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Water Safety
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Clothing
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Be visible in open water.
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Open water swimming has different challenges to pool swimming.
The water is colder, wind may chill you, rocks and other obstacles can get in your way.
Use robust clothing that feels good, keeps you warm and protects you from sun burn and minor injuries.
Be visible
Wear bright coloured clothes so you can be seen by fast moving traffic.
Lifeguard uniforms are easy to swim in.
You can order them from your local lifesaving organisation.
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Pick a windy day to experience windchill and how clothing layers protect you.
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Clothing Layers for Comfort and Warmth
Dress properly for existing and expected conditions.
Several layers of thin clothing reduce heat loss and thus keep you warmer than just one or two thick layers.
Extreme cold requires wetsuits or drysuits, but in more moderate conditions
you can use layers of more comfortable functional clothing.
Choose fabrics that provide warmth even when wet.
Man-made fibres are warmer than wet cotton.
Blue jeans get very cold when wet.
Cotton should never be worn in cold weather conditions because they "wick" heat away from the body when wet, accelerating the affects of hypothermia.
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Go for a swim dressed in base layer, like T-shirt with shorts or running tights.
When you come out you may feel some windchill.
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Base Layer
Start with a moisture-management layer next to the skin, a base layer that wicks perspiration away from your body.
Kokatat makes an Inner Core line;
NRS has HydroSilk and MicroLite;
Immersion Research offers a Thin Skin material.
Look for wicking, quick-drying material.
Your first layer of clothing should be skin tight.
It reduces waterflow past your skin when swimming and forms a thin water layer that warms up a bit.
Manmade fibres are better as they don't hold much water.
Materials like polypropylene and polyester tend to resist water retention best and you warm up faster after your swim.
Lycra suits are also helpful.
Cotton is very comfortable for swimming.
It soaks up lots of water and gets heavy which makes it ideal for power training in pools.
But out of the water it retains a high level of moisture and also holds water against your skin,
rapidly moving heat away from your body,
It's one of the worst materials for staying warm when wet.
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Add some mid layer clothes,
like jeans and a long sleeve sweatshirt or a jogging suit,
and jump back into the water.
Now you'll be a bit warmer but it also takes more effort to move.
Out of the water, you'll still feel the windchill, but not as much.
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Middle Layer
The middle or insulating layer is designed to keep you warm when it gets colder
and is worn over a base layer and under an outer layer.
Made from synthetic thermal fibres, it assists the movement of moisture to the outer layer.
These fibres should not absorb much water; they should dry quicky and so keep you warmer.
SmartWool and several other companies have a new generation of wool garments that don’t itch and can be washed.
They’re good under waterproof layers.
Polartec also has some new fleece products for boating and other wet sports.
Polartec Thermal Pro PowerStretch and Polartec AquaShell,
which has body-hugging four-way stretch and a windproof membrane.
Check out Kokatat’s Outer Core,
Immersion Research’s Thick Skin,
and NRS’s Mystery shirt, to mention just a few.
A snug fit is good, not too tight or too loose.
It may trap a bit of air and give you some bouyancy.
Air is a good insulator.
Fleece and wool are both good insulators, but can get heavy when wet.
Multiple middle layers will allow you to easily adjust to a change in temperature.
In warmer climates you may not need a middle layer.
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Next add the outer layer of windproof or waterproof clothes, like an anorak and matching pants, and hop back into the water.
This cuts out the windchill and turns your swimming into heavy training.
You'll soon get warmer from the exercise, while you enjoy the rest of your swim.
Wrap up in a poncho afterwards.
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Outer Layer
The outer or waterproof layer is intended to keep the elements out.
It usually has very little or no thermal properties, but should be entirely windproof.
A warm layer of air, warmed up by your body or the sun, gets trapped inside it.
If your clothes are not windproof this warm layer of air will be blown away and you'll get cold.
The purpose of the outer layer is to keep you warm, not dry.
You get wet anyway, either from perspiration or from getting into the water.
The solution is to wear windproof clothes that keep the wind off your body.
A rain jacket, anorak or a light nylon overall stops the windchill
and reduces cooling caused by evaporation when you're hopping in and out of the water all the time.
In warmer climates a breathable Pertex suit keeps various beasties off you when swimming and protects you against sunburn.
Its soft fabric dries very quickly and thus makes a nice amphibian outfit.
This outfit is great for many water sports.
Make sure it's large enough so you can move freely,
but not too large that it becomes a hindrance, especially in the water.
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