Re: [Paddlewise] Cold Water Gear??

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Hi Bob,

I paddle in the San Francisco Bay Area, Santa Cruz and
Monterey constantly. Yeah the water can be
surprisingly cold thanks to the Japanese Current
bringing frigid water and air from far up north. I
wear a kind of bib type wetsuit, with a thin
long-sleeve polyester shirt under a semi-dry top.
Members of my club (Western Seakayers), wear a wide
combination of outfits with many of them using
complete drysuits all the time. I'm always seeking a
compromise between being too hot because of the
atmospheric temperature versus dressing too lightly
for immersion. 

To make matters more complex, weather changes can be
very quick in this area. The outfit that worked fine
at the beginning of a paddle may prove to be a
sweltering sauna or a freezing food locker in the
middle of a paddle and then suddenly change again
towards the end of a paddle.

The advice that the shops gave you is sound. We don't
spend a lot of time in the water. In fact, we practice
doing rescues as quickly as possible (I can do a
paddle float rescue, start to finish, in under two
minutes). 

Nevertheless, Northern California is one of the great
paddling areas of the world. Welcome.

Raphael
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