COLD WATER CAN HAVE CHILLING CONSEQUENCES

Advocate with life-saving facts

The human body does not like cold water. If your body temperature drops by just 3.5 degrees, hypothermia begins.

Hypothermia is the result of your body’s inability to maintain its core temperature (98.6º F). In an attempt to protect your vital organs (brain, heart, lungs), your brain will start to shut down less necessary body parts and functions. See the chart below for survival times.

Click here to download free our cold water 4×9 with life-saving tips!

3 stages of trauma in a cold-water

Stage 1 – Cold Shock Response

In the first three minutes, your body goes into cold-shock response, when you’ll experience uncontrollable gasping, hyperventilation, vertigo, and panic.

Resist the urge to fight the water. Try to stay calm and raise your body to a floating position. While lying on your back, concentrate on steady, deep breathing.

Stage 2 – Cold Incapacitation

Within 30 minutes cold incapacitation occurs: Your arms and legs start cooling down, which impairs their function regardless of your swimming ability.

Prioritize your most essential functions first, like deploying emergency communications and distress signal devices.

Stage 3 – Immersion Hypothermia

Immersion hypothermia begins after 30 minutes. Cooling of your body’s core temperature eventually results in the loss of functioning consciousness.

Your rate of survival for all stages increases when wearing a life jacket. However, in Stage 3, your life jacket is likely your best tool for survival.

How to H.E.L.P and rescue

If the unexpected happens and it’s “person” overboard into cold water, it’s important they minimize activity until their breathing is under control. Yes, easier said than done, but their life depends on it. If you are in a position to assist others, it’s important to rescue yourself first, then locate and assist others and then deploy emergency communication and distress signaling devices. It is important to both, alert authorities that there is an issue, and launch distress signals, this will aid search and rescuers to find you.

If getting out of the water and into or onto your boat is not an option, you must quickly minimize heat loss. First tighten your life jacket, collar, cuffs, hood, shoes, and anything, and everything to help reduce water flow around your skin.

Assume the HELP position (Heat Escape Lessening Posture) where you bring your knees to your chest and your arms grasp your lower legs. It protects your body’s three major areas of heat loss, which are your head/neck, groin, and armpits.

Upon rescue, medical treatment is a must. Warming and “feeling good to go home” is too often followed by death from capillary failure. Get medical attention immediately!

This infographic from BoatUS highlights six key necessities when boating in cold water.