discussion: kayak cold water safety and hypothermia warnings

[surferman]

Thought this might be helpful too. This guy, Tom Holtey, is like the king of cold water yakkers. I hope to meet him someday.



COLD CLIMATE KAYAKING
Strategies for using a sit-on-top kayak in cold climates by Tom Holtey
There is a myth that sit-on-top kayaks can only be used in the warm months of summer, or tropical locations. Nothing could be more wrong! Sit-on-top kayakers can extend their paddling season by preparing with proper clothing and understanding some basic principles.

SIT-ON-TOP KAYAKS IN COLD WEATHER
All boaters face the chance that they may be immersed in the water for at least a short amount of time, if not a long amount of time. This is the biggest advantage of the sit-on-top: quick re-entry.
Protection from the cold is not just about comfort, but also about saving lives. Most paddling fatalities are from hypothermia and not drowning as one might expect. Hypothermia is the lowering of the body's temperature to a dangerous level. Water draws heat from the body significantly faster than air does. (Right: Cobra Tourer)
Kayaks can and do capsize in both good and bad weather. Preparing yourself by wearing appropriate water sports clothing is similar to putting on your seat belt while in a car. You do not have an accident every day, but you ready yourself for it every time you drive by buckling your seat belt. That said; every time you paddle, always wear your PFD as well as protective clothing, appropriate to the water temperature.
Your body heats itself to a safe and comfortable temperature, not unlike your house. When the weather is warm your body has little difficulty maintaining this temperature (98.6 degrees), but when it is cold it has to work harder.
The fuel burned to keep you warm is your food and drink. The furnace that burns that fuel is not very large, because we are essentially tropical animals, without fur coats and not designed to live in cold climates.
Not until modern materials and garment technology developed have we been able to survive sustained exposure to cold, wet conditions. This of course has opened the door to multi season use of sit-on-top kayaks.

Sit-in-side kayakers dress to swim in case their craft should capsize; they exit their kayak because they fail to perform an eskimo roll. Sit-on-top kayakers should dress with the same attire. They too can end up in the water unexpectedly.
Both types of kayaker can also become separated from their boat or become unable to reenter their kayak. Both kayakers get wet: water drips from paddle blades, waves splash, seats get wet, rain falls, and puddles form in the cockpit.

Some Strategies
Start by filling a duffel bag full of a wide variety of paddle sports, water sports & outdoor clothing. Whenever possible keep adding new & different pieces of apparel to your collection. Essential reading can be found here: "Cold Weather-Cold Water Kayak Clothing" & "Watersports Clothing: A Buyer's Guide For Kayakers"
Pack a dry bag and space blanket in the duffle as well. Bring the whole assemblage to your launch site. Pick and choose what you feel is best for the conditions at hand, then bring a couple of extra garments with you on your kayak, as back up, or if the weather changes. Put them into the dry bag with the space blanket.
If you feel the need, test your selection by taking a dip, and see if you will be comfortable when wet and submerged. The space blanket, and maybe even a camp towel, will be very handy for warming up a chilled wet person. You may even consider bringing a dry change of clothing, group shelter, and possibly a fleece blanket.

You will naturally want to add to your clothing arsenal, as you see new and interesting outfits, seasonal sales, or when preparing for a trip in conditions you have not been in before.
Ask local paddlers what they wear for the local conditions and seasons. Try your new outfits in the water with a test swim close to shore and a warm dry change of clothing standing by.

There are too many climates and conditions, personal tolerances and body styles to simply say: "Use this type of garment in this temperature." So you have to weigh several factors, including:

What is the water temperature?
What is the air temperature?
What is the weather? Windy, rainy, waves?
Will we have the opportunity to land and get warm, or change?
How wet is my kayak? Low to the water, wet seat, waves splash into cockpit?
What is my personal tolerance for cold?

• Make sure that you dress for the water temperature, even though you will be seated on your kayak, out of the water, most of the time. Warm air temperatures can be deceiving, and you never know when you may be in for an extended swim.

• Wind, rain and splashing waves require a good wind and waterproof or water resistant outer layer, over an insulation layer. Determine if you will be negotiating a surf zone along your route. You will likely need splash gear, or a dry suit for these conditions.

• You will need to plan for more protection if you will not have easy access to landing on shore, to warm up and add layers. Open water crossings and coastlines and rivers with limited landing possibilities are environments that require you to dress for worst-case scenarios. Dry suits, hoods and pogies may be necessary. Coastlines and rivers with plenty landing access are environments that will allow you to land and warm up or change. Wet suits and splash gear may be adequate. Assess the route you have planned very carefully with this in mind.

• If you have a kayak that has a wet cockpit from low gunwales or drain holes you should plan to dress with more protection in mind. Foam seat pads and corks can help to keep the cockpit dry but protective clothing will be your first line of defense.

• Different people will have different tolerances for cold. Typically skinny, tall, or older people and young children will be most susceptible to the cold. While people with more body fat, or those who are short and compact or young adults have the best resistance to cold.

It never hurts to over dress. You will be erring on the safe side. If you start to over heat, especially in a dry suit, then just get wet by splashing your self or jumping in for a quick dip, that is if you feel confident about submerging. If you have dressed in layers, take off a fleece jacket or splash top. Keep it in a handy spot and always put a layer back on as soon as you stop exercising. It is also amazing what taking off your hat can do to cool you down, or putting on a hat to warm you up.
Make sure that you snack and drink regularly. I like to carry a power bar in my PFD pocket, even in the warm months, for extra energy.

If you nibble on a snack about every hour and take frequent drinks, maybe from a drinking hose on deck or PFD, you will be constantly stoking your body's furnace. Not only will this keep your energy level up but it will create a reserve if you should fall over board and need to warm your self up. Select a variety of high calorie foods in strong single serving packages. Put them in a zip lock bag and keep them in a handy spot, for convenient access. Don't be stingy, they are fun to give to your comrades and make for good emergency rations should you stay out longer than anticipated.
I would also recommend that you bring a thermos with a simple hot beverage. If you do go for a swim and get chilled, this can help to warm you up. At the very least it would be nice to sip at the take out. Many paddlers may like to bring a camp stove and pot, or fire starting materials. These are good to bring, but the thermos will provide instant access to a hot liquid.


http://www.sit-on-topkayaking.com/Ar...ePaddling.html

[stripermania]

Great pointers. I'm looking into drytop wear. Does anyone have a kind to suggest.

[DarkSkies]

Sorry I didn't see this till now. Stripermania, I have the drytop from Bomber gear. I got it as a closeout, and it's one of my most valued pieces of surf and kayak gear. I can highly recommend it. For more info on drytops, check here:
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/...ead.php?t=5392


I really needed it yesterday. I was out in 25mph NW winds and got a little wet at times. This caused some cramping in my legs which I think I might post up a separate thread for.

Please, guys, hypothermia is no joke. Every year I push myself a little harder and end up with some stage of hyporthermia at least once. Learn to recognize the signs and pay attention.

Your lives, and your importance to your families, is more important than a fish.

[dogfish]

Cowboy scramble, good technique and good thing to know

[DarkSkies]

Please, guys, hypothermia is no joke. Every year I push myself a little harder and end up with some stage of hyporthermia at least once. Learn to recognize the signs and pay attention.

Your lives, and your importance to your families, is more important than a fish.

I'm bumping this to the top. Discussing this with Shorelady and some kayakers I know, I realized many of us don't think about the implications of a lapse in safety precautions as much as we should.

I was out fishing some areas by foot the other night in the dense fog. Visibility about 30-50 feet in front of me. There were very few fish where I was, and they were scattered. It occurred to me I could have done better by trolling for them in a yak.

In this specific cove-like area I was in, that might have not been much of a safety issue.
In the Western Sound rocky areas I fish by yak, that might not have been a problem either as boats can't fish there because of the rockpiles all over.

If you're in a yak, you're in the least visible small craft out there. Doesn't matter if your yak is day-glo yellow or chartreuse and you have reflective tape all over, you're still invisible in the dark or fog and at risk for a collision with a boat every time you're out there. Of course, many of us wisely try to minimize that risk, but it still exists....

However, sometimes our eagerness to get a fish in a yak is not a good thing.
Remember, they're still looking for the body of that young kid that went missing after a Navesink River NJ kayak trip last fall in cold water. He probably froze in that cold water, and his body shut down, long before his lungs filled with water. It must have been a horrible death for him, and even more horrible as his family re-lives his last moments and won't have closure until his body is found...


If some of you think the above images suggested by my words are too graphic, too bad. My only sympathies are for the family, who may not really have closed this chapter in their lives until he is found. I really feel for that family, and think of how I would feel if it were me or someone in my family that happened to.

My point: even though the above example was tragic, we should look to that when we think it's ok to push our limits. I admit I've pushed things at times, but also try to think of my family and loved ones at home when I'm out there. What will happen to them if I don't make it back from this trip because of a careless decision in my eagerness to get into fish?

I'd like anyone who reads this, to think of that too...how precious is the life you have, not only to you but to others who depend on you...can you afford to risk that on the water?....safety requires not only constant vigilance, but also preparation, studying techniques, and reading up on safety and safety gear long before you head out there. ....please try to be safe, folks, and thanks for reading.

[albiealert]

Cold water facts-

http://www.capital.net/com/nckayak/index.htm




SHOCKING NEWS ABOUT COLD WATER PADDLING

As the weather cools and we start dreaming of tropical vacations for this winter, there is still lots of great paddling up north. With summer crowds gone we have the opportunity to enjoy our time on the water in a more quiet and intimate manner. In addition to great delights, fall and winter paddling also provides greater dangers, particularly for those unprepared for up close and personal contact with chilling waters. Cold water and its effects are involved in virtually all kayaking and recreational boating deaths. For example, between 1985 and 1995, of the 182 deaths in the waters of the Pacific Northwest, only 2 occured above 70o , with 133 involving water between 40 - 60o . This article will review some information which helps explain what makes cold water exposure so potentially risky, review some strategies to minimize that risk, and raise a few hairs with some stories of tragic, and mostly preventable, cold water deaths.



Some stories and some statistics
- an 18 year old canoeist capsized into 50o lake water, and sank to the bottom before a rescuer towing the canoe could rescue him. He was wearing jeans, a shirt and no PFD.
- nine elite marines, water survival instructors, capsized in 36o water wearing sweatsuits and no PFDs. None of them survived the attempted 100 yard swim to shore.
- sixteen (16) Danish fishermen jumped into the icy waters of the North Sea when their trawler sank in a storm. They were in the water for a 2 - 3 hours before being rescued. They walked across the deck of the rescue vessel and went down into the galley to warm up. Each and every one collapsed and died in the galley.
- an average adult person has a 50/50 chance of surviving a 50 yard swim in 50o F. water.
- a 50 year old person in 50o F water has a 50/50 chance of surviving for 50 minutes


what does it all mean?
Cold water can kill in three ways. The canoeist probably suffered cold shock resulting in ineffective breathing, rapid onset of panic, confusion, and inneffective swimming, struggling briefly at the surface and then sinking. The marines may have managed the initial cold shock, but the cold water rendered their extremities neuromuscularly dysfunctional within several minutes, causing death by drowning. The fishermen were a more classic case of severe hypothermia, with body chemistry dysfunction causing cardiovascular collapse and death.

The vast majority of kayaking deaths in cold water occur well before body core temperature has fallen to the point of being dangerous. Even an unclothed person in 34o water will maintain core temperature for at least 20-30 minutes, so in this I article will concentrate on understanding and preventing cold shock and drowning.


cold shock
Cold shock occurs when rapid cooling of the skin triggers a cluster of heart and breathing responses. The cardiac responses include an increase in heart rate of 40 -50%, and an increase in cardiac output of 60 - 100%, which combined with vasoconstriction of the extremities results in an average blood pressure increase to 175/93. Although a substantial strain on the heart, these changes are not likely to be a problem for a healthy, fit person but may be dangerous for those with underlying heart disease or hypertension (there have been cases of apparently near instant cardiac arrest on cold water immersion).


The respiratory effects of cold shock have been estimated to account for a third of cold water deaths, including many extremely fit and healthy people. Review of reports of kayaking deaths by Charles Sutherland and others suggests to me that a much higher percentage of paddlecraft deaths are caused by cold shock. This has not been a favored topic of medical research, but study of work done by Dr. Michael Tipton and others makes it easy to understand the high level of risk that cold waters bring to the unprepared in our sport(details below).



!!gasp!!
Sudden immersion in cold water results in an involuntary(that means you can not stop it, and yes, that means all of us) gasp, followed by 1 - 3 minutes of involuntary (yes, that still means all of us) hyperventilation. Specific data are: 2.0 liter gasp in 82o water and 3.0 liter gasp in 50o water (i.e. nearly your entire lung volume), and in 50o water a 600 - 1,000 percent increase in ventilation(air in and out) in the first minute. This hyperventilation results in a profound lowering of blood carbon dioxide levels and raising of blood pH levels, which causes a large risk of ventricular fibrillation (“cardiac arrest”), muscular tetany (cramps), and cerebral vasoconstriction which starves the brain of oxygen, causing disorientation and confusion.

These effects, coupled with changes in lung mechanics caused by the pressure of water on the abdomen and chest result in subjective feelings of inability to breathe and panic typically lasting 1 - 3 minutes. Most importantly for survival of a capsized kayaker is a sharp reduction of maximal breath holding, for example - in one study from a mean of 45 seconds pre-immersion to a mean of 9.5 seconds on immersion in 41o water, with one subject averaging less than one second breath holding upon immersion. It is easy to see how these effects of gasp, hyperventilation, and impaired breatholding would result in prompt catastrophe upon a fall into choppy water or a capsize.



how cold is cold water?
Not, apparently, all that cold. The maximal hyperventilation response is reached at 50o, and near maximal gasp was reached at 52o. These are summertime water temperatures in some of the Northeast, and in most of it by November. This information is not meant to scare people away from cold water paddling, butcertainly to caution them. Wonderful experiences may be had paddling in these conditions, but if we wish not to become Coast Guard statistics we must understand the risks and take measures to protect ourselves.

[albiealert]

Precautions-

first, buy some protection
No, not that protection, this is about Safe Paddling, not Safe S*x, but wearing the right stuff can still make a big difference. That means a wetsuit or drysuit. Protecting the front of the torso and back of the chest will have the most profound effect on moderating the respiratory responses, while protecting the extremities has the greatest benefit in moderating the cardiac responses. Most of these responses are worsened by head immersion, which also markedly hastens the progression of hypothermia(if you manage to survive the cold shock), so head protection is important. Since both cold shock and later hypothermia inhibit effective swimming, wearing a PFD is essential to keeping the head out of water and prolonging survival.



does practice make perfect?
A definite maybe. It does appear that repetitive immersions in cold water will allow the body to adapt and moderate the cold shock response. After 6 - 8 immersions (daily, each time long enough for core temperature to drop>2o), the cardiac responses are substantially reduced. The breathing problems unfortunately are much less responsive to such efforts at training. An more important type of practice is to actually try out your cold water clothing in a variety of conditions. The studies referenced in this article seem to show a fairly consistent set of responses across a range of water temperatures from 0o to as high as 60o . There is individual variation though, and gear that works for your paddling partner may not be adequate for you. Most people find it very revealing to try floating in 30, 40, or even 50 degree water.


make mine dry, very dry
In the wetsuit/drysuit debate I readily admit that I am a dry suit chauvanist, finding a drysuit much more comfortable. For the prevention of cold shock a well fitting wetsuit will be more than adequate, provided it is truly well fitting and substantially slows the contact of cold water with your torso. If loosely fitting, with overgenerous neck and arm openings there may still be a sufficient gush of frigid water to trigger these cold shock responses. Even with a well fitted wetsuit many find that first cold water flush unpleasant, and for long term survival in cold water a drysuit with appropriate insulation can be 2 -3 times more effective in staving off hypothermia. The newer lycra/fleece wetsuits can however be a very comfortable, moderate cost, no-excuse-for-not-wearing-it form of protection if you are confident that your paddling does not put you at risk of prolonged immersion.



what about hypothermia?
There are many excellent resources on prevention, recognition, and management of hypothermia. Some internet resouces are listed below so just a few points. Recognize and manage hypothermia early - thought processes become quickly impaired and can rapidly lead to decision making which turns an unpleasant situation into a dangerous one. In a non-immersion situation, the greatest heat loss is through the head and neck, insulation for these areas is most important. In maintaining extremity function good head protection has been shown to be more useful than better gloves or socks. Get out of the water! Water will cool 20 - 30 times faster than air. Movement in the water, such as swimming, will make this even worse. Severe hypothermia is a medical crisis. The victim must be handled gently and knowledgably. “No previously healthy person should die of hypothermia after he has been rescued and treatment has been started.” (Cameron C. Bangs, M.D.).

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