Anyone else get this?

I think it’s actually sea sickness, with the bobbing waves going one way, the visuals of the wind blown ripples going a different way and me actually swimming in a third direction. Getting out of the water is horrible; walking up the beach on way feeling dizzy and the water moving another way.

Are you on a clean beach, maybe there is sewage being discharged nearby

It’s fairly common, and yes it’s generally sea-sickness. Make sure you can breathe bilaterally, this will give you a chance to change the way your head moves and can help.

It’s a clean beach supposedly, and I feel fine ten minutes after getting out except for a mild motion sickness hangover.

I can breathe bilaterally but I’ve learned not to breathe facing the sea as that often results in a gob full of water from an incoming wave. I try not to swim too far out so there’s always some swell which I think makes it worse

Whilst we’re here, does anyone have a solution for the agonising face pain from really cold water? It’s about 10C or so here. I’ve got a cap but my face is the problem.

so to re-cap it hurts your face because it’s cold and you get sea sick?

might Sir be willing to try the local pool?

I always get my head/face used to the temp by going in for a short 2-3min dip, removing myself from the water quick dry off, then back in and swim. Seems to get the bits prepared for the cold.

I’ve tried hats/wetsuits/gloves but just don’t like swimming in them

it hurts your face because it’s cold and you get sea sick?
might Sir be willing to try the local pool?

Sounds like a plan! 😆

Whilst we’re here, does anyone have a solution for the agonising face pain from really cold water? It’s about 10C or so here. I’ve got a cap but my face is the problem.

Surfer friends of mine used to wear balaclavas during winter.

They were insane, though.

Are you wearing ear plugs? Highly recommended for open water (particularly in the sea). My old dear is 3 weeks into a bout of vertigo (never happened before). The best theory anyone can come up with is that she did a kilometre swim in the sea, and wasn’t wearing ear plugs for once

Whilst we’re here, does anyone have a solution for the agonising face pain from really cold water?

do it like the old ladies do.

Surfer friends of mine used to wear balaclavas during winter.

They were insane, though.

generally you try not to put your face in the water when surfing…

I have had to hide under my surfboard before because the hail was getting quite big and painful.

generally you try not to put your face in the water when surfing…

I try all kinds of things with varying degrees of success. Winter up here the water’s a good deal warmer than the air. I say warmer, a bit less utterly frigid. Whatever, I’ve not previously been aware of seasickness as a hazard. One lives and learns

When I said a 2-3 min dip, I think that’s a bit too long. Just a short “Ooh that’s frickin cold” one, before it hurts

For cold water swimming, I wear “large” goggles – like these…

And both a latex and neoprene cap. The latex one is pulled down so as to cover the top of the goggles.

The lochs here are still around 7-8C and I’ve been swimming (rather than dipping) for the past 3 weeks or so.

Earplugs are recommended for the sea sickness thing, though I’ve never been bothered by it.

I’ve started wearing plugs for surfing after too many infections and blockages and am now a convert. I’ve cheap decathlon ones and expensive surfears, and can’t see any difference.

Timing… Just been swimming with a pal who was telling me he used to get sea sick from openwater swimming. He wears earplugs now and it has gone.

I get dizzy in the water, but no sicky.

Surfer friends of mine used to wear balaclavas during winter.

They were insane, though.

I’m guessing that’s to stop wind chill on a wet face, rather than keeping the face warm in the water?

Because:

generally you try not to put your face in the water when surfing…

I can’t think of any time I ever surfed and my face remained dry. I’m not a good surfer, but still….

i meant not to the same degree as swimming. I wear a hooded wetsuit nov-mar as it keeps my neck warm, stops ice cream headaches from duckdiving while paddling out and stops my suit from flushing down my neck.

nothing quite as satisfying though on a decent day hitting a lull on the paddle out and getting out back with dry hair. especially if your mate is 20yds behind and gets flogged.

I don’t get sea sick but 2 or 3 practice rolls in my sea kayak will leave me dizzy.
The solution is to wear earplugs for rolling practice. Ear plugs are also useful to ward off exotoses (surfers ear)

i meant not to the same degree as swimming.

Ah ok! I thought my surfing was so poor that I was missing something about staying dry. Especially duck diving. 😀

Cold face – not a lot you can do really. Neoprene balaclava to stop ice cream head but face ache is pretty inevitable.

Sea sickness – as you said bi-lateral breathing in the sea is more about breathing to the side where you won’t get a mouthful. I do tend to get a bit of motion sickness when swimming in a rough sea, but very mild. Cold water hitting the inner ear makes me dizzy and sick so I’d 2nd ear plugs, they make a huge difference especially in very cold water.

Depending how hard you are swimming, getting out is often a problem for me too with dizziness. Pretty sure the cold makes it worse.

Reading this back to myself I’m starting to wonder why the hell I bother!

Yes, sea sickness when swimming is def a thing. I’ve thrown up a few times. A lot of cross channel swimmers really suffer from it. Actually relay swims can be worse as being in a boat that’s piloting a swimmer in a bit of a swell is a horrible place to be. A boat puttering along both rolling and pitching and also not moving forwards fast enough to leave behind the diesel smells – can be grim. So the swimmers not in the water can get proper messed up waiting for their slot and need to drop in feeling like crap and do their shift.

I remember hearing, though cannot remember where, nor do I claim this works. But apparently, for sea sickness, if you wear a single ear plug, it helps prevent it.

Not a pair, just a single.

No I dont know which side, probably wearers privilege.

+1 for earplugs to reduce sickness, as well as the dreaded surfers ear. Means you can’t hear the people yelling “shark!” from the beach though.

For face freeze, develop your getting in routine. You need to get carotid arteries cold by lying on your back starfish style to cool your blood. Then flop over, stick your face in and breathe out. Look up at the beautiful view and repeat until your face freeze goes. It’ll take 3 or 4 rotations. Then go for it, and try not to think of the kraken coming to get you.

might Sir be willing to try the local pool?

Where do you think I swim when not at the seaside? 🙂

When I am, as I have been this week, I like to give myself more of a challenge. And get more experience with swimming in my wetsuit in open water for the two tris I plan to do this year.

I puked while swimming in the sea once due to sea sickness. Not really ideal when I’d shelled our for a beautiful “swimming with wild dolphins” experience. Seemed to attract the dirty bastards though.

Yes sea sickness is a real concern sea swimming, I get a bit dizzy but as I know the cause, not overly bothered. A friend once vomited and had to be rescued in a competition.

I get a cold face, like when eating ice cream when it hurts your nose. That’s only in coldest month, I just do backstroke or keep my head out of the water.

Definitely try ear plugs. I get dizzy if I swim in coldish water without them.

I’ve got a cap but my face is the problem.

heh

I get a bit dizzy but as I know the cause, not overly bothered.

I really really don’t like nausea, apparently others don’t mind it as much. Just now on the way home my youngest asked me to stop, calmly barfed then was ok.

I can’t imagine actually puking whilst in the water!

Yeah, never heard of anyone having that problem before but that sounds awful. Good luck with the suggestions here.

Earplugs ordered, but not sure when I’ll get to the beach next.

As others have said, balaclava – Huub in my case, goes well inside the suit too and then mask type goggles and swim hat over the top of them. Only have a small bit of face exposed. Still flipping cold but not has cold as it would otherwise be. Not come across seasickness from swimming, yet, could see it can be issue with the rise and fall in the swell and the rolling. Would be unpleasant to say the least.

I bought the decathlon balaclava but really didn’t get on with it. It’s too buoyant, I suppose with a wetsuit a bit less so, but on it’s own I felt as if my head was bobbing about.

‘re the sickness I am generally ok in the sea, it’s after when I am on the beach I feel a bit sick.

Ooh yeah. After I start to feel ill and decide it’s time to get out, that’s the worst part. The water was very cloudy this week; so I’m already feeling ill, I’m trying to walk up the beach but I have to look at the floor because it’s rocky, but the incoming water is making the floor go one way, the outgoing water a different way, the wind ripples yet another way, and because I’m dizzy my brain already thinks I’m moving in a slightly different direction to where I am actually stumbling which is different again to all those other directions. Ugh.