Surviving a cold dunk

 I don’t know many anglers or hunters who have not had at least one close call in cold water. Our activities frequently take us onto the water during the coldest seasons. And though these experiences can be great, so too can the risk of accidental immersion. Most of us understand the dangers, but few of us understand them enough. That’s why OOD Editor Ray Blades and I took a virtual cold-water immersion course run by the Canadian Safe Boating Council (CSBC) last February. The two-evening Beyond Cold Water Boot Camp was led by Dr. Gordon Giesbrecht from the University of Manitoba. Giesbrecht is a renowned expert in cold-water immersion prevention and rescue techniques. Here's some of what we learned. Cold dunk myths You might have heard someone say there’s no point wearing a life jacket because hypothermia will kill you in minutes anyways. But Giesbrecht said hypothermia only causes a small percentage of cold-water immersion deaths. That’s because during the average cold-water immersion incident, it takes about 30 minutes to become hypothermic, an hour to lose consciousness, and another half hour to face the risk of cardiac arrest or ventricular fibrillation leading to death. While immersion is eventually deadly, most rescues happen within two to three minutes, if the incident is witnessed. Most fatalities during a cold-water immersion incident are, in fact, due to drowning, which is actually submersion. This frequently happens when a person without a personal floatation device (PFD) suddenly falls unprepared into cold water. Surprise and panic cause them to gasp and take in water, which can quickly lead to drowning. Drowning also happens when a person not wearing a PFD loses physical function, generally due to hypothermia. Another myth is drowning victims have no chance of being revived. In fact, there is often hope when water temperatures plummet. In one incident, a person who was underwater for 66 minutes was brought back. Four phases There are four phases of cold-water immersion. 1: The cold-water response is the initial reaction as the person’s skin gets cold. This lasts for up to two minutes and is characterized by the person treading water to keep afloat while trying to control gasping and hyperventilation. 2: Cold incapacitation occurs when muscles and nerves get cold. It happens two to 20 minutes after immersion. Strength and motor skills deteriorate during this period. 3: Hypothermia starts around 30 minutes after immersion. Core body