Okay,
you’ve survived “cold shock”, and the first thirty seconds to three
minutes of cold water immersion1, (for more on “cold shock” read
“How Long Would You Last? Part Two©”, HERE),
so how do you survive the next ten minutes?
“Incapacitation”
- - You have 10 minutes to rescue yourself...
At
any water temperature below 86° F (30° C) your body will lose more heat it
produces.2 As the minutes
tick away, so does your body heat, the colder the water the faster the heat
loss, and you will begin to experience “cold incapacitation”. You have ten minutes before you will
experience a loss of manual dexterity and strength, as the cold water renders
your limbs, and especially your hands, numb and useless. By the time ten minutes has passed you will
not be able to take any meaningful actions rescue yourself.
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According
to researcher Michel DuCharme, your number two
priority “...is not to preserve body heat, but to move out of the water as
quickly as possible”3.
This means that you must quickly analyze your situation and decide if
you can rescue yourself by swimming to shore, or to a stable floating object
and get out of the water, or whether you will have to stay put and wait for
rescuers to arrive.
If
you are near shore or to a stable floating object, are not drifting away faster
than you can swim, rapid rescue is unlikely and you are wearing a life jacket,
then swimming might be an option. On the
other hand, if you are far from shore or a stable floating object, you are
drifting faster than you can swim, rapid rescue is likely, or you aren’t
wearing a life jacket, then staying put might be your best option.
Remember,
incapacitation and the loss of dexterity and muscle strength in your limbs will
limit your ability to self-rescue, so you make a plan and take action fast!
“You
have 10 minutes of meaningful movement where you will realistically be able to
get yourself out of the water.”4
Getting out of the water, by swimming...
Okay,
you have decided to swim to the shore or to something that you can get out of
the water onto. But remember, any
movement, struggling or physical activity such as swimming, treading water increases
heat loss. If you are treading water or
swimming, Coast Guard studies have shown that this will increase the cooling of
your body by 35% as warm blood is pumped to arms and legs5. In water under 40°F
(4° C), some swimmers have died before swimming 100 feet (12 m) and even strong
swimmers without life jackets have died before swimming 100 yards (91 m)6.
However,
researcher M. Tipton, among others, has found that swimmers wearing a flotation
device were able to swim over 900 yards (889 m) in 57° F (14° C) water and over
700 yards (650 m) in 50° F (10° C) water.
And in fact, according to the Canadian Red Cross more survivors of boat sinkings,
swam for shore than stayed with the boat7.
Some
survivors of sinkings are reluctant to leave the water because they are
concerned about wind chill. Wind chill
is a problem, however exposed flesh will not freeze at temperatures above 32° F
(0° C) no matter how high the wind velocity, so get out of the water8.
So,
unless the shore, or a floating object that you can climb onto get out the
water is very near, don’t swim. And if
you do try to swim for it keep your head out of the water, immersing your head
increases cooling rates by up to 82%.9
Okay,
you’ve decided to stay put and wait for rescue, how long can you survive? Don’t forget to come back next week and read “How Long Would You Last?
Part Four©”, to find out.
I
hope that you continue to enjoy The Woodsman’s Journal Online and look for me
on YouTube at BandanaMan Productions for other related videos, HERE. Don’t forget to follow me on both The
Woodsman’s Journal Online, HERE,
and subscribe to BandanaMan Productions on YouTube. If you have questions, as always, feel free
to leave a comment on either site. I
announce new articles on Facebook at Eric Reynolds, on Instagram at
bandanamanaproductions, and on VK at Eric Reynolds, so watch for me.
That
is all for now, and as always, until next time, Happy Trails!
Notes
1
“Researchers have found that the involuntary gasping reflex and loss of
breathing control peaks within 30 seconds of being exposed to cold water and
can last up to three minutes”, from “Use the 100 Degree Rule”, by gobair.org
2 Drownings and other water-related injuries in Canada,
by Red Cross Canada
3
Ibid.
4. “How to survive a fall
through the ice”, by Rena Sarigianopoulos.
5 “So,
Let Me Get This Straight-High Body Fat is a Good Thing?”, by Capt. Greg Parchman
6 “Cold
Water”, by Gobair.org
7 Drownings
and other water-related injuries in Canada, by Red Cross Canada
8 “Cold
Water Immersion”, by SSGT William C. Joiner
9 “So,
Let Me Get This Straight-High Body Fat is a Good Thing?”, by Capt. Greg
Parchman
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