Safe water temperature
- Thread starter Pirate Lady
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DWABoat
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- Aug 13, 2019
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According to rescue definitions, any water below 70F is considered “cold water”. I am not a doctor. I am a Rescue Swimmer and train others in cold water rescue. Hypothermia is not your main concern. In cold water, “cold incapacitation” is the concern. In 55F water, you would have less than ten minutes of meaningful movement before vasoconstriction and cold make movement difficult. Forget fine motor skills like working a radio or cell phone. If you have a life jacket, and you were able to get yourself out of the water within ten minutes, you would likely be cold, wet, and angry, but okay. Any longer and your body will start losing too much heat and confusion could set in.
Without a life jacket, you are really risking not being able to tread water or pull yourself in the boat due to cold incapacitation. As such, you could be perfectly conscious while slowly falling under the surface long before hypothermia sets in. I will never say you could not survive it. However, your first priority is to find some way to keep yourself floating assuming you cannot do it yourself.
Another consideration is the “Gasp Reflex” of your face hitting the ice cold water. If you reflexively gasp, like all of us would, you can inhale a little water causing gagging and breathing issues while trying to stay afloat.
I’m not saying it is too risky to take a dingy out in cold water. Many people do. However, since your risk factors are much greater, be sure to wear a good life jacket, be sure to have a float plan with someone you trust, have a line with a snap hook dangling over the side in case you do fall over and cannot pull yourself in, you can at least hook yourself to the boat until a rescue arrives. Have a good whistle attached to your life jacket. It may look easy, but pulling yourself back into a boat with no help is difficult. Don’t assume you can do it.
Do not go out in periods of limited visibility, period.
I have been in water this cold as a rescuer and diver. It sucks. Period. No fun at all. Make sure you plan for a quick exit if you do happen to fall in.
Without a life jacket, you are really risking not being able to tread water or pull yourself in the boat due to cold incapacitation. As such, you could be perfectly conscious while slowly falling under the surface long before hypothermia sets in. I will never say you could not survive it. However, your first priority is to find some way to keep yourself floating assuming you cannot do it yourself.
Another consideration is the “Gasp Reflex” of your face hitting the ice cold water. If you reflexively gasp, like all of us would, you can inhale a little water causing gagging and breathing issues while trying to stay afloat.
I’m not saying it is too risky to take a dingy out in cold water. Many people do. However, since your risk factors are much greater, be sure to wear a good life jacket, be sure to have a float plan with someone you trust, have a line with a snap hook dangling over the side in case you do fall over and cannot pull yourself in, you can at least hook yourself to the boat until a rescue arrives. Have a good whistle attached to your life jacket. It may look easy, but pulling yourself back into a boat with no help is difficult. Don’t assume you can do it.
Do not go out in periods of limited visibility, period.
I have been in water this cold as a rescuer and diver. It sucks. Period. No fun at all. Make sure you plan for a quick exit if you do happen to fall in.
Pirate Lady
Well-Known Member
Thanks. I will wait a month or two.
Stee6043
Well-Known Member
Lake Michigan occasionally "flips over" mid-summer. When it happens we can get 50 +/- degree water on 90 degree days when the water temp two days prior was 70.
It'll take your breath away but assuming you don't have a heart attack you can surely swim for a few minutes
It'll take your breath away but assuming you don't have a heart attack you can surely swim for a few minutes
DWABoat
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- Aug 13, 2019
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- 2001 280 Sundancer
1989 220CC Cuddy Cabin
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- Twin 4.3 w/Alpha Ones
5.7 Mercruiser Alpha One
Lake Michigan occasionally "flips over" mid-summer. When it happens we can get 50 +/- degree water on 90 degree days when the water temp two days prior was 70.
It'll take your breath away but assuming you don't have a heart attack you can surely swim for a few minutes
Agree with you on that. Being in cold water for a few minutes is certainly exhilarating. We do the Polar Plunge for charity here in Louisiana in February (of non-COVID years at least). Real hoot - when you want to jump in.
Many people believe it is the hypothermia. That really only starts to be a problem after about 30 mins or so depending on some variables. If you have a lifejacket and a good method to get out of the water, jumping in cold water can be fun, in a twisted sort of fun way.
I work on the MS River from New Orleans to Mississippi line mostly. It can be in the 80’s outside, but since the water is draining from your area up north, the river can be in the 50’s or even lower in February/March. The Lower MS River can even get into the upper 30’s in the Baton Rouge area. This is why we conduct cold water immersion training on a regular basis, even here in South Louisiana.
Ice cold water, a gift from you guys up north!
M Prod
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- Oct 6, 2017
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The water around Vancouver is a steady 50-55 degrees year round. We are heavily impacted by the Alaska Pacific currents and it’s the reason why Vancouver has such a temperate climate (ocean acts as a heater in winter, ac in summer). Granted there are various coves and anchorages where the water warms up in the summer but generally around my marina and the city, mid 50’s is as warm as it gets. This never stopped me from hopping in my dinghy though. I’ll go swimming from time to time in temps like this but only for a few minutes. (Wife thinks I’m crazy) It’s exhilarating. Really clears the head.
Woody
Well-Known Member
Some folks can tolerate the cold 'a little' better than others. Maybe you should walk into the water and swim around a bit until you get a feel for how you'd do.
I've been in real cold water lots of times. Only once did I get a surprise. It was spring and there was some open water along the shore. I took a run for it and dived in, swam under water until I got to the edge of the ice. When I surfaced and tried to take a breath I couldn't, it was like my chest was rigid, couldn't exhale or inhale. I could hold my breath for a long time in those days and just started swimming back to shore...but it startled me, never had such a feeling before. I'd guess for about 20 seconds I could not make myself breathe.
- Sep 25, 2016
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https://www.dco.uscg.mil/Portals/9/...ce/flyers/Cold_Water_Survival_Hypothermia.pdf
"Cold" is a deceptive and confusing term when dealing with hypothermia.
The initial gasp reflex can lead to drowning.
https://nationalwatersafetycongress.wildapricot.org/1-10-1/
"Cold" is a deceptive and confusing term when dealing with hypothermia.
The initial gasp reflex can lead to drowning.
https://nationalwatersafetycongress.wildapricot.org/1-10-1/
When I lived in the South, we used the 100 degree "rule". Water temp plus air temp. Above 100 we would ski. Below 100 and we would use wet suits to ski. Up here, as long as the ice is gone, people swim.
- Oct 6, 2006
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My Dad taught me a lot growing up. One thing stuck with me: Being a glass 1/2 empty pragmatist, he always planned on an imminent disaster. When I started running boats for the local dealer, my Dad told me to never get on a boat that has no visible means for you to climb out of the water if you happened to fall in. To that I've added: "check the boarding ladder to be sure you can deploy it from the water and climb to safety.......this after dealing with Sea Ray's idiotic placement of boarding ladders where it is impossible to unfold them and climb out on your own from a position in the water behind the boat. I'm sorry: "It looks better" is not a valid reason for putting a folding ladder under a hatch where it is impossible to deploy it from the water.
If you follow my Dad's rule, it really doesn't matter how cold the water is.
If you follow my Dad's rule, it really doesn't matter how cold the water is.
bbwhitejr
Well-Known Member
I can attest to this....last August, we were tied up in the slip and I slipped from the swim platform on our 44DB and fell into the 18" gap between the boat and the dock. Miraculously, my left arm/shoulder was the only thing bummed up. However, there was no way to deploy the ladder to get out. My shoulder was killing me so attempting to climb up the dock was out of the question. I hollered a few times and some folks showed up and deployed the ladder. The ladder on the 44DB as Frank says above is under a hatch and impossible to deploy one handed. Not sure it can be done 2-handed.
The 420DA has a ladder easily deployed from the water.
Bennett
yobub
Well-Known Member
Great advice above. @DWABoat is right on the mark with his comments. The Gasp Reflex is what frequently gets overlooked in these discussions.
Personally, I've always followed a 50/50 rule - At least 50 degree air temp and 50 degree water temp to go out on a small craft, and that is with a wetsuit. For me, the margin of error otherwise is just too small. Below either of those temps, drysuit only.
Age, fitness, and training also play into it. Back in the dark ages, when I was a lifeguard, we were training regularly in cold water, so hitting the water wouldn't have been as much of a shock. Today, I have age and fitness working against me, so I am naturally more conservative.
That being said, I was out in the dinghy with my wife over the weekend, with my 23 yo son on a jet ski. Water was probably 52. With two of us in the dinghy, one could help the other back in if needed. Many factors to mitigate the risk.
Personally, I've always followed a 50/50 rule - At least 50 degree air temp and 50 degree water temp to go out on a small craft, and that is with a wetsuit. For me, the margin of error otherwise is just too small. Below either of those temps, drysuit only.
Age, fitness, and training also play into it. Back in the dark ages, when I was a lifeguard, we were training regularly in cold water, so hitting the water wouldn't have been as much of a shock. Today, I have age and fitness working against me, so I am naturally more conservative.
That being said, I was out in the dinghy with my wife over the weekend, with my 23 yo son on a jet ski. Water was probably 52. With two of us in the dinghy, one could help the other back in if needed. Many factors to mitigate the risk.
GypsmJim
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- Aug 8, 2018
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As a little kid at Grandpa' cottage, we always laughed because inevitably Grandpa would always fall in at least once per year while he was building the dock. Nevertheless, once in the boat, he (nor anyone else in the family) ever fell out of the boat.
I personally wouldn't worry about the water temperature. I have already boated when icicles were forming on the engine's exhaust. My main concern would be how to avoid falling out of the boat in the first place.
I personally wouldn't worry about the water temperature. I have already boated when icicles were forming on the engine's exhaust. My main concern would be how to avoid falling out of the boat in the first place.
Gofirstclass
Well-Known Member
Many moons ago I was out on my 330 Sundancer with another couple, tied to a mooring buoy. When it came time to leave I realized that our line had wrapped itself around the anchor chain at the bottom of the buoy.
My plan to get it undone would have worked if the guy on board had any inkling about boat things. He didn't and we got the line caught in the props. Yup, both of them.
Oh, did I mention it was October and it was night and the water temp was 53*. I had no wet suit, mask, fins or snorkel. So I grabbed a maglite and a steak knife and slipped into the water. I would come up for air under the swim platform, go back under the boat and cut away. It took me 35 minutes beneath the boat to get all the lines cut off the prop. Then it was back on board to the helm, fired up both engines and cruised back to my slip.
No hypothermia, no loss of what little brain matter I still had and the next day we all could look back on it and laugh.
My plan to get it undone would have worked if the guy on board had any inkling about boat things. He didn't and we got the line caught in the props. Yup, both of them.
Oh, did I mention it was October and it was night and the water temp was 53*. I had no wet suit, mask, fins or snorkel. So I grabbed a maglite and a steak knife and slipped into the water. I would come up for air under the swim platform, go back under the boat and cut away. It took me 35 minutes beneath the boat to get all the lines cut off the prop. Then it was back on board to the helm, fired up both engines and cruised back to my slip.
No hypothermia, no loss of what little brain matter I still had and the next day we all could look back on it and laugh.
