Article
Date: 2/1/2007
Safety First for Cold Weather Boating
Here on The Delta most of the warm weather boaters have left the water and are dreaming of the arrival of Memorial Day when they can crowd the river once again. The crowds are gone from the Delta and most other bodies of water during the colder month. There are more than a few die-hard fishermen still work their favorite spots, enjoying the peace and quiet. Bundled up against the cold, waterfowl hunters also take advantage of the now nearly empty waterways. The crisp clear days of the cold weather seasons are the best of times for many boaters.
Enjoying these good times does not come without the risk of paying a heavy price. The water is cold, with temperatures that have gone under 55º F., during the off-season making a fall into the water a real danger of becoming a fatal accident. Our love of cold weather boating puts a winter boater in a real risk of being in a man overboard situation that runs a very high risk of becoming a fatality. The sharply reduced boating traffic adds to that danger making an immediate or prompt rescue highly unlikely, requiring that off-season boaters be doubly careful and avoid solo trips.
The main objective is to avoid entering the water because the cold water rapidly incapacitates, making the best swimmers flail and may quickly kill boaters who are not wearing protective clothing.
To get ready, you have to first understand what happens to your body in cold water. Water removes heat from a body 25 times faster than cold air and most of the body heat is lost through the head. It has been documented that even the strongest swimmers wearing a PFD have died before they covered 100 yards in cold water. Did you know that in water with a temperature of less than 40º F., a strong man can expire before he can swim 100 feet? Two factors come into play against you while you are in cold water; they are cold shock and hypothermia.
Many years ago I was told of Cold shock is the body’s reaction to the shock of cold water. During cold weather boating all persons on board should wear life jackets. Imagine, falling into c old water and triggering an involuntary gasping reflex that causes you to inhale water through your mouth. Without a life jacket you could drown without ever coming back to the surface. Wearing your life jacket will increase the likelihood of survival if you should accidentally fall into the cold winter water. It could be worst though shock of the cold water may also result in cardiac arrest. When the head and chest are exposed to cold water, the result is often a very sudden increase in heart rate and blood pressure.
We’ve all heard of Hypothermia, decreased body temperature. This condition develops more slowly than cold water Shock mentioned above and you may not be immediately aware of the symptoms. Remember that the symptoms of hypothermia usually start shivering as the body loses heat and body temperature drops, uncontrolled rapid breathing follows the initial gasping response and may cause a loss of consciousness, muscle rigidity and loss of voluntary motor function which results in physical helplessness. A hypothermia victim starts to shiver as core body temperature falls from 97ºF. down to about 90ºF.
A person at risk of hypothermia must try to control breathing rate to avoid hyperventilation leading to unconsciousness following the immediate involuntary gasping response to the initial immersion into cold water. Uncontrolled or rapid breathing will speed up the chilling process. When the body’s core temperature falls to 93ºF. physical ability is severely diminished and mental capacity begins to deteriorate rapidly.
A victim usually falls into an unconscious state when body temperature falls to 86ºF. If the victim doesn’t drown first, hypothermia will finish him off when the body temperature falls to or near 80ºF. Survival figures show that an adult dressed in average clothing may remain conscious for one hour in water at 40ºF, and perhaps as long as 2 - 3 hours in 50ºF water. Remember, any movement in water accelerates body heat loss. Unnecessary movement can reduce survival time to minutes. The recent film, Titanic, graphically portrayed the fatal effects of lowered body temperature on persons in the water.
Be Safe and think smart, Avoid venturing out onto the cold wintry waters alone, because a buddy can save your life, or vice versa. If you find yourself in cold water, try to get back in or on your boat immediately. Keep warm dry clothes stored in the boat at all times, getting right into warm clothes will help you survive.
If the boat capsizes, do not leave the boat because the overturned boat is easier to spot than a single person in the water. If you are not wearing thermal protection and you can’t get out of the water, keep as still as possible. Fold your arms against your chest, cross your legs to reduce the amount of cooling surface. Rely on the buoyancy of your life jacket and float quietly until help arrives. If two or more people are in the water, huddle close together. Put your arms around each other to slow down heat loss. Stay together and stay still, letting your life jackets keep you afloat. Get Safe and Enjoy!
Dan
Mathisen
FishDelta.com
- All Species, All Delta
The
Ultimate Resource For California Delta Fishing
Would
you like to use this article to add content to your website or newsletter?
Send an email to: articlerequest@fishdelta.com
Inlcude your name, your website, and the name of the article you
would like to use.
And we'll respond back to you within 48 hours or less with the details
|
