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Life Jacket Is Best Defense Against Fall Equinox And
Hypothermia
By Tom Rau
As summer gives way to fall, warm days render to
cooler nights as the sun slides towards the equator,
tugging with it the Fall Equinox. It’s a subtle
transition as well as a dangerous one for boaters
caught betwixt and between.
Coast Guard
statistics on recreational boating show that there
is a greater chance of boaters dying in spring and
fall, when colder water and fewer rescue responders
and other boaters are present to assist those in
need. It’s a time for boaters to seriously consider
how to defend themselves if totally alone in a
hostile life-threatening environment.
For those who may
have their heads up their fall equinox, I plead with
you to pay heed to the challenges seasonal
transitions carry.
The surest way to
deal with these challenges is by wearing a life
jacket. Sound advice you would think, but too often
ignored by boaters with deadly consequences. On
September 8, 2007, at 7:15 a.m a fisherman drowned
after falling off a 17-foot boat into Lake Michigan
approximately two miles northwest of the Grand Haven
pier heads.
According to Senior
Chief Sean Sulski, Officer In Charge, Station Grand
Haven a 24 year-old Grand Rapids man was fishing
with two friends off a 17-foot fishing boat
when he fell off the backside of the boat while
reeling in a downrigger. A friend jumped into the
water, but failed to reach him before he went under.
The U.S. Coast Guard
conducted an aerial and surface search for the
victim, but was unable to locate him. The Northwest
Ottawa County and Sheriff's Department dive teams
also responded to the scene but were unable to
locate the fisherman who drowned in 110 feet of
water.
Reportedly the young
man was in good health, a fair swimmer, and in good
physical condition. What caused him to topple
overboard in fair seas, and water in the mid to high
60s, remains a mystery, but mystery or not, one
thing is for certain—he was not wearing a life
jacket.
The ease in which he
fell overboard and drowned illustrates how quickly
the unexpected can claim a boater’s life. That is
the insidious aspect of boating mishaps: boaters
simply don’t expect them to happen. Yet they do, all
too often. Over the last two years, I’m aware of at
least three dozen fatalities where people separated
from boats and needlessly drowned, some under the
most innocuous conditions as with the 24 year-old
lad who drowned off Grand Haven.
But even when
conditions on the water are nocuous, like late
season cold water threats, too many boaters seem to
deny the possibility of the unexpected. I can,
however, guarantee what to expect should one fall
overboard into cold water without a life jacket—the
thereafter.
Let’s review some
dire cold-water facts that hopefully will send
deadly chills up the spine of those anti-life-jacket
heathens who expect not:
• Body heat loss in
cold water can occur 25 times faster than in cold
air. If your boat is overturned, attempt to get up
onto the overturned boat. According toCoast Guard
studies, even in high winds, wind chill is not found
to be a factor as long as the victim is clothed.
• Initial contact
with cold water will rip the breath from your lungs
causing “Torse Reflex,” which is an immediate and
involuntary gasp for air in response to being
immersed in cold water. If your mouth is underwater
when gasping occurs, drowning is the most probable
outcome, unless you’re wearing a life jacket. If you
know you are about to fall into cold water, cover
your face with your hands. This helps you to avoid
sucking water into your lungs. Expect muscles to
tighten and shivering to increase in an automatic
reflex to produce more body heat. Some people liken
it to a total full-body muscle cramp or spasm with
no relief. Others liken it to sticking a finger into
a light socket.
• Those people with a
positive attitude will most likely survive longer
if, and I stress if, they are wearing a lifejacket.
• Wear a life jacket
at all times. Mark these words. This advice comes
from seasoned chiefs who have too often dealt with
the gruesome aftermath of victims that have drowned.
• At the first sign
of trouble, radio for help or fire off a flare.
Don’t wait until the lake has you by the ice cubes
• Wear several layers
of clothing to reduce body heat loss. Protect your
groin, neck, torso, and especially your head.
• If you must enter
the water, do so slowly to reduce
respiratory/cardiac shock and to avoid swallowing
water. That’s easier said than done. During drills,
even though I have prepared to deal with the pain,
it still jolts me. I can’t imagine the shock of
unexpectedly landing in frigid water.
• Do not attempt to
swim except to reach a nearby craft. Beware: the
drift rate of small boats can exhaust even
good-swimmers. More than once, I’ve hopelessly
searched for the bodies of so-called good swimmers,
much too often to no avail. Studies have shown that
a strong swimmer has only about a 50/50 chance of
reaching shore one-half mile away in 50-degree
water.
• If more than one
unfortunate soul finds himself or herself in cold
water, huddle together and pull legs up toward chest
with arms tight against sides. Of course, this
maneuver is only possible if you’re wearing a life
jacket.
I beg you, please do.
Tom Rau is a long-time Coast Guard rescue
responder and syndicated boating safety columnist.
Look for his book, Boat Smart Chronicles, a shocking
expose on recreational boating — reads like a great
ship’s log spanning over two decades. It’s available
to order at: www.boatsmart.net,
www.seaworthy.com, www.amazon.com, or through local
bookstores.
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