Anyone tempted by the open water?

Fecking jellies were badass yesterday.

I seen a friends Strava status saying she'd to get out due to jellies at Low Rock, I went to the beach (Matello Tower end) and get stung just on my lower calfs (I was wearing a swim suit) but I'd to help a girl to the lifeguard station who was in a swimsuit but got quite badly stung on her arms and legs, the jellies tenticals were hanging off her like a web.

Other than that nothing unusual to report.

thejaguar wrote: »

Was planning on heading down tonight - do jellies hang around for long or could they all be gone in the space of a day?

I'll be honest and say I don't know.

I've been lucky in so far as anytime I've been stung its been nothing worse than the pain of a bunch of nettles but if there's loads around I'll have a think about it. But if I see a lot of Lions Mane washed up I don't go in.

Don't let posts like this scare you off, just take them as a warning that there may be more jellies than normal about, and if you swim near a lifeguard station they'll treat and advise you re. aftercare. You could even ask if there's been jellies around, I sometimes do.

new2tri19 wrote: »

This has really put me off swimming now in the sea, is there a jellyfish season!

I wouldn't be put off, tbh this is the first year I've worn a wetsuit, I've been stung but as I said no worse than a nettle sting, which turns to an itch after awhile but if you're really worried and want to stay in the sea you'll pick up a cheap wetsuit for around a hundred Euro, or you can spend many times that if you have the budget (I don't).

Lions Mane is my no-go, I've simply read too much about their sting, so when I see a few washed up on the shore I'm really reluctant to go in or I'll walk to a part of the beach which doesn't have any and take my chances there.

Alternatively the pools are re opened but from the guidelines I've seen published I just won't bother.

I've never been in Clontarf so I might drop in on my way home from work sometime and see how things are re social distancing, prices etc.

Btw if you're going in this evening I've had two texts telling me there's been no jellies all day, at Low Rock anyway so I'd imagine the beach is the same.

Went down to the Bull wall today, really didn't enjoy it. Done 600m and got out, very chopping, swimming into what felt like an offshore wind. I didn't check the sea state before heading out so I'm not sure.

I was suppose to swim with a work buddy today, but she hasn't been answering texts. Then got news that she's in an induced coma after a swim the day before yesterday, I have no idea what happened as all the news coming through is second & third hand from non swimmers.

Here's hoping.

Back to my happy place (Portmarnock tomorrow).

Seaswimmer wrote: »

I am sure most sea swimmers are aware of Dublin Bay Buoy... but just in case here is the link.

Real time sea state updates. Buoy is located about 4km NE of Dun Laoghaire piers.

https://twitter.com/DublinBayBuoy?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor

Obviously local conditions vary hugely but it gives a good general indication of current weather

Hope your swimming buddy makes a full recovery

Cheers, yes I follow Dublin Bay Buoy on Twitter thanks all the same.

No news on her yet.

**Update, out on the induced coma and off intubation and making a recovery.

batman1 wrote: »

I am hoping to get into some open water swimming this summer. I am a good swimmer and swam 4-5k a week in pools in my teens but alas, the 40s have arrived. So I was hoping to get into it with a local group. Not competitive but just for exercise and social.

The reason I messaged is for some advice on a wetsuit. I've been researching and it's a real minefield between brands etc. Can anyone advise on what to get, or indeed what not to get? My budget will be around €200 .
I was told to get orca if I can or blue seventy?

This forum is usually very quite so I'll throw in my 2 cents to get you going.

This is my first year wearing a wetsuit, I looked around and like you said its a minefield and you can spend ridiculous money, or go for a budget suit (which is what I done).

My thinking was this.

I'm a competitive Judo black belt, my Judo suits are the best in the business. I can appreciate what advantages they give me in training and competition. They're very expensive compared to what a beginner would use. And here's my decider.. A beginner wouldn't feel the advantage a very expensive suit will give them, and I thought the same about a swimsuit, ie would I feel the difference between a budget suit and a really expensive suit like an Orca and thought 'go budget, push it to its limits then advance to a suit with more features that I'd appreciate'.

If all that makes sense.

What I would say is regardless whether you're buying budget or not, get it fitted in the shop by people who can fit you.

I bought my first off the rail, and it was dreadful. It was two sizes too big for me, but I didn't know this until at least my third swim when I was in choppy sea's, my suit was full of water and I was getting f*ck around like something in a washing machine, it was a dreadful experience.

I brought it back to the shop, explained what was happening and they happily fitted me with a suit two sizes smaller and I love it.

It cost me (I think) about 130 Euro, if it has flaws as a beginner I can't find them. One of my swim partners bought the same suit and took 6 minutes off their 1km best time, which is bloody huge but they're a novice with room to improve anyway.

You will swim faster, you'll stay in longer and immediately feel the extra buoyancy. I'm wearing a 3:2 summer suit, they got a 5:3 winter suit because they feel the cold easier than I do and that was really limiting their OW training times.

Oh, they resisted getting a suit until an encounter with a jellyfish!.

I'm far from an experience wetsuit user but I hope that helped a little.