shivering after sea swim

novarapid

just looking for advice on how people deal with the cold/ shivering after sea swimming, was in yesterday for about 20 min in wetsuit, felt fine however when i got out i spent a few minutes talking and started shivering even though i didn't feel cold as such.
this happens me all the time even on hot sunny days, last week after swim i went into sauna and was shivering inside in the sauna. I generally try change as soon as possible which helps but is not always possible. anyone else the same or offer any advice

mossym

when you say you were shivering in sauna, does that mean a pool swim, and you were shivering after that? (otherwise, where is this location with a sauna beside the sea

before my triathlon days i spent my weekends scuba diving. getting warm is even more important when you have been completely submerged, with little movement, and getting "out" of the water is usually climbing into a rib and sitting there in the cold.

most important thing is the wind. get out of it. the drying action of the wind will cool you down and draw heat from your body. get out of the wet clothes and get dry asap. dry and a tshirt will be better than wet and a thick layer or something wet. lastly if it is your core that is getting cold, consider having a flask with hot coffee/soup ready to drink when you come out.

lastly, something like this may help, i had a poncho style one while diving, not exactly like this, but it worked really well

https://dryrobe.com/

novarapid

mobile sauna called Bosca Beatha twas down in Garretstown, Cork. but it moves around to different locations. have a swim, into sauna and back into sea to cool down its very enjoyable.

just very annoying to see other people being fine after a swim chatting and in no rush to get changed.

Macy0161

How often do you open water swim? My not expert opinion, but as someone who's read up on it, is that its building up the time gradually and the body adjusting. I've never really had an issue in the wetsuit, but have really struggled in going skins, hence the reading up!

novarapid

I swim a good bit, a few times a week usually with a wetsuit. I did 2 weeks swimming in skins every day, so thought that would help build up my resistance but didnt work. i'm fine in the water just when i get out I start shivering

kierank01

Is this shivering a new thing for you? If so, I would suggest seeking professional advise.

Take a look at this article
https://loneswimmer.com/2014/12/03/what-is-peripheral-vasoconstriction/

there is something known as afterdrop, which is after you get out of the water, your body says, 'ok i'm not so cold anymore', and the blood restriction close to the skin will stop, this has the effect of allowing cold blood into the core of your body, lowering the temperature of your core, causing you to start shivering.
Going into a sauna could accelerate this afterdrop.

Best suggest is to have a warm drink ready for when you get out, and change into layers of warm dry clothes.