News recently brought us two stories of kayakers who drowned. One was wearing a PFD. Both had ended up in very cold water, and the guess is that they suffered from “Cold Shock.”
Evidently, sudden immersion in cold water causes some body systems to shut down, and often makes a person suddenly suck cold water into their lungs, which then results in a quick drowning. Our correspondent, Ken Anderson, paddles near Puget Sound, and reports that everybody there needs to wear dry suits, or wet suits because the water is always so cold.
Also, evidently, the PFD wasn’t able to keep the person’s head above water. So: PFD: yes. Keeping their head above water: No.
It isn’t just one thing that goes wrong that does you in, but several things that happen, and then an emergency distracts you. They were paddling by themselves, they weren’t prepared for going overboard in cold water, the PFD wasn’t able to keep their head above water, and then they went in.
See last month’s Safety Minute for a discussion about paddling by yourself. I’m iffy on that one. It is like Q-tips. I tell everyone not to, and then go and use them to clean my ears anyway. I tell everyone not to paddle by themselves, and then go and paddle by myself, myself. It makes paddling MUCH easier, but it makes a problem while paddling MUCH HARDER. And sometimes, fatal.
Then, we need to discuss the PFD that doesn’t keep your head above water. Yes, you have a PFD. Yes, you are actually WEARING your PFD. But it doesn’t help a fiddle if it doesn’t keep your head above water, or even worse, if it keeps you FACE DOWN IN THE WATER. The traditional orange foam life-jacket, with the bar of foam across the back, behind the head, was notorious for keeping the foam bar floating on the water, while forcing a person’s head to stay IN THE WATER.
I’ve owned my current PFD for a dozen years, and haven’t actually tried it in action lately. Will it support me above water? I don’t know. Will it keep my head above water? I don’t know. I guess I should make an appointment to stop by a nearby lake or swimming pool and try it out. Hmm. Nearby lakes and rivers all seem to have alligators in them, or be too shallow to be an effective trial. I guess I need to find a pool I can visit.
So, beware of paddling in cold water. Check out your PFDs. Stay safe, out there.
See you On The Water,
Harmon