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Thread: Is the sea warm enough to swim ?

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
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    Warkworth , NZ
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    Question Is the sea warm enough to swim ?

    Maybe a silly question, but how warm is the sea for swimming? For how long , and for which months, roughly, is the sea swimmable? Do you need wetsuits ? Lots of posts mention the amazing beaches but not much about going in the water.
    Are there good areas for snorkelling? If so, where?
    What other beach activites have people enjoyed ? We remember vast, open, beautiful, empty beaches from our year in NZ but it was 17 yrs ago, have they become busier or more used?
    Having been spoilt for beautiful beaches and swimming in warm crystal clear waters, here in Sicily, I'm hoping the same could be said of places in NZ?

    As a tag on, does anyone reckon there are beaches in Uk comparable to those in NZ? I hope the answer is no, as I need more positive reasons to persuade my OH that we should seriously consider the big move!

    Thanks,
    Carey

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Mar 2005
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    Kapiti Coast NZ (formerly US)
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    Hi Carey. I have been seeing people out swimming in the sea lately on the Kapiti Coast (a little north of Welly) in temps around 19 degrees out, which is way too cold for me. That water feels freezing! So I guess it depends on what you're comfortable with. I've seen a few guys in speedos and some kids in bathing suits and t-shirts, but some people have wet suits... you can get burned so quickly that unless you slather on the water-repellant sunscreen you might want to have a shirt on over a swimsuit.

    Beautiful deserted beaches. I see them all over the place. There are a few more people now that it's summer, but still so many beaches that are unspoiled everywhere.

    There's a great page on NZ diving/snorkelling with locations described here.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    May 2006
    Location
    North Shore
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    171

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    Average water temps are about 18-20 degrees for most of the year. South island winter temps will drop to 10 and lower the further south you go. Northland waters will get a few degrees hotter in summer. UK waters rarely get hotter than 18 in summer so it's pretty comfortable here.

    As for beach/ocean activities - you name it, they do it.

    David.

  4. #4
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    Jun 2005
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    Christchurch
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    Wow, are you living in Sicily? That must be pretty hard to drag yourselves away from... The beaches I've seen here are certainly pretty unlike any I have ever seen in the UK!! I'm in a seaside village and all activities seem to revolve around the beach. Even the brownies went on a sailing trip last week.

    Invest in a good wetsuit. Then you can go in the water at any time of year!

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Aug 2006
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    Auckland - West Midlands
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    I live in Auckland and have swum at eastern beach, the water was murky mind but had a laugh with the kids and did about 400ms on my own in just board shorts. The water felt lovely but it was a cooler day.

    We alo swam at waitekre (I think thats the spelling) down past whitford and beachlands and the water was clearer but felt really cold, it was a hot day. Had a good day mind jetty jumping.

    Have also been to a cove at Beachlands were you walked for miles and it only came up to your knees. That was fine.

    Plan on seeing a few more beaches soon and Orewa is top of the list.

    Dan

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jun 2005
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    Was Cheshire Nov 2005 Welly
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    587

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    Honestly I think the ocean is bloomin freezing LOL.

    I hate to be cold, the ocean is big and its cold, wifey says its warm enough, but she would jump in the North Sea in November (I’m not exaggerating, I’ve seen her do it!)

    I do swim in the ocean frequently and I usually wear a wet suit, (around $90 or £35 ish) you can get tiny ones for children too.

    I tend to stay in the water for between 1 to 3 hours either playing in the waves or snorkelling. Just to put this into perspective the only other person that I’ve heard complain about being cold in summer was a friend from India.

    Jump in the ocean, if you feel cold, throw on a wet suit and jump in the ocean, PLEASE then at least I wont be the only one on the beach wearing one!

    Bob

    P.S. can’t think of a beach in the UK like any in NZ….. I’d never go in the sea in the UK it’s far far far too cold in the UK for me, and that includes Devon and Cornwall.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
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    St Albans, UK > Auck, NZ
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    When the OH & I visited NZ in October 2003, we swam with the dolphins off Kaikoura. I wouldn't have done it without a wetsuit though as it was blooming cold. It wasn't too rough though.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
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    THey have had Orcas / killer whales swimimg in the bay / in Auckland. West Coast and further south you can experience the feel swim with the dolphins and penguins and seals are around most coasts of NZ. You might be able to swim 2-3 weeks of the year if you are lucky. Why I mention the abundent sealife including whale watch is the Antactartic streams brings all the krill up around the coast of NZ. The marine life is suited for the cold and now the great white shark (JAWS) off NZ waters has marine protection too. Bring a wet suit and swim like a seal :-))

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Location
    Warkworth , NZ
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    Default Seaside village, whereabouts?

    Quote Originally Posted by K&CS
    Wow, are you living in Sicily? That must be pretty hard to drag yourselves away from... The beaches I've seen here are certainly pretty unlike any I have ever seen in the UK!! I'm in a seaside village and all activities seem to revolve around the beach. Even the brownies went on a sailing trip last week.

    Invest in a good wetsuit. Then you can go in the water at any time of year!
    Yes we're on an 8 month house swap in Sicily to have an adventure as a family and we're certainly having some very different experiences! We're returning to Uk in April, but while here have time to consider where we want to live in the future. Not missing anything about our rural home in Suffolk or anything in the UK at all, we are feeling the pull towards NZ. My OH wonders whether we should try moving to somewhere near the coast in Uk first, mainly because family are missing us, (not the other way round interestingly enough!),before committing to emigrating so far away. Same decision for everyone I know........
    So where are you, having seen other posts from you, your life sounds pretty good! How did you decide on your location?
    We have 3 kids, 2 girls aged 11 and 8 ( and a keen Brownie once back in Ukl) and a son aged 3.
    Wetsuits yes, just want to know if we'd have a more pleasant experience than last August, on the beach in W. Wales, when in full wetsuits it was still far too cold and miserable!

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Mar 2005
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    I go to the beach all year round - I'm a complete surf addict. The water is definitely getting much warmer now, but doesn't really warm up enough for me to lose my wetsuit until the end of Jan/beginning of Feb.
    Good snorkelling spots include Cathedral Cove in the Coromandel, and around Goat Island near Warkworth. If you dive then the Tutakakas/Poor Knights are amazing, and it's worth doing a dive to Rainbow Warrior too.
    Water sports are big here - most of my friends were shocked that I'd never waterskiied before, as this is something they have all grown up doing. I have tried, fallen over and I prefer wakeboarding - soemthing else I'd never tried!
    I've lived in Cornwall, and I prefer the NZ beaches - there's something about the ruggedness of the west coast beaches that I really love.

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