====== Cold Water Paddling ====== Photo: from video "The First Sixty Seconds"[[https://www.coldwaterbootcamp.com/pages/home.html|Canadian ColdWater Boot Camp]]{{:safety:help.jpg?direct&339x214|help.jpg}} ---- ===== 5 Golden Rules for Cold Water Safety (US National Center for Cold Water Safety ) ===== * [[http://www.coldwatersafety.org/nccwsRules3.html#tabs-1|5 Golden Rules for Cold Water Safety]] - [[http://www.coldwatersafety.org/Rule1.html|Always Wear Your PFD]] - [[http://www.coldwatersafety.org/Rule2.html|Always Dress For The Water Temperature]] - [[http://www.coldwatersafety.org/Rule3.html|Field-Test Your Gear]] - [[http://www.coldwatersafety.org/Rule4.html|Swim-Test Your Gear Every Time You Go Out]] - [[http://www.coldwatersafety.org/Rule5.html|Imagine The Worst That Could Happen and Plan For It ]](See [[:cold_water_paddling#discussionsincidents|Incidents]] below - Other's experiences will give you a good start toward anticipating the worst things that can happen) * [[https://www.coldwatersafety.org/blog|5 Golden Rule Case Studies]] ---- ===== Understanding The Risk ===== ---- {{youtube>_cm03Vb632I?large}} . **Understanding Cold Water Risk Video - Richard Forbes, South Africa 2024** Richard gives a good summary of hypothermia and its onset time for a range of water temperatures that will cover many paddling locales around the world and he talks about recent experiences from the Western Cape of South Africa and elsewhere. Although people paddle and downwind where water is colder and objectively more dangerous in terms of reduced survival time for immersed paddlers than the water around the Western Cape, locales with somewhat warmer water can effectively be **equally or more ****dangerous**** if paddlers tend to pay less attention** to this risk and dress and/or prepare inadequately. . ---- ==== The Risk from all Stages of Cold Exposure ==== Don't forget about all forms of risk from cold water. Hypothermia is estimated to cause around 15% of cold water fatalities. Where **hypothermia tends to come more into play** is **when there is personal flotation** which diminishes some other cold water problems but can involve extended immersion. And of course as paddlers we are typically going to be using a PFD around cold water if we have any sense at all. * **Cold Water Risk Not Just Hypothermia - ** [[https://www.soundingsonline.com/voices/hypothermia|Hypothermia Myths And The Truth About Cold Water]] - **4 Staged Risks (what do they mean for paddlers) - **Serious exposure typically begins with the initial plunge into cold water (but read the stories below about **C****old Incapacitation **from long term exposure to cold weather that can also kill (even without extended initial immersion)). Intial **Cold shock** is probably a greater risk for boaters who have been relatively inactive particularly if they are not wearing a PFD, in contrast to surfskiers who typically will be generating quite a bit of heat (and always have a PFD on when paddling in cold water we hope!) when they first hit the water. **Cold Incapacitation **may well be less anticipated or appreciated by under-experienced paddlers - in terms of how fast body motor skills can deteriorate. Even with significant immersion protection, your hands can rapidly lose coordination and facility (if you have enough glove to protect the hands in seriously cold weather they won't have a lot of dexterity anyway because of the glove interference). After **Cold Incapacitation** is already interfering with your ability to remount or paddle or use a radio putting you in serious trouble, **H****ypothermia **will quickly follow and start to interfere with your decision making. The decisions you make before **Cold Incapacitation **is in full force may be the ones that save you - while you still have the body control and sense to execute them - like calling for help on your radio. - **Cold Shock ** * [[:stories:hypothermia_article_2010|Subject for 2010 Article]] * [[:stories:hypothermia_2010|Subsequent discussion of Hypothermia]] - **Cold Incapacitation** - often described in reference to drownings where people without life jackets lose the capacity to swim, but can be equally as deadly in terms of losing coordination for remounts, paddling, making a fire ([[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/To_Build_a_Fire|To Build a Fire]]), making the decision to call for help,… * **The following 2 stories** emphasize the underestimated risk of **cold incapacitation** for very experienced paddlers (who have not adequately guarded against cold risk) even while they are staying completely or mostly upright but exposed to long term cold, another way cold can also be deadly - in part because it can sneak up on you if given the opportunity. The risk is of course greatly accelerated for paddlers during an extended swim in cold water. * [[:stories:lawler_loch_ness|Ivan Lawler's Brush with Cold Incapacitation in the Great Glen Challenge]] * [[https://tcsurfski.com/2020/10/25/a-very-cold-virtual-chattajack/|Billy Belinger's 4hr Back Country River Race in Cold Conditions]] Losing Coordination (Paddle stroke catching crabs, etc.) * **Impairment of Judgement ** (in the overlap with hypothermia)is particularly problematic because your ability to recognize and respond to this problem is hindered by this very problem. If you do not react and make decisions while you still have the ability to do so (primary example - calling for help via whatever means available) those options effectively disappear. - **Hypothermia (**watch [[https://youtu.be/_cm03Vb632I|Richard Forbes video]] (framed above**) ** [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypothermia|Hypothermia]] has its own stages typically defined by ranges of body temperature and evidenced by symptoms. Symptoms in individuals vary at body temperatures depending on age, fitness, body fat, etc. Stage 1 (mild hypothermia) can overlap with **Cold Incapacitation, **but stage 1 also begins to involve cognition impairment which contains significant risk for paddlers and only gets worse with subsequent stages. If you do not make good decisions early (ask or call for help?) while you are still thinking clearly all these risks will compound. - **Post Rescue Collapse (also termed "Circum Rescue Collapse" because it has been observed shortly before, during and after rescue** Once rescued, after you have been immersed in cold water, you are still in danger from collapse of arterial blood pressure leading to cardiac arrest. ==== 1-10-1 Myth ==== * See [[https://www.coldwatersafety.org/1-10-1-myth|https://www.coldwatersafety.org/1-10-1-myth]] ==== Risk Denial Even Among the Very Experienced ==== * **"Not Me" Syndrome** Silent Sports Magazine article (no longer available online - [[:stories:silentsports_dtomkins_death|read our local copy of full article]]) about North Face founder, Doug Tompkins' death in the cold water of the huge General Carrera Lake in Chile. * [[https://www.nationalgeographic.com/news/2015/12/151213-doug-tompkins-chile-north-face-rick-ridgeway-patagonia-yvon-chouinard-death-general-carrera-lake/|Survivor's account]] (National Geographic - access may also be limited now behind a paywall or may insist that you at least provide an email address ([[:stories:natgeo_dtomkins_death|our local copy of full article]])) of incident leading to Doug Tompkins' death due to hypothermia * //[[https://www.patagonia.com/product/life-lived-wild-adventures-at-the-edge-of-the-map-by-rick-ridgeway-hardcover-book/195699340473.html|Life Lived Wild]]// includes Rick Ridgeway's account (Rick was paddling with Doug Tompkins in the double sea kayak that capsized) * … ---- ===== Wardrobe for the Cold ===== * [[:clothing_cold|Clothing For Cold Conditions]] * [[:decision_trees_wear|Deciding What to Wear For Specific Conditions]] * [[:cold_water_immersion|Don't Assume: Test Clothing in Water and Remounts]] (Golden Rules 3 & 4) - Are you really choosing the right gear? * … ---- ===== Dealing With Ice ===== This is a fairly specialized circumstance that only a small set of hardy paddlers choose to deal with, but if you are in this group, you need to **take extra care**, particularly with possible issues (**danger!**) that are not obvious if you haven't encountered them before. * [[:s_wendelboe_cold_weather_clothing_choice#dealing_with_ice|Dealing With Ice (Norwegian Paddler's Experience)]] * … ---- ===== Ready to Paddle? ===== * [[:dj_cold_water_checklist|David Jacobson's Cold Water Self Check]] * … ---- ===== Back on Dry Land ===== * [[:getting_warm_again|Getting Warm Again]] * … ---- ===== Discussions/Incidents ===== * [[:stories:winter_rescue_vanc_island|Winter Rescue (Vancouver Is. Folks) 12/03/2005]] * [[:stories:swimming_cold_water_2007|Swimming in Cold Water 4/10/2007]] * [[:stories:rescue_ill_prepared_paddler_2007|Rescue of Ill-Prepared Paddler 12/22/2007 (and discussion of rescuing with a surfski)]] * [[:stories:unfortunate_accident|A Very Sad Accident 1/31/2008]] * [[:stories:bob_back_deck_rescue|Bob Putnam's Sprint Kayak Dump in Freezing Water]] * [[:stories:more_self_rescue_2007|More Self-Rescue Practice In Cold Water\Air]] * [[:stories:too_cold_2008|When It Might Be Too Cold to Paddle 12/20/2008]] * [[:stories:cold_remount_2009|When Remounting in Cold Water Is Harder Than Expected 2/01/2009]] * [[:stories:more_hypothermia_2009|More Hypothermia - Dunkin Dustin 2/02/2009]] * [[:stories:sat_paddle_2009|Saturday Morning Paddle Unpacked: Lemmings? 11/01/2009|]] * [[:stories:sat_safety_2009|Safety…]] * [[:stories:future_downwinders_2009|Winter Paddling and Future Downwinders 11/15/2009]] * [[:stories:surfski_rescue_practice_2013|Surfski Rescue "Practice" 9/23/2013]] * [[:stories:right_group_weather_2013|Wide Ranges of Experience and Ability, Primers for Newbies]] * [[:stories:first_wildcat_run_2013|First Big Wildcat Downwinder 9/24/2013]] * [[:stories:heavy_weather_9_28_2013|Heavy Weather, Close Call, CG called with VHF 9/28/2013]] * [[:stories:unexpected_consequences|Unexpected Consequences, Big Ships, DSC, Cold water and Me 12/06/2014]] * [[:stories:dress_air_water|Dress for Air or Water 2/07/2016]] ? * [[:stories:cold_shock_1_08_2018|Cold Shock 1/06/2018]] * [[:stories:coastguard_rescue_12_11_2022|Coast Guard Rescue (Hypothermia setting in) 12/11/2022]] * [[:stories:coastguard_rescue_safety_lessons|Survivor Safety Lessons]] * … ---- {{ :cold:roger_l_and_larry_b.jpg?direct&300x243 |Snowy Marine Park - A Little Cold?}} Bellingham Winter Paddlers: Roger Lamb and Larry Bussinger - Click to enlarge ----