Place an Ad Calendars Classified Forums Sports Weather

sptimes.com Text-only News sections Arts & Entertainment AP The Wire Business Citrus County Columnists Floridian Hernando County Hillsborough Letters Movies Neighborhood Times News Update North Pinellas North of Tampa Obituaries Opinion Pasco County South Pinellas Sports State Tampa Bay TV Times World & Nation  Find your local news section Weekly sections Brandon Times City Times Homes Outdoors Perspective Personal Tech Taste Travel Weekend Xpress Special Sections Arena football Buccaneers College football Devil Rays Lightning Police reports Schools Seniority Subscriber Services Subscribe Renew Help Advertise Place an ad In print Online Market Info Join Us Internships Scholarships Times Jobs Contact us

Outdoors

Hypothermia, the hidden danger

Stumbling along the beach, shivering in wet clothes, a friend snapped me back to my senses.

"Are you all right, mate?" he asked.

When I didn't answer, he uttered the obvious: "You've got hypothermia."

The water temperature was in the high 50s, and I had capsized my sea kayak in the rough seas beneath a bridge. The wind was blowing a steady 30 knots out of the north, which alone was enough to chill to the bone, even though I had the best foul-weather paddling gear money could buy.

Click to enlarge informational graphic (Acrobat PDF file):

[Times art: Jeff Goertzen and Mike Sudal]

But my problems had started much earlier. We had been paddling for about five hours, and for the last two my spray skirt had been leaking and it didn't take long before I found myself sitting in 8 inches of water.

I had forgotten that a person immersed in water loses body heat 25 times faster than a person exposed to air. The cool water had slowly sapped my body heat and led to diminished motor skills and poor judgment, which probably is why my boat tipped over.

Luckily, I had had hypothermia before (and I will probably have it again), so I broke out my emergency kit and put on some warm, dry clothes.

Hypothermia, the dangerous lowering of core body temperature, is nothing to take lightly. Every year, dozens of people die or are seriously injured after being unexpectedly exposed to cold water.

On Oct. 28, Sarasota firefighters had to pull a stranded man from the water about 200 yards off a dock from which he had just jumped. Rescuers said that if he hadn't been rescued when he was, he would have died.

On Dec. 7, two 16-year-old Hernando High School boys riding a personal watercraft found themselves stranded overnight. Authorities found their bodies the next day, and a preliminary medical examiner's report said the cause of death was hypothermia.

On Dec. 14, two fishermen floated for 14 hours in frigid Biscayne Bay after their 20-foot boat capsized. The men, suffering from hypothermia, were taken to the hospital.

On Dec. 28, four men left Tampa in an 18-foot boat for a fishing trip but failed to return. The bodies of three of the men were found the next day. Two died from hypothermia, the third from drowning.

These cases show why it is critical to be prepared when venturing out on water, especially in the winter. Before you leave port, check the weather, leave a float plan with a friend or relative and make sure all your equipment (including your life jackets and VHF radio) is in working order.

If you do find yourself in the water, stay with the boat.

-- Researcher Kitty Bennett contributed to this report.

© 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111

Contact the Times | Privacy Policy
Standard of Accuracy | Terms, Conditions & Copyright