The Chambers File: Air's Warm, Water's Cold By Virgil Chambers This piece was contributed by the National Safe Boating Council (NSBC). Organized in 1958, their mission is to reduce accidents and enhance the boating experience. The NSBC is the foremost coalition for the advancement and promotion of safer boating through education. To learn more about the National Safe Boating Council, visit their web site at SafeBoatingCouncil.org. Every spring there are preventable boating deaths due to being unprepared or unaware of potential problems. We all boat on cold water but when is it really a problem? It can be anytime, but during the early part of the year when other boaters aren't around to help and when the air feels pleasant compared to last week's cold temperature. Cold water can be a real danger, particularly if we suddenly and unexpectedly find ourselves in the water. I know no one expects to fall in… but if you do… the more you know and do correctly the better your chances of surviving. The first hazards of a plunge into cold water are panic and shock. The initial distress can severely strain the body and may produce immediate cardiac arrest. Survivors of cold-water mishaps tell of having the breath driven from them on first contact with the water. Disorientation may occur after cold-water immersion. Persons have been observed thrashing helplessly in the water for a half-minute or more until they were able to get their senses. In addition, immersion in cold water can quickly numb the arms and legs to the point of uselessness. Once in the water, your cold hands may be unable to fasten the straps of your life jacket, grasp a thrown rescue line, or hold onto your boat. Within minutes, severe pain clouds sensible thinking. Ultimately, hypothermia (exposure) sets in, and without rescue and proper first-aid treatment, unconsciousness may follow. Death is not far behind. It is a scary experience. Ask anyone who has encountered an unexpected fall into cold-water. Survival time in cold-water depends largely on two factors: the temperature of the water and what you do once you fall in. There is little you can do about the temperature of the water, but your behavior, what you do once in the water, can save your life. Educating yourself on cold-water survival can make the difference. For example, physical exercise such as swimming causes the body to lose heat at a faster rate than remaining still in the water. Blood is pumped to the extremities and quickly cooled. Your survival time literally is reduced greatly depending on the temperature of the water and how fast you lose your heat. Knowing about this process is important because, suddenly immersed in cold water, you can be faced with a critical choice- adopt a defensive posture in the water to conserve heat and wait for rescue, or attempt to swim to safety. In adopting a defensive posture you should try to reboard even an overturned or swamped boat. If this is not possible, try to remain still in the water. This is why the life jacket is so critical. You need it to stay on top of the water without the effort of treading or swimming. The heat escape lessening posture (H.E.L.P.) of holding your upper arms tightly against your sides, thighs pressed together and raised to close off the groin region, or huddling side-by-side with others who are in the water with you are the most effective methods of retaining body heat. Research shows that heat loss is greatest at the head, neck, upper sides of the chest, and groin. Climbing onto the boat to get out of the water may seem colder, but the body does not lose heat as fast in the air as it does in the water. It is said cold water robs the body's heat 25 times faster than the same temperature of air. Should you decide swimming to shore is your best chance, a survival stroke - a stroke that has an underwater recovery - should be used. The modified breaststroke, sidestroke, and elementary backstroke all involve underwater recovery and this requires less exertion than the typical overhand swimming or crawl stroke, lifting the arms out of the water each stroke. Nevertheless, the task is that effort should be given to whatever gets you out of the water fastest with the least amount of energy loss. Proper preparation is important when boating on cold water. By following these suggestions your chances of survival increase: Always wear your life jacket when on the water. It is extremely difficult to put on a life jacket in cold water. You need to conserve as much energy as possible without a life jacket you will be expending valuable energy just trying to stay afloat. Dress properly for the cold. Several layers of light clothing offer better protection than a single heavy layer and provides for air to be trapped between layers adding buoyancy. Always tell someone where you are going and when you expect to return. Remember rescue will be important to survival. Know how to get into the cold-water defensive postures. Swim only if it's to get back to your boat or to safety and then only if it's within a short distance you know for sure you can reach. Should you be so unfortunate to find yourself in cold water, try not to panic. Think survival. Keep movement to a minimum, and if you do have to tread water, do it slowly. This will reduce heat loss and aid retention of air trapped inside your clothing, which can provide buoyancy and insulation. This spring know the dangers of cold water and prepare yourself accordingly. Got a question about boating safety? Post your question in one of our Boating Forums! Got a boating safety tip to share with others? 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