I went to the gulf yesterday for a dip to wake myself up a bit, and I must admit that it was really cold for me.
I think the sea temp is around 65F, which is still warmer than what I did in the winter when I swam in 52F water overseas in February. I like to do these cold plunges because it helps my joints feel better and it really gives me a jolt of energy that coffee could never do. I just stay in for about ten minutes and then I go home and take a hot shower. Fireplaces are great to sit in front of after a dip like this, but if you don’t have a fireplace then a radiant heater would work just as well. I think the best thing after a cold swim like that is to get in some hot water, such as a hot tub or a bathtub, and warm the body up that way as it is much faster than sitting in front of some heat. I got hypothermia one time because I couldn’t get to a heating device in time and I also stayed in the sea for double the time that I normally stay in. Luckily a car was nearby and I was able to warm up in there a bit before the ambulance came and helped me. Now I know to come home right away and sit in front of a hydronic or electric space heater after taking a really hot bath for 30 or so minutes. I was lucky that time.