Hypothermia - Read this!

[Roy M]

Check out this pair of articles on hypothermia to get a real view of the issue: The Truth About Cold Water | gCaptain - Maritime & Offshore News.

[deluxe68]

Thanks for posting. Around 1935-1940 the Nazis did some research on cold water survival and if IIRC the biggest factor was body fat. Skinny people do not last long even if they are marathoners.

[Richard5]

Just now I am starting to read the articles. At this point I will say I fervently disagree with the water temps he uses. 50, even 40F temps do not correlate to the effects he mentions.

EDIT: I just finished the articles. The above is my only criticism.

I am a firm believer that all people need to know how to swim, how to rescue themselves, how to rescue others, be proficient at least at First Aid and CPR. The risk matrix goes up when one is engaged in outdoor activities.

[HopCar]

Thanks for posting that. When I read it there was a link to an article "Drowning Doesn't Look Like Drowning". I found this post very informative as well.
Drowning Doesn’t Look Like Drowning | gCaptain - Maritime & Offshore

[Maren]

Originally Posted by Roy M

Check out this pair of articles on hypothermia to get a real view of the issue: The Truth About Cold Water | gCaptain - Maritime & Offshore News.

Roy -- Thanks for posting this; I like the stuff he writes, especially his eight or so part series on the Bounty investigatory trials.

Richard -- You might not have known this from when you were reading the article but Mario is a retired CG rescue swimmer. These guys are intimately familiar with this stuff. In his case, even more so since he was one of the volunteers for the Cold Water Boot Camp he linked to (that's at about 8:20).

[jackdale]

If you missed the video at the end

Cold Water Boot Camp

[jackdale]

Originally Posted by Richard5

I am a firm believer that all people need to know how to swim,

Swimming in cold water is a death sentence. Wear a pfd and know how to go into the HELP position.

[DeepFrz]

Dr Gordon Giesbrecht has been doing research and teaching about survival, and especially cold water survival, for years.

Just now I am starting to read the articles. At this point I will say I fervently disagree with the water temps he uses. 50, even 40F temps do not correlate to the effects he mentions.

So perhaps you could post your credentials Richard5.

[Astrid]

Very timely article and quite useful for people boating up in my area.

[roverhi]

I went in the water off of Monterey, CA to clear a line From the prop in January. Water temp was in the low 50s. In less than 10 minutes my hands lost all feeling. Had to stick my face and work by sight as I had no idea where or what my hands and/or arms were doing without looking at them. Coordination went to crap and had a very difficult time cutting the line away and not cutting myself. Probably wasn't in the water more than 20 minutes but it was long enough to make me nearly helpless. Did not have the strength or coordination to climb back on board without major help. The incapacitation from the cold was insidious as I didn't feel the cold after the first few minutes. Once I was out of the water and down below, crawled into a sleeping bag and shivered uncontrollably for what seemed like hours. It takes very little time and not so cold water to to incapacitate you.

Have heard that many people die from cold water immersion after they are rescued because the cold peripheral blood circulates into the body core and causes thermal shock to the internal organs. Not a good idea to try and warm someone quickly who is suffering from hypothermia.

[Richard5]

Originally Posted by DeepFrz

Dr Gordon Giesbrecht has been doing research and teaching about survival, and especially cold water survival, for years.

So perhaps you could post your credentials Richard5.

Mario Vittone is listed as the author in both articles.

Let us not get distracted here. All I said was based on my personal experience the onset of the effects of hypothermia do not correlate with 50F even 40F water temps. I certainly have not dismissed the body of work.

[David_Old_Jersey]

I certainly agree that if yer fall into cold water that Hypothermia the least of yer problems - cold incapasitates, which leads to drowning.

As a non-swimmer (maybe 25 metres doggy paddle if chased by a shark - a slow one ) I have always figured that going into the oggin unexpectedly will very likely lead to death, so my focus has always been about not falling overboard in the first place!...........sometimes I wear a lifejcket, sometimes I don't - same with a harness. No doubt if I fell in without I would regret it - but that's life (and death ). But so far, so good - and not all about luck, being self aware when doing stuff helps a lot.

Originally Posted by roverhi

Have heard that many people die from cold water immersion after they are rescued because the cold peripheral blood circulates into the body core and causes thermal shock to the internal organs. Not a good idea to try and warm someone quickly who is suffering from hypothermia.

My understanding is that if Severe Hypothermia that warming someone up will probably do more harm than good.....but good for Mild(?!) Hypothermia.

IIRC shivering is a good sign, or at least no shivering is a bad sign.

This pretty much the same as my understanding.........

Hypothermia Treatment

I like the idea of getting naked and using body heat to warm someone up - note to self: only have female crew .

[Neo]

Originally Posted by HopCar

Thanks for posting that. When I read it there was a link to an article "Drowning Doesn't Look Like Drowning". I found this post very informative as well.
Drowning Doesn’t Look Like Drowning | gCaptain - Maritime & Offshore

+1

[mbianka]

60 degrees F is the temperature I will voluntarily start swimming off the boat. Though I probably have a little more insulation than most. There was a news report a few years ago that a boat had found a heavyset man floating miles off Montauk Point Long Island in January. I never did hear the details how the guy ended up out there. Might have been a real life Soprano's story.

[sartorst]

HopCar! That article brought back some VIVID memory's and is dead on!!!it explains what I could never explain to friends who were only feet away why I almost drowned and could not tell them or give a sign! Sinking down vision fading to only pencil size dot oxygen deprived muscle's unable to move anymore, feet touched bottom I let myself sink further to push HARD!LAST chance
READ THIS PLEASE