Dizziness & Trouble focusing during OWS- Should I be concerned?

Last week my pool was closed & since I am under three weeks until my HIM I was needing to swim. Combine that with a wetsuit that had not be tried out yet and you get the first OWS of the season. (My first ever in a wetsuit.)

Meteorologists in this area are saying our weather is about 6wks behind schedule. Getting temps above 70 has been more miss than hit, but there have been a few days.

Anyway, I knew the water would be cold. I'm just unsure if maybe it was too cold.

I did as instructed allowing some water into the suit before zipping it up, doubled up my swim-caps, etc. Upon putting my face in the water my body assumed I was suicidal & decided inhaling was the proper response. I've heard this is an issue w/ cold water so of course kept myself from breathing water, thankfully. I took a few strokes, but realized I would need to stand in the water for a bit and let my body adjust to the cold.

The second attempt to put my face in the water & swim was better. I picked a point to swim out to. Everything was going relatively okay until I realized how dizzy & disoriented I was becoming the further I got out. Had a hard time getting shore to look in-focus, not blurred, and things were kind of swirling.

Once I reached the shore at the point I swam out to I stood up in hopes to shake off some of the dizziness, it helped some. Arriving at the shore I originally set out from I was still feeling off, but not as bad.

I know I wasn't overexerting myself. My breathing was my normal 2-3-2 pattern. The water in the wetsuit warmed up quickly & I wasn't shivering badly when I reached either shore.

The part of the lake I swam wasn't wavy, but there were 20-25mph winds.

Has this happened to any of you before? Any ideas what it could have been?

I'm not a triathlete (and not much a swimmer either :p ) but a couple of things did sound familiar. Yesterday I tried to swim a bit in fairly cold sea water, and even though I've got a whole lot better at breathing properly when swimming, the cold def. made me suck in(gasp in water as soon as I'd finished exhaling. Disconcerting.

And cold air on my head in winter makes me get a bit dizzy and disoriented sometimes. It's not unusual for me to get to work in winter and feel like my head's not all there yet.

OWS is an entirely different animal, especially when it's the first of the year, first in a wetsuit, and cold water - I almost got a bit seasick on Sunday morning - but do take care and perhaps swim with a buddy next time (yes, you can't drown in the wetsuit but better safe than sorry?)

Whenever you get into cold, cold water- your body freaks out a little (gasping, etc). I'm sure what you felt was "normal" in that I'm sure it wasn't something to be worried about. I've done tris for 4 years, and every time I do open water swims at the start of the season, my first one is always HORRIBLE. Try it again and see how you feel- and never swim alone if at all humanly possible. Even in a wetsuit- things can go wrong. :)

Cold water hitting the eardrum stimulates a response in the inner ear that will give you vertigo. Your response was perfectly normal.

(Squirting cold water into someone's ear used to be one of the tests for brain dysfunction in coma patients. If their eyes didn't move back and forth you knew they had some very serious deep brain dysfunction. Or if you ever just want to make someone puke, you can squirt very cold water into their ear. Just sayin'...)

If you go out into cold water again you might want to try wearing earplugs. That will keep the cold water from hitting the eardrum and making you dizzy.

I am just a little curious what you heart rate was when you dipped your face in the cold water. Weird stuff happens when parts of the body are chilled, as previously mentioned with the eardrum.

Thanks for all the of the input ladies. You are so helpful! :D

I'm thinking the eardrum thing might have been it. I tried out the wetsuit again for an OWS on Wed. and being mindful of how much water got into my ears seemed to help! I was able to swim about a mile very comfortably.

The only part that made me uncomfortable were a few reeds that got tangled up in my arms & I also have this strange fear of seeing the lake bottom. I'd much rather just see water rather than sand & weeds. It's odd.

I'm working on getting over that. What is so scary about the bottom of a lake? No idea, but apparently my brain thinks there is something. :rolleyes:

bah, I got dizzy today as well.

OTOH, I had an entire lane in a 50m outdoor pool to myself. Me, myself, and my wetsuit :D

Just a little aside here, surfers actually get calcium buildup and can even get upper ear canal occlusions from the cold water. I know there are ear plugs out there with these little holes in them so you can hear but that the water can't get through... let me have a look and see if I can find them...
http://www.proplugs.com/
Google is so great... I know a bunch of kayakers and they all use these. Funny, I never thought about them for OWS; maybe I'll get some myself.

I learn so much reading this board. I never knew that cold water hitting your eardrum could make you ill. The earplugs is a great suggestion.

Roxy, who really can't imagine getting into cold water for any reason, even in a wetsuit - this whole tri thing could be a real challenge