Transitioning from pool to ocean

During my peak training months, I include transitioning from swimming in a pool to open water (Ocean). I started my transition on April 25 with a short 30 minute acclimation in the Atlantic (44 degrees) and a 5 hour pool workout. The following day I swam 4 hrs at the pool and a 30 minute fun swim in the ocean. I usually give myself a week of "fun" acclimating to the frigid waters here in Maine. I will swim a little freestyle, backstroke, and breaststroke during the first week of open water and include diving through the waves. This transition period includes having fun. After all, that's why I enjoy marathon swimming. I will continue this open water training technique the remainder of this week. Next week, I will extend my open water swims to 45 minutes and continue with long pool workouts. As soon as the ocean temp gets above 50 degrees, I will have longer swims in the ocean and shorter pool swims. I used this method of transitioning last year and worked very well for me.