Pool temperatures early December

[THAIPHUKET]

One tends to forget that in Winter the temperatures can be rather cool here too. And this year even more so like everywhere in the world

 

What is the normal pool temperature in a large pool at the beginning of December? Any  forecast?

 

[lordblackader]

I couldn't give you an actual temperature vs the rather more generic description of cold. I usually stop swimming early-mid November due to the water temp. Experiences may vary, for example if the pool has direct sunlight or heating. 

[clokwise]

My family and I won't swim unless the water is minimum 28ºC. Which means our pool is basically only in use from late-April until early-August, and the rest of the year I'm constantly sweeping heaps of leaves out of it, keeping it chlorinated and pH balanced, repairing and replacing the pumps and filters, draining the pool after heavy rains, and generally wondering why I have a pool. It's a lot of maintenance for three months of actual use.

 

Swimming in December in Chiang Mai? Hope you're a polar bear ????

[blackshadow]

warm most of the time    thailand is hot all year round you should know this

[seedy]

Cool season prime time for bike trips.

Always book a place that has a pool.

By 1500 it is warm enuf to swim in - for me anyway.

Jumped into the Arctic Ocean one hot July day in 1976, over the sandbar where the water was shallow.

Set the bar for me re: cold water 555

[KhunBENQ]

Of course it's an individual thing how you like your pool.

And I can only speak about Pattaya.

And more than once I needed willpower to swim in the pool mid December.

During the hot months I swim in the pool before breakfast.

But not in December/January!

"Polar bears" will laugh at it but I am simply accustomed to warm pools.

And I guess Chiang Mai won't be better?

 

[arithai12]

Chiang Mai, at 700y, 50m pool about 1.5-2m deep, you can expect these temps mid-morning

-early Dec 26C

-early Jan 25C

-early Feb 24C

from there it goes up, I have measured up to 33C in Apr/May

Rest of the year about 29-30C

 

Needless to say, there are also year-to-year differences, I have seen as low as 22C.

More shallow/deep pools will have different daily thermal cycles of course, a kid's pool 50cm deep will feel very cold early morning but pleasant in the afternoon if exposed to the sun also in the cold season.

 

 

[lordblackader]

22 hours ago, blackshadow said:

warm most of the time    thailand is hot all year round you should know this

You're a clown if you believe that - this is the Chiang Mai forum, not somewhere down south. The outside temperature is predicted to get down to 17c next week in Chiang Mai city and much cooler in the mountains. The average minimum temperature in Chiang Mai city is 14 in January. 

[Paul Catton]

Almost, falls into the category as "How long is a piece of String".

 

Depends upon many variables.

 

The actual day.

December has an average of daytime temperature around 28 degrees and a nighttime temperature that can drop overnight to 10 degrees in places.

 

Exposure from the Sun to the "Swimming Pool". 

This will determine the ambient heat being retained by the water.  

 

I most always stay in accommodation with a "Swimming Pool."

Have been disappointed only on a couple of occasions from our choice of stays in Chiang Mai Hotels regarding their pools.

 

 

 

 

 

[seedy]

On 10/13/2022 at 12:03 PM, blackshadow said:

thailand is hot all year round you should know this

Tell that to my thermometer - read 6 C at 0700 on the coldest day I was riding

[Paul Catton]

6 minutes ago, seedy said:

Tell that to my thermometer - read 6 C at 0700 on the coldest day I was riding

Feet on the ground, beats any projection, similar expectations by the OP in December?

[banglay]

I made a cheap and simple solar heating system using copper micro bore pipe and a 200b solar pump (both off Lazada) and sprayed it with Matt black paint to make it more efficient at heating the water..  it doesn't make the water  hot  but it does make it bearable(ish).Before making this system I couldn't/wouldn't swim for about a 6 week period each year ,,

.

 

[seedy]

1 hour ago, Paul Catton said:

Feet on the ground, beats any projection, similar expectations by the OP in December?

Near Muang Chiang Mai where we live we see 15 C many mornings in Dec.

But as stated by 1500 daily water is bearable. Initial shock on entering but then acclimatization occurs.

Never had any problem personally.

[Hugh Jarse]

On 10/13/2022 at 11:51 AM, clokwise said:

My family and I won't swim unless the water is minimum 28ºC. Which means our pool is basically only in use from late-April until early-August, and the rest of the year I'm constantly sweeping heaps of leaves out of it, keeping it chlorinated and pH balanced, repairing and replacing the pumps and filters, draining the pool after heavy rains, and generally wondering why I have a pool. It's a lot of maintenance for three months of actual use.

 

Swimming in December in Chiang Mai? Hope you're a polar bear ????

Consider installing a few solar panels linked up to your pump for some added warmth.

[ThailandRyan]

On 10/14/2022 at 10:19 AM, lordblackader said:

You're a clown if you believe that - this is the Chiang Mai forum, not somewhere down south. The outside temperature is predicted to get down to 17c next week in Chiang Mai city and much cooler in the mountains. The average minimum temperature in Chiang Mai city is 14 in January. 

Sounds like time to wear a wet suit to swim in or get a pool heater added. Here in HH Khao Tao we swimming year around. Sure it gets nippy but then it's refreshing, except when the wind blows.

[Sqoop]

Water here in pattaya is cold in the mornings. Going from ambient temperatures of about 28c to that is a shock. 

[LomSak27]

No one can tell you the exact temperature it will  will be for early December. 

However the numbers guy from our swim group states ‘when the monsoon shifts to the non-rains, the higher-pressure atmosphere system that flows south from central Asia is dryer, not as much humidity, and by extension holds less heat’. While the days are clear & sunny, temperatures will drop during the nights. That will lower a non-heated pools water temp. String some of these days together and you have a cool pool. He uses 66 F, 18.88 C night time temp, as a line where water temp for a swimmer will be significantly affected. As a morning swimmer, I can attest his redline night temp figures are spot on.

A little-known record up north last year, it was the “longest cool season on record”. Not the coldest, the longest. This year is supposed to be a repeat and ‘more so’. It is already starting now, a month earlier than last year(!) BTW. Great weather if you are traveling, if you are swimming, Ouch.

If all you want is a quick dip, brief swim, the sun will warm it by the afternoon. Brisk on entry, but doable. 

[Lacessit]

On 10/13/2022 at 12:03 PM, blackshadow said:

warm most of the time    thailand is hot all year round you should know this

Really. Come to Chiang Rai for a swim in my condo pool, that will soon change your mind.

Last night, had the thick blanket on the bed for the first time, and it's still October.

[KhunLA]

Overnight temp range for Phuket.  Only you know if that's too cool.

Shading, or lack of during the day will make a difference.  Along with size & depth of pool.

 

Last year we were in the neighborhoods of Krabi & Phuket, and was a bit cool at first dip.  Got used to it, then after awhile, guessing a degree or so of body temp cooling and that was enough.

 

[Eleftheros]

The colder the better, some say.

 

Wim Hof, known as 'The Iceman' believes that the stress caused by cold is actually very good for the mind and body, and so takes ice baths from time to time.

 

For lesser mortals, he suggests a 30-second cold shower - the same effect could be achieved by gradually but boldly lowering yourself into the cold pool and staying still. Brrrr!

[ThailandRyan]

8 minutes ago, Eleftheros said:

The colder the better, some say.

 

Wim Hof, known as 'The Iceman' believes that the stress caused by cold is actually very good for the mind and body, and so takes ice baths from time to time.

 

For lesser mortals, he suggests a 30-second cold shower - the same effect could be achieved by gradually but boldly lowering yourself into the cold pool and staying still. Brrrr!

That's having your balls in your throat living...

[Eleftheros]

57 minutes ago, ThailandRyan said:

That's having your balls in your throat living...

True, but 10 minutes after you get out, they're round your ankles.

[blackshadow]

3 hours ago, Lacessit said:

Really. Come to Chiang Rai for a swim in my condo pool, that will soon change your mind.

Last night, had the thick blanket on the bed for the first time, and it's still October.

MUST be a mouse and not a man....

[Lacessit]

1 minute ago, blackshadow said:

MUST be a mouse and not a man....

When you get to my age, cold is unwelcome. It was actually my GF that broke out the blanket,and women tolerate cold better than men.

[Lacessit]

1 hour ago, Eleftheros said:

The colder the better, some say.

 

Wim Hof, known as 'The Iceman' believes that the stress caused by cold is actually very good for the mind and body, and so takes ice baths from time to time.

 

For lesser mortals, he suggests a 30-second cold shower - the same effect could be achieved by gradually but boldly lowering yourself into the cold pool and staying still. Brrrr!

The average life expectancy of an Inuit/Eskimo is about 13 years less than those Canadians that don't live in igloos, or go fishing on ice floes. Permit me to doubt Wim Hof has any scientific evidence to back up his belief.

[Eleftheros]

3 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

The average life expectancy of an Inuit/Eskimo is about 13 years less than those Canadians that don't live in igloos, or go fishing on ice floes. Permit me to doubt Wim Hof has any scientific evidence to back up his belief.

There have been many scientific studies done into Wim Hof's work, but I would not care to be dogmatic about the results.

 

That said, there could be many other factors affecting Inuit/Eskimo lifespan than just cold.

[Lacessit]

7 minutes ago, Eleftheros said:

There have been many scientific studies done into Wim Hof's work, but I would not care to be dogmatic about the results.

 

That said, there could be many other factors affecting Inuit/Eskimo lifespan than just cold.

True enough. Russia is cold too, but the reason for poor life expectancy there is alcoholism. With the Inuits, possibly diet.

He's 63. I'm 79, the only ice I contact is in my drinks. Interesting link.

[Saanim]

Why not to make use of the bright sunshine during the winter months, adding up few degrees to the pool water?

 

And making use of it when the water comes to 33^oC, cooling it few degrees down during night hours...

Then, no filtering/pumping during daytime, the upper warm layer - when undisturbed - "insulates" the cool water underneath, enjoying evening swimming when the body is feeling the different temperatures.  Unfortunately, only for 2 - 3 laps.     

[jak2002003]

On 10/13/2022 at 11:51 AM, clokwise said:

My family and I won't swim unless the water is minimum 28ºC. Which means our pool is basically only in use from late-April until early-August, and the rest of the year I'm constantly sweeping heaps of leaves out of it, keeping it chlorinated and pH balanced, repairing and replacing the pumps and filters, draining the pool after heavy rains, and generally wondering why I have a pool. It's a lot of maintenance for three months of actual use.

 

Swimming in December in Chiang Mai? Hope you're a polar bear ????

Are people wimps these days?

 

Just jump in and swim about, and you soon get used to the temperature....

[seedy]

11 hours ago, Lacessit said:

The average life expectancy of an Inuit/Eskimo is about 13 years less than those Canadians that don't live in igloos, or go fishing on ice floes. Permit me to doubt Wim Hof has any scientific evidence to back up his belief.

I have lived and worked in the High Arctic in Canada my whole life.

Trust me when I say that no one 'lives in igloos'.

Hard these days to even find an old timer who remembers how to build one.

That being said, I have overnighted in them on hunting trips and they work excellent.