Fish Happens

Sad boating tragedy happens every year. I post this info in hopes it will let new kayakers realize the dangers of Cold Water. As air temperatures begin to get into the 70s, it encourages people to go out kayaking and boating. Unfortunately, the water temperatures are still deadly cold. Deadly Cold! Click on the headline link for the full story. If you haven't watched the 1-10-1 rule, watch it and commit it to memory. Water temps as of today are still below 50 degrees in the Mobile River.

Headline: 4 Boaters Die, 1 Survives in the Gulf of Mexico.

Adam Einck, a spokesman for the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, said, “It is believed the four deceased succumbed to hypothermia.”
"... water began filling the boat more quickly, and before anyone could put on a life jacket, the boat capsized, throwing everyone into the water," Einck said.

What they don't tell you is without a life jacket on, you'll drown before you ever reach the stages of hypothermia because your arms and legs become useless quicker than you think.

According to a Hypothermia Chart, in water 40-50 degrees, with no protection, you'll lose dexterity in under 5 minutes even though you might survive for 1-3 hours in the water before hypothermia kills you. No dexterity=no swimming=no staying above water WITHOUT a life jacket. Give this more thought. These times are of course, subject to weather, health, and other factors. In water temps between 40-50 degrees...

Approx survival time without a life jacket: 5 to 10 minutes.
Approx survival time with a life jacket: Up to 3 hours.
Approx survival time with a dry suit - a long unknown time.

Until water temperatures get into the 70s, dress for how long you wish to survive in case you capsize because of something as silly as a fish jumping out of a water and knocking you off balance. Fish happens. Stay close to shorelines in cold water conditions.

Watch the Cold Water Boot Camp Video!

Kayak Legislation

Here is a legislative bill that may be of concern to kayakers in Massachusetts and of interest to the rest of us:

(S 974) — The Massachusetts House recently gave initial approval to a bill that would require any person aboard a kayak to wear a Coast Guard-approved personal flotation device (PFD). The measure also gives the state's Department of Fisheries and Wildlife the power to mandate that other safety equipment be aboard. The Senate has already approved the bill. Additional approval is needed in both branches prior to the measure going to Governor Patrick.

If this bill passes in Massachusetts, legislation like this could be passed in all the other states, too. Hopefully, Alabama legislators will realize that when the water temperature is 88 degrees and it is 98 degrees outside, wearing the PFD should be optional for the kayaker. Heatstroke could be a serious issue caused by wearing a thick PDF on sweltering days.

It is water temperature that should dictate whether a PDF is required to be worn. Cold water is a proven killer when not wearing a PFD. Kayak drownings ebb away as the water temperature gets warmer.

Missing Hunters

Two local hunters who were in canoes in the Tensaw River, a river which can be treacherous, have gone missing. Their canoe was found downstream with guns still in it. An interview on TV with the wife of one of the missing kayakers indicated the hunters may not have had life jackets with them. That is really sad.

Some people think I may over emphasize wearing a life jacket in the winter time. But, just about every year we hear the same story of a local hunter or boater perishing in the cold waters somewhere in the Delta or offshore. Temperatures may be in the 70s, perfect for wearing shorts and a t-shirt, but recent cold snaps brought the water temperatures down to about 50 degrees.

When water is that cold, the 1-10-1 principle applies. If you fall into the water, you'll gasp for air and it'll take about 1 minute to get your breathing under control. If you survive that, which even some of the fittest people don't, you have about 10 minutes of useful movement before muscles lock up - that is if you have your lifejacket on!

Hypothermia conditions won't set in for about an hour. Despite the widespread talk about hypothermia being a killer, most people drown long before they reach that condition. Falling into cold water without a life jacket on means your chances of survival is slim to none. A study from 1977 showed that 55 percent of drownings occurred within 10 feet of safety and that two thirds of the drowning victims were strong swimmers.

So, if I am kayaking in a group and someone isn't wearing their life jacket, and I say some smart ass remark like, "I see we have an organ donor with us today," now you know why. I don't want you to die, but I will respect your choice to not wear your life saving device. Unfortunately by the time the body of a drowning victim is recovered, his organs are not suitable for donation.

12/05/2009 - Gravine Island

Launch: Byrnes Lake

Header Image

1) Remarkably, on the morning after a night calling for snow flurries, about 8 or 9 hardy individuals showed up for this club paddle. Temperature was 37 degrees at launch time, cloudy, and breezy.

2) The clouds quickly gave way to clear sunny skies. Bill, Marty, Dave and myself braved the Tensaw River crossing to get to Gravine Island. Waves weren't bad considering the wind but current was running 2 to 2.5 mph because the waters were being blown out of the Bay from strong north winds. Our speed going upstream was 2 mph and coming back it was close to 6 mph.

3) After a short hike on Gravine Island where we saw fresh deer tracks, we kayaked up a nearby tributary and were surprised to see two sailboats anchored together. Two big dogs were running around on top of the sailboats.

4) During the busy hunting season kayakers are encouraged to be visible by wearing hunter's orange. Our group was definitely visible. This turned out to be a nice paddle. We saw one small alligator and several big herons.

A couple of post trip safety observations.

If a kayak trip calls for crossing a big river during the passing of a cold front (small craft advisory condition), one should have a spray skirt. Most of the sit-in kayakers in the group today turned around because they didn't have a spray skirt. A spray skirt, paddle float, and pump should be standard safety gear carried on every trip for those paddling sit-in kayaks.

A fisherman on a power boat told us the water temperature in Byrnes Lake was 49 degrees. Buoy readings in our area show 55 degree water so it is entirely possible for shallow creek waters to be colder than the Bay Waters. It is that time of year now - our waters are cold. It could be 75 degrees outside, but remember, cold waters adds a significant risk to kayaking.

Someone in our group today was not wearing their life jacket. If you haven't watched the Hypothermia Boot Camp video and the 1-10-1 video, I beg you to watch them. Just do a search on Youtube to find them. People who kayak alone in cold waters without wearing a life jacket don't have to worry about dying from hypothermia - if they survive the first minute, they'll probably not stay above water much more than 5-10 minutes. Long before hypothermia ever sets in, they will drown.

The reason I yak about this problem is, in a group paddle, if someone not wearing a life vest happens to capsize, what should be a routine 10 minute self rescue might become a frantic group effort to try to save this person. When kayakers are in close proximity together, not paddling, and dealing with a floundering swimmer that they are trying to keep above water, in wind, fast current, and waves, there is a high risk of the rescuers turning over too.

So, when you go on a group paddle in cold water conditions, not wearing your life jacket for your selfish comfort, please understand that you also put your fellow kayakers at risk too because most kayakers are caring people who will try to save their fellow kayaker. Thanks.

Cold Water

The waters around here are still cold.

Sady, another drowning victim was recovered in this area. The news report never mentioned much about safety other than the fact that the victim's life jacket was still laying in the boat.

http://www.wkrg.com/alabama/article/body_of_missing_crabber_found/23505/

Most victims of cold water immersion actually die of drowning, not hypothermia, and many drowning victims are very close to safety when they die.

The Canadian Safe Boating Council / SmartRisk Study showed that between 1991 and 2000, 41% of those who drowned while boating were within 33 feet of shore at the time. An additional 22% were within 33 feet to 50 feet of shore. A British study from 1977 showed that 55% of open water drownings occurred within 10 feet of safety!!! And two thirds of drowning victims were strong swimmers. How can this be?

Many of the drowning victims die within the first minute of their immersion. Next time you are outdoors, pace off 40 feet. Can you imagine being 40 feet from shore and unable to swim to it to save your life??

Cold Shock
On falling into cold water, cold receptors in the skin cause immediate physiological responses, the first of which is a gasp reflex. If this happens when your head is under water, you are in deep trouble. (When you tip over in a kayak and are upside down, where is your head?)

Next, you begin to hyperventilate, within seconds, your heart begins to race, and your blood pressure spikes. Hyperventilation may make it difficult to get air into your lungs, leading to panic and further hyperventilation.

These symptoms can trigger cardiac arrest in susceptible individuals. Even healthy individuals will have difficulty keeping their airways above water without a flotation aid while undergoing these major physiological stresses.

The effects of cold shock normally peak within the first minute and stabilize very soon thereafter.

http://www.shipwrite.bc.ca/Chilling_truth.htm

Wearing a life jacket can ease the cold water shock. Statistics show that nearly 90 per cent of those who die won’t be wearing a life-jacket - the most common risk factor for recreational boating drownings. Only 11% of drowning victims were wearing personal flotatation devices (PFDs).

Wearing a life jacket during a capsize in cold water could save your life.

Trying to put on a PFD after turning over in a kayak is like trying to put on a seatbelt while an auto accident is happening.

http://boating.ncf.ca/stats.html

01/13/2007 – Dauphin Island

Launch: Southeast end of Dauphin Island by Billygoat Hole just west of the Mobile Ferry launch site.
Launch Cost: Free.
Route: Around the east end of Dauphin Island and back.
Distance: 2 miles.
Average Speed: 3.2 mph.
Time: Approx 45 minutes.
Pace: Leisurely.
Weather: Sunny, temp in the 70s, winds 10-15 mph from the east – a really beautiful day.

1) The road to the end of Dauphin Island was closed at Fort Gaines meaning I could not launch at the Rock Jetties, so I launched next to Mobile Ferry, planning to go around the east end of Dauphin Island and then head to Sand Island.

2) Nice kayaking conditions today – well, almost. Around the east end at the shallows, tide and wind were making the wave action very agitated (3 foot waves with 2 foot spikes on top of the waves). I always like to launch on the south side of the island to avoid east end which can get nasty during peak tidal flow. I chickened out and turned around to paddle inland Dauphin Island. Hey kayakers - there is nothing wrong with chickening out and turning around. If wind, wave, current, or weather looks bad, or you don’t feel comfortable kayaking in the conditions, don’t do it – especially if you are kayaking solo. Go elsewhere or kayak another day. You should be even more cautious in the winter when water temperatures can quickly cause hypothermia. Do you know what temperature the water is where you are kayaking? Even though waters at Dauphin Island are about 60 degrees right now, being in that water temperature can cause unconsciousness or exhaustion in about 2 hours.

3) It is a good thing I turned around! My Hobie Outback Mirage pedal drive unit broke about 10 minutes after turning around. It broke in such a way that I could not fix it, so this trip came to an abrupt end.

4) I had to look at this sign several times and still could not figure out why (DISL) Dauphin Island Sea Lab has a sign that says, “NO DICKING.” Either weather eroded the sign or some prankster did a bit of touch up work on it. Every kayak trip is a new adventure!