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Ears!!!!

Thread Status: Hello , There was no answer in this thread for more than 60 days.
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Fondueset said:
Surface temps are in the high 40s - low 50s today !!! - air temps here have been low 40s at night a few times - but the main factor here is the south wind at the south end of west grand-traverse bay. It's a deep bay and the south wind blows all the surface water out - we can get very cold temps any time during the summer when there is a persistant south wind. Huge business in artificial limbs here from the tourists unwittingly walking into the bay when there is a south wind and having their limbs freeze solid and break off.

To be more accurate the temp change is 10-15f at the surface - a bit more about 15 feet down. Last week a hood and gloves were optional! Really amazing difference - esp the visibility!

If the wind changes it could be back in the 60s tomorrow :) Not that I mind.

Holy cow. I would never have imagined. I don't think I had ever heard anything like that before, at least not to that extent. Wouldn't the surface temp be warm yet, I'm speaking in the high 50's to low 60's like it is around here. I could easily understand down under being colder.

Ryan
 
I was wrong about high 40s - Low fifties is correct - colder on the bottom.

It's a pretty intense change - though normally in the summer we can go without hoods even on cold days - with just a little burn on the top of the ears and an ice-cream headache while we adjust. I think there gets to be a kind of vertical current phenomena - that constantly brings water in and up from the deeper parts of the bay while the surface water moves out. Since the North end of the bay opens out into lake michigan - there is nothing containing it. Several days of south wind can really bring it down.

Today it was cold enough that I'd get a little numbness alot the outside edge of my hand while surfacing - until I tucked my gloves in.

It probably did feel a little more extreme than usual because I was out for a few days - but it does change alot really fast. A year ago today my daughter was diving with no suit!!!

This is a big tourist town in the summer and it's amazing to see the water packed with people one day - then the next only a few toddlers up to their knees (as you probably know - children 2 and under are immune to cold water :) ) despite very warm air temps.
 
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