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I wear a 5/4 all summer but prefer a dry suit when it's below 12 degrees or another trick I descovered is to wear a rain jacket/wind breaker over the wetsuit when it's super cold. Such as a northface jacket or similar. Really helps keep warm.

Went for a dip yesterday with 4/3 5mm boodies, 4mm gloves and 3mm hood and was fine.. face was pretty cold with the wind hitting but i assume thats normal.. water temps just under 50

Keep in mind you gotta be warm enough to last a good 20 min of swim

If you just dipped in for a couple min you have no real idea of the cold deadly reality that is the Great Lakes in spring.

You may get away with being underdressed for a good many sessions, but it only takes one breakdown to put you in real danger.

6/5/4 with hood or dry suit, both with decent gloves and boots. A fall suit is playing Russian roulette once the water temp is real cold.

Starsky wrote:6/5/4 with hood or dry suit, both with decent gloves and boots. A fall suit is playing Russian roulette once the water temp is real cold.

that will make me sweat in 50f water so much I won't be able to swim. 654 is ok if you are a tiny little guy about 175 but if you push 200+ you don't want that much, a 43 is better if you are a large lad.

Lake Ontario is currently 39 degrees F. Lake Erie is only 32.

http://www.erh.noaa.gov/buf/laketemps/laketemps.php

Starsky wrote:Lake Ontario is currently 39 degrees F. Lake Erie is only 32.

http://www.erh.noaa.gov/buf/laketemps/laketemps.php

seems alot warmer def too hot for a 654 but I'm on the west end of lake Erie

Point taken... I was off on the temps. Even though I'm talking lake st.clair its still just around 39F if my source is legit. Having a hard time finding readings of st.clair temps online.

the "passing ships" should have a reading for lake st clair, I think it's above 40 but it feels warmer

I just went out on east grand traverse bay, ice on the shore... Blowing 15-25 knots, air temp 40, heavy rain sleet and snow to mostly cloudy, water temp 34(tops).. I wore a 4/3, with 5mm boots and hood, 3mm gloves, a 2mm core rash guard under my suit and I was sweating at times. I went for 2 hours and never felt a hint of chill until I sat on a bech for a couple beers while my kite dried out. Of course we are really lucky because the bay doesn't get much more then belly button deep for a long ways out and we can keep in the shallows.