Where is the warm winter water?

[hobopacket]

Originally Posted by Saleen411

ME!....and my "boys" of course.

Haha, guess it's just me that likes the more refreshing water [emoji12]

[nhschneider]

When we were in Thailand, the water temperature hit 93°F in April.

Fair winds and calm seas.

[nautical62]

As much as I love cruising the Abacos (northern Bahamas) in winter, I have to admit they can be chilly for swimming without a wetsuit in the winter. The water in the Exumas (more central Bahamas) is notably warmer and cold front winds have usually died compared to the Abacos and Keys.

Certainly the Caribbean is nice, but you don't have to travel that far to find warmer water.

[tuffr2]

I don't mind mildly refreshing water temps. But upper 70's is prefered. Low 80's is better yet. Swimming in the keys w/o a wet suit after just a few minutes I wanted to get out. If I were to guess the water temp I would guess about 72. That is about the same temp as the many Florida fresh water springs. After 5 minutes I want out.

Sounds like the middle Bahamas is were the warmer winter water starts. That is what I wanted to know...thanks.

[roland stockham]

!!!!!! what do you mean cold - try the boxing day swim in Tenby UK with a northerly and snow in the air and that tradition is because the water is so warm there, sometimes as high as 50 deg. Can't swim locally at the moment as all the water has gone solid.
A serious answer is that once you hit the trade wind belt the water seams to get much warmer.

[roverhi]

Wish the water in Hawaii was warm enough to swim in. Hovers in the 70's for most of the year only getting into the low 80's in the heights of summer. Have to get below 10 degrees latitude before the water warms up enough to get me in the water.

[Cheechako]

The Bahamas wont get very warm till later March or so. I always used a thin skin, not a real wetsuit, or a thin farmer john neoprene there. Even after March, the skin keeps you from jelly stings, even if they are just the little thimbles, they can get you itching.

[Dave22q]

Water today 1 degree below average at 76 F. If you think that's cold you need to go south to the islands or Central America. Better yet, go to Boston or Maine for a week or two and learn about cold water first hand.

[capt-couillon]

Current water temp Boot Key Harbor... 77F Polar Bear Plunge on Sunday Jan 1st (Bring your own ice).

[tuffr2]

76 degree water is not too bad. As a kid I would water ski a lot. I had all combinations of wet suits and even a dry suit. We would start in 44 degree water in March on the 40th parallel north. Neoprene was our friend. I had a shorty, a farmer john which I used the jacket, a full set suit and a dry suit. I also had various other items to keep warm in chilly water. My fav was a neoprene jacket with thick nylon sleeves which was more flexible for water skiing the ski course. Eater skiing in a bulky dry suit was not easy but was great for early season practice.

Oh...we would water ski at sun rise in the summer weekends no matter how chilly the night was.

So I do know about cold water and really want to stay away from it. Sounds like I need a thinner shorty wet suit at least.

[jmschmidt]

Try the BVI.

[SariTimur]

They do the Polar Bear Plunge here on the 27th. There is a little slush on the surface as of last night. Water temp is 44.6. I don't think I will take part. Seward is beautiful but not for swimming.