Warmth Is The New Cool
As I was doing some important water research, I noticed a common theme among all types of water sport…it is imperative to maintain your body heat before, during and after your sport. I am sure everyone reading this can remember a time when they were out enjoying themselves in the water until it came time to get out. Because this was when you realized you forgot your Surf-fur, towel or dry pair of shorts. It only took a few minutes before the shivers took over and killed the stoke you had going. This sucks.
Since we are a water company that focuses on keeping watermen warm, we felt a responsibility to share some of the rather interesting ways we have found people staying warm in any water situation, aside from the obviousness of wearing your wetsuit. Scroll down to see tips on how to stay warm during your sport any time of the year!
SURFING:
“After shredding the gnar, hurry back to the car to begin the lengthy process of peeling off the various layers of neoprene. The first piece to go is the hood. Once it’s pulled off, wrap your hair in a super-absorbent towel before taking off the booties and the wetsuit. Cold, wet hair is the quickest and easiest way to invite a chill. Once you’re back into your thickest sweats and layers of jackets, jump into the car to blast the heat in lieu of a proper hair dryer. And bask in the success of tackling the cold Pacific without flinching for a second.”
Taken From Six Tricks to Stay Warm While Coldwater Surfing
http://sf.racked.com/2014/1/9/7625701/six-tricks-to-stay-warm-while-coldwater-surfing
“Eat root vegetables a couple of hours before you head out. Seriously. Aside from being good for you, vegetables like carrots and sweet potatoes are easily digestible and emit the heat needed to keep you warm….Layer up for the pre-session check. Your mum was right when she said layers are warm. Air gets trapped in between them and is warmed by your sweet potato-generated body heat.When you get out, have something warm and dry to change into. One of my favorite feelings is trying to pull a dry pair of wool socks over my feet with fingers so cold they feel like they’re made of wood. The anticipation of warmth is almost better than the warmth itself.”
Taken from How To Enjoy Cold Water Surfing By Surfer Magazine.
www.surfermag.com/features/how-to-enjoy-cold-water-surfing/#765jGVdk24jU3IfT.99
“…tuck your hands under your armpits while you are sitting on your board. Drink plenty of water. Studies have shown that dehydration makes it more difficult to keep the body warm. Plus, you will have more ammunition for your built-in heat dispenser unit. Meaning, its OK to pee in your wetsuit.”
The Surfer Coach by Aaron Wisewell
SWIMMING:
“After warm-up immediately get dressed as warm as you can by putting everything on. Remember as the day goes on it may not be necessary to wear everything you brought. It’s very important to understand it’s always better to be a little warmer but never good to be chilly or cold.When it’s time to go to the blocks to race remove everything you are wearing except your suit, parka, boots and socks and take a dry towel, your goggles and cap. When you are the next heat to swim keep your parka, boots and socks on until the slowest swimmer in the heat is doing their last turn. Remove your socks one foot at a time and put the socks in your boots then put your feet back in the boots or stand on your boots so your feet are not on the pool deck. As the last swimmer is finishing remove your parka and put it with your towel. When you are whistled onto the blocks or into the water, step out of your boots or off your boots onto the block or into the water so your feet stay off the cold deck. It’s important to understand that if your feet get cold and you can’t feel your toes and feet you won’t be able to affectively kick in the water. You MUST keep your feet warm at all times. Once you finish your race, dry off quickly put your feet back in your boots, wrap your towel around you and put your parka on. Go warm down, get dressed putting everything back on and see your coach to discuss your race. Go back to the team area and drink and enjoy a light snack.”
Taken From Competitive Coaches Corner By Melissa at Rio Swim Club rioswimteam.org
http://rioswimteam.org/competitive-coachs-corner-december-2011/
“Not warming up enough- Swimmers can become really paranoid at ruining their tapers in their warm up. But if you don’t do enough of a warm up, your body won’t be properly prepared to reach top speeds, regardless of how awesome your taper was. And make sure that you sprint at least 3 times during the warm-up. I typically have my swimmers run some breakouts, where they will focus on the streamline and the first few explosive strokes, then shut it down and coast into the wall.”
Taken from From 7 Biggest Mistakes Swimmers Make Before A Champinship Race by SwimSwam.com
SCUBA DIVING/ FREEDIVING:
“Many divers squander their body heat before they get wet, then blame their wetsuit when it’s gone. Gradual heat loss, feeling a little cool but not cold, goes unnoticed but adds up. Nobody travels to the tropics so they can wear a jacket, but if you dress a little too warm instead of a little too cool before and after you dive, you’ll take more heat with you into the water.
Your biggest heat loss while out of the water is likely to be during the surface interval. You’re wet, and as the water evaporates it sucks heat out of your body. Any wind accelerates the process. It’s not unusual to get colder in the air than you were in the water, which you already know if you’ve ever rushed your surface interval to get back in and warm up. The solution is to undress and towel off during your surface interval, or at least wipe down the outside of your wetsuit and put on a dive coat or even a raincoat to stop the wind, which is the swamp cooler’s fan.”
Taken from How to Stay Warm Underwater byJohn Francis
http://www.scubadiving.com/training/basic-skills/how-stay-warm-underwater
” Stick to shallow waters. The deeper you dive, the more the insulating neoprene of your wetsuit compresses—effectively making it thinner and less insulating. Breathing air under less pressure also chills you less.”
Taken from 7 Tips For Staying Warm Underwater
http://www.sportdiver.com/keywords/editors-blog/tips-staying-warm-underwater
KAYAKING
” A knit stocking hat. A lot of cold-weather paddlers think of the obvious cold-weather paddling gear (wetsuits, drysuits, paddling gloves, and so on) yet forget to pack along a standard knit stocking cap. Most people associate stocking caps with the snowy weather of Winter, but they can be incredibly valuable for paddlers at any time of the year (even in mid-Summer). Remember, you lose most of your body heat out the top of your head, so when a long day of battling waves and wind leaves you chilled to the core, a stocking cap can be just the thing to help you recover your body’s core heat.”
Taken from 8 Cold Water Paddling Tips to Keep You Warm
http://www.roguepaddler.com/coldpadd.htm
” Dressing in multiple layers allows for the kayak fisherman to adjust throughout the day to stay comfortable. The most important layer is your “next to skin” layer. A quick drying fabric that “wicks” the moisture away from the skin is essential. Damp skin and clothing transmits heat much more quickly than dry skin…Your next most important layer is your outer wind shell. It’s very important to stop the wind before it sinks into your insulating and base layers. I recommend using a waterproof and breathable rain jacket for your outer layer. The same goes for bottoms. A waterproof pair of rain pants are perfect to block wind and spray as well as for pulling a big redfish onto your lap.
In between the base layer and outer layer my strategy is to have just enough insulation to stay warm for the conditions. My favorite layers include: Fleece jacket, synthetic vest, synthetic jacket or a combination of these. I lean towards insulation layers that have a more “slick” texture so that I can retain casting and paddling mobility when on the water”
Taken from Staying Warm Kayak Fishing
“I wear the full-cut NRS Mystery Helmet Liner, so my ears and the back of my neck are covered. And earplugs, earplugs, earplugs!!! It’s amazing the difference earplugs make keeping your head warm and you’re protecting your ears from cold air, cold water and infection. The NRS Storm Hood is a warmer option, but if the rest of my body stays warm, the full-cut helmet liner usually does the trick.”
Taken from How To Stay Warm When Boating
http://www.nrs.com/safety_tips/staywarmboating.asp
Tagged: #staying warm, Brave the elements, cold, diving, fisherman, ocean, Scuba, Surf-fur, Surf-fur Ocean Adventure, surfer, Warming Gear, water, waterman
