Hah hah well done Bob, that’s a fine effort - I’ve not been since just before Xmas when twas frozen over and thus only once or twice in Dec - I need to have a chat with myself 
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Yep, all the lochs around here have been frozen for a while now. I was up at Lossie yesterday visiting friends and the sea looked amazing. I had to have a strong word with myself when I thought about going in.
But it’s hard to resist this:
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So just managed my first outdoor (Loch) swim of 2022, about 3/4 mile, bit cool but not too bad.
Few other dippers got in after me, and some got out before me, dry heads, breastroke tootlers
Now I am back home and have just put on my dryrobe…I think there’s a crimescene here, eh dryrobe police 
. In my defence M’Lady/Lud, I’m not having the heating on in the house, the car was very hot for drive back from Loch, and it’s about 3 degrees outside. If you’d like to reduce my sentence thou, promise won’t be for long, planned bike ride very soon to warm up!
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Isn’t it about time someone invented zwift for swimmers? 
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Animal that’s been living and hunting in the sea for millions of years gets hounded and killed for swimming and hunting in the sea. 
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Things are warming up a bit, are you in your budgie smugglers now @Clive?
Warming? It was close to zero this morning 
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Good god! I don’t even think about it until May time I think
Exactly. Think about it in May. Get in around July and out by the end of August.
Apart from Clive of course. He’s probably been drilling air holes in the ice.
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16th April here.
Salford Docks.
Last time I tried in April, I managed 200m before nearly having to be rescued
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I watch the regular temp checks Merchant Taylors put on Facebook. Once it gets up to 15, I’ll be there.
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This reminds me. I need to find some sort of fix for my wetsuit. I can’t afford to buy another one and it has a decent hole in the back.
Might have to go for, I think it was @Doonhamer’s advice, and sew it up with fine fishing line or something.
I’m now 8kg heavier than when I last wore my wetsuit.
It was tight then.
Not a chance now.
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Dental floss & Black Witch.
What could go wrong 
?
Here it is.
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That’s the puppy.
Cheers.
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A freind just sent me a message and I have just commited to my first lake swim of the year on Saturday before Parkrun. Water temp is currently 9 degrees.
There is still snow on the surrounding mountains, rule is if there is no snow on mountains lake is warm enough for swimming. I must be mad
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When we had our place in Chamonix, I trained for my 1st IM by swimming in Lac du Passy near Sallanches in April. Because it’s a shallow, ex-gravel pit, it warmed up quickly in the Alpine sun and the water temp was around 13C so fine in a wetsuit once you got going. The other benefit was that it’s almost exactly 1km long so 4 lengths was just about bang on IM swim distance.
Lovely swimming in the sun and looking up at the snow covered mountains around the area, including Mt Blanc.
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If there is still snow on the mountains it must mean that there is less melted snow in the lake so it must be toasty warm 
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Been meaning to point this out since the race. Sea swimming in Aus is rediculously flattering, especially as some races (that recent one included) take place in inlets = sea water but no waves.
I’m 4-5s/100m quicker in wetsuit in the sea compared to pool, whereas in the UK I was similar pace between 25m pool and lakes.
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Is that because of the added buoyancy / streamline position?
I think I’m slower in my wetsuit, probably due to no turns. I’m thinking about replacing my suit this year because the shoulders feel really restrictive and tiring.