Credit: weblearneng.com
We wait for spring. We can't wait to get out of doors in our flip-flops,
shorts, and light tops. But if we are heading to the water, this spring season,
more than any other, is when we have to remember that water is an alien
environment we have to be ready for.
The day on Canton Lake was really
warm for mid-February. On my way to the lake,
I was riding with the pickup window open, and it was still warm. When I crossed the dam, however, the wind was
chilled as it passed over the cold water.
I was afraid while I was ashore that I might be over-dressed in the dry
suit, but once on the water, I was quite comfortable. The air was 74-degrees, but the water was 42,
an ideal recipe for a hypothermic catastrophe.
Basking in the warm sun of spring causes more people to die of
hypothermia in the spring than any other time of year, even the dead of winter. It is not the air temperature that one needs
to dress for, but the ice-cold water that kills when someone falls overboard or
capsizes. In that 42-degree water, I
would retain consciousness for little more than 30 minutes before drowning. The more I moved, like trying to swim ashore,
the faster my body would lose heat. With
a tight-fitting PFD to retain core temperature and keep my head out of the
water, I could last 1 or 2 hours before expiring from hypothermia-induced
cardiac arrest. Any PFD is great, even
essential, but a loose-fitting PFD, while keeping me afloat and preventing
drowning, would allow more water exchange, and lower my survival time, so it’s
important to make sure the PFD is properly fitted and snug. If the combined air and water temperature
reach a sum of less than 120 degrees Fahrenheit, a wet or dry suit is needed in
addition to the PFD to prevent core temperature cooling. The 74 + 42 degree air and water temperatures
totaled 116, making a suit essential, especially when on open water alone.
Here is a link to a table every
paddler should have laminated and kept handy.
It lists the water temperatures, times for loss of dexterity, loss of
consciousness (which translates to drowning), survival time, and the
recommended clothing for managing these conditions. Here is one point that tables don’t include,
but which should be remembered. If on
the water with children, you will be totally occupied trying to save
yourself. The kids will be on their own,
which means they need to be properly outfitted for their own survival. You would be very limited to totally incapable
of coming to their aid.
There are a couple ways to confirm
water temperature. One is to check for fishing
reports on the internet for the body of water you are heading for. If that information isn’t available, it’s
often helpful to have your own thermometer.
This one by Fishpond has a metal case that protects it while it jostles
about in a backpack or tackle box.
Remember that surface water will be substantially warmer than what you
will be swimming in if you go overboard.
On this day, there was an 8-degree difference in temperature between the
water six feet below the surface and water found on the boat ramp in the
sunlight, so the reading needs to be taken off the end of a pier or somewhere
you can reach at least a depth of six feet.
Fishpond air/water thermometer in metal case.
For a complete understanding of the
risks, read this from the Center for Cold Water Safety:
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