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I bit the bullet and ordered an orca open water wetsuit (which is probably over kill given how mild the Atlantic is this time of year).
You never need a wetsuit, skins all year.
given I’m a total noob I figured I’d get used to being in open water first!
I'm a bit wary of the sea. If I were you I'd make friends with the regular locals and swim in a group.
jellybaby-
Too late, wetsuit already purchased.
I would only ever get in if there were other people already in there (at the pier, not in the Atlantic)
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I don’t wear a wettie myself, but would if I needed to be doing 2-3 hr swims in the winter. While the Atlantic coast is pretty balmy, I wouldn’t be keen to go much over an hour in winter.
Also, really get to know about the local tides and currents as early as you can. Parts of the Irish coast can be pretty fickle.
Colm89
kl
Hadn’t noticed this thread before! I’ve just moved to a house on a big beach in the west of Ireland, and having watched people swim from the pier most evenings I bit the bullet and ordered an orca open water wetsuit (which is probably over kill given how mild the Atlantic is this time of year).
It arrived last week and I’ve gotten out for lengths of the pier a few evenings. The stronger swimmers seem to swim along three buoys that are more exposed, but given I’m a total noob I figured I’d get used to being in open water first!