Tuesday, February 1, 2011

gloves


I got a full-body wetsuit for Christmas so I could swim in the water this winter (as opposed to taking a 15-second screaming jump in, which still feels nice but doesn't last very long). The wetsuit is great, but the gloves I chose were too thin. They're basically bike gloves. I couldn't stay in for long because my hands got numb fairly quickly.

So last week I bought thicker gloves and it's amazing how much more comfortable I am. You really do lose a lot of heat out of your hands - especially when they're surrounded by water, which conducts the heat right off of you.

Yesterday I swam across the cove, like I was doing 2-3 times a day last summer, and was surprised at how much harder it was. Maybe it's harder to swim in a wetsuit, but I think it's more that I'm out of shape. If it wasn't for the floaty wetsuit, I would have been pretty scared on the way back, because I was suckin' wind pretty hard. Fortunately, a number of cars stopped to watch (including the local police car), so if anything happened someone would have been there to help. But I think it would be impossible to drown in a wetsuit - you can just float there.

It sure is nice to lay on my back in the middle of the ocean and watch the raindrops hit the water.

2 comments:

  1. Last year, over the xmas break, I went surfing in Tofino. I used the same thickness of suit as I do here in SF with the addition of gloves, boots and a hood. We stayed in the water for nearly 4 hours without getting out. I was shocked at how awesome good gear can be. I actually felt warm water moving around in my suit. I didn't have to piss once. I have my own wetsuit now so I'll join you for a swim one of these days.

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  2. Right on, Andrew. Or even better - some surfing. Bring yo' baby out to Gabriola sometime!

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