area)?
Thursday after work? Seapoint perhaps.
Even just for 20 minutes or so...

BTH

I was surfing in Strandhill at the weekend and the water was much warmer than I expected.

pgibbo

BTH wrote: »

I was surfing in Strandhill at the weekend and the water was much warmer than I expected.

Were you sober or still drunk and unable to tell the difference?

interested

In fear of getting a ban from the mod I won't suggest there may have been a new type of tri-suit employed under his wetsuit.

:cool:

BTH

pgibbo wrote: »

Were you sober or still drunk and unable to tell the difference?

I was certainly feeling quite tender that morning.

interested wrote: »

In fear of getting a ban from the mod I won't suggest there may have been a new type of tri-suit employed under his wetsuit.

:cool:

:mad:

sconhome

I went in at Rosses Point 2 weeks ago and by God it was cold then.
NW is definitely a couple of degrees warmer than the East coast at any time fo the year though.

I suppose a wetsuit might have made a difference.

mossym

want to try and get at least a couple of weeks OW swimming in before tri athy, which will be my first, at this rate might have to pull out my old 7mm diving wetsuit and go for it.

mossym

amphkingwest wrote: »

I went in at Rosses Point 2 weeks ago and by God it was cold then.
NW is definitely a couple of degrees warmer than the East coast at any time fo the year though.

I suppose a wetsuit might have made a difference.

:eek::eek: ouch. i was cold cycling two weeks ago. ocean without a wetsuit?

sconhome

mossym wrote: »

:eek::eek: ouch. i was cold cycling two weeks ago. ocean without a wetsuit?

Was not a big swim, about 0.01m but I did get fully immersed!

Wind chill was horrendous on the body and I had a pair of tonsils for a week :eek:

scrawnybawny

yeah was beginning to worry about lack of OW at this point in the season, so after 20 miuntes of staring at the wind whipping up the sea on sunday, i eventually went in for a quick dip at Seapoint.

even with wetsuit i had to stop every few minutes to try get some blood goin in the hands and feet (mad thrashing in the water was all i could think of to manage this)
keeping the head in the water took serious effort though - talk about brain freeze!!

i came out after 20 minutes with purple hands, :(face and feet - felt like they'd shatter if i hit them off anything!!

but was buzzing afterwards and one of the obligatory 'old dears' of seapoint offered me a swig of her hot tea afterwards!!

i would have struggled to do more than 20 minutes but i'm hoping thats the worst one out of the way!

miller82

Any fear of Tri An Mhi being pulled becasue of Water Temp ?

Valentia could well be a Duathlon i hear, and the water is surely warmer down there

Kurt Godel

miller82 wrote: »

Valentia could well be a Duathlon i hear, and the water is surely warmer down there

What:eek:? Where did you hear that?

miller82

uh-oh

not saying its fact ....just heard a rumour of it at club training.

Kurt Godel

miller82 wrote: »

uh-oh

not saying its fact ....just heard a rumour of it at club training.

Make sure you scotch that rumour quickly! If we can't get in the Kerry waters, in May, with wetsuits, then we may as well give up the whole lark altogether

Kurt Godel

AFAIK the water temperature has to be 11˚C, anything under and the swim is cancelled:

Para 3:13 Tri Ireland Guidance Manual
Open Water swimming will not take place where the water temperature is less than 11°C.

sconhome

Well aparently its 10.8 degress in Loughrea today, and it is a baltic spot to swim at any time of the year.

Valentia was cold last year, but fine once you got down into it.

From that TI doc:

Modifications
If weather conditions dictate, i.e., ambient air temperature the TD can adapt the limits on wetsuit use. A ruling on wetsuit use will be made 24 hours before the start of the race, with the final ruling one hour before the start, by the Race Referee and will be clearly communicated to the competitors.
(The minimum temperature for a standard distance swim (1500m) is 12.5°c)

1. 1. Open Water swimming will not take place where the water temperature is less than 11°C.

1. 1. When air temperature, wind and/or other weather conditions call for it, the swimming course may be shortened and/or the start delayed.

Thankfully, I can't see them shortenting the swim in Valentia. :rolleyes:

RacoonQueen

12.5° must have the Tri an Mhí at risk? The 12pm start might save it I guess?

sconhome

RacoonQueen wrote: »

12.5° must have the Tri an Mhí at risk? The 12pm start might save it I guess?

Problem with lakes is all the fresh water flowing into them. Could end up with a shortened swim.

There's some detail in an ITU manual about water and air temps combined and decisions on the day by officials.

Can't exactly leave the immersion on over night. :P

Seas in the NW are generally warmer, I noticed there's a couple of degrees difference from Killiney Bay and Sligo. Does the Irish sea ever warm up?

RacoonQueen

I'm not f*cking doing it if its a shortened swim or a duathlon

BTH

RacoonQueen wrote: »

I'm not f*cking doing it if its a shortened swim or a duathlon

The words of a REAL triathlete.......

miller82

RacoonQueen wrote: »

I'm not f*cking doing it if its a shortened swim or a duathlon

wouldnt be bothered going to Meath if its a duathlon myself

enzeder

amphkingwest wrote: »

There's some detail in an ITU manual about water and air temps combined and decisions on the day by officials.

I reckon that's why the start is at midday. The ambient temperature will be enough to offset the fact that the lake will be ferociously cold.

Fazz

I didn't think Valentia was cold last year at all considering. No where near as cold as Dublin ow anyway so see no issue there at all. Such a short swim its surely v unlikely of a change IMO.

For Tri an Mhi:

It'll be grand and same as last year but a bit warmer outside hopefully eh! :-)

I do plan on jumping into this ice bath in the not too distant future.
Anyone know is it an open lake for swimming or are there rules?
Sure if I'm early enough then no harm no foul? :-)

EC1000

miller82 wrote: »

wouldnt be bothered going to Meath if its a duathlon myself

Just as well..... The race is in westmeath

I'm TO on the day (one of them anyway)... If I had to swim in it last year there's no way you're not getting wet this year!

RacoonQueen

BTH wrote: »

The words of a REAL triathlete.......

A real triathlete would do it either way and have no concern over distance. Stop bullying me. :mad:

sconhome

RacoonQueen wrote: »

A real triathlete would do it either way and have no concern over distance. Stop bullying me. :mad:

In fairness I think he's pulled a reverse, reverse, reverse psychology move on you there.

A real triathlete would be p1ssed if the swim was pulled or shortened.

Ergo you are a real triathlete, stop denying it and give into the dark arts, forget this 'running' business! :P

mossym

some definite increases coming on, couple of bouys i checked were up a degree in the last week

Kurt Godel

I was in Wicklow Harbour for about 25 minutes at lunchtime- feet and hands hurt at first, but that didn't last too long. But- the brain freeze! That took a little getting used to:D

interested

Kurt Godel wrote: »

I was in Wicklow Harbour for about 25 minutes at lunchtime- feet and hands hurt at first, but that didn't last too long. But- the brain freeze! That took a little getting used to:D

Thats awesome, well done !

after all these years they found you had one

Kurt Godel

After ten minutes my shivering was controlled enough to begin a frozen front crawl, the severe pain from an exploding immersed face only momentarily eased from the small comfort of sucking limited heat from exhaled air... my blue hands cut through the sharp water and I contemplated bailing... "Give it fifteen more minutes, think of what your coach would want you to do..."

And insults instead of praise is my reward. I'm betting those coaching certs you have didn't test "people skills"?;)

interested

Kurt Godel wrote: »

After ten minutes my shivering was controlled enough to begin a frozen front crawl, the severe pain from an exploding immersed face only momentarily eased from the small comfort of sucking limited heat from exhaled air... my blue hands cut through the sharp water and I contemplated bailing... "Give it fifteen more minutes, think of what your coach would want you to do..."

And insults instead of praise is my reward. I'm betting those coaching certs you have didn't test "people skills"?;)

I really should look at those certs - especially if you're acclimatising for a 750 swim next month by spending 25 mins in the open water. Reckon if I can stay in for around 9 Ill be fine.

Kurt Godel

interested wrote: »

I really should look at those certs - especially if you're acclimatising for a 750 swim next month by spending 25 mins in the open water. Reckon if I can stay in for around 9 Ill be fine.

Including time spent in water getting hands and feet acclimatized, splashing water on face, get breathing under control? Easy does it, don't want any shock to the system when the gun goes! Admittedly I'm probably talking through my arse, cf. brain void above.

(Timely email just now from Valentia: " time for your mandatory open water swim which should be at least 500 meters!")

mossym

my plan all along was to hold off till may and go then. first tri ever in June so figured should get in.


now realising that is next week.....hmmmmm

valerie

I got in yesterday. Spent longer getting the wetsuit on than I did in the water.

griffin100

Kurt Godel wrote: »

I was in Wicklow Harbour for about 25 minutes at lunchtime- feet and hands hurt at first, but that didn't last too long. But- the brain freeze! That took a little getting used to:D

I was going to ask you when you were starting up your midweek swims in the harbour again but I think April is a bit early for me!!!!!!