For the first winter swim of 2013, I decided to hightail it on down to the south wall at Montrose Beach. And that turned out to be the best possible spot given a very vigorous east wind that made most of the lakefront unswimmable.
The lake temp came in identical to the air temp – both at a brisk 33F. Fortunately, the ladders were clear of ice, so getting in and out was no challenge at all.
It was just me initially, so I climbed down into the water and started swimming east with the current. Shortly after, Martin showed up and joined me in the lake.
We swam westward into the current for about 1/4 mile before heading back. Although we had some decent sized swells, they were pretty easy to navigate since we were nowhere near the shore area where they were breaking.
I got out as soon as my fingertips started to get uncomfortably cold. After I changed out of my neoprene, I went back to the lakefront just in time to see Martin do a quick swim without a wetsuit. Kudos to him, but I’ll wait until next time!
Swim entry point – complete with my morning coffee
Martin arrives!
In-swim shot
Foggy vista
Blue skies – for an instant
Martin in the lake for an encore
Back on dry land
Swim video clips!
Oh my – this is amazing; swimming in the balmy Lake Michigan in winter.