By Marianne Lincoln

It’s summer and it’s hot, so you are headed to the nearest body of water to cool off. Keep in mind, the water in the rivers, lakes and Puget Sound is cold, very cold. Hypothermia is not your worst enemy.

In water between 40 and 50 degrees Fahrenheit, you have about 5 minutes before you begin to lose dexterity and maybe 1 to 2 hours to survive. That may be scary, but you can still swim for the beach, right?

Well, you have a worse enemy and it is called cold shock. It can take you down almost immediately. It is an instantaneous reaction to immersion in cold water. It can cause immediate incapacitation and even death.

Cold shock can cause uncontrolled gasping, which, if your head is below water at the time can lead to nearly instant drowning. Even if you are not underwater, it can cause havoc with your breathing, leading to hyperventilation, panic, confusion dizziness and possible loss of consciousness. All this happens well before hypothermia sets in.

In short, cold shock kills instantly. This is why you are being told to wear life preservers, not just keep them handy on the shore or in a boat.

In 2000, soon after graduation senior president and football quarterback of Spanaway Lake High School tried to swim in Alder Lake to the island at Sunny Beach. The surface temperature was misleading compared to the temperature a few feet below. Although an 18 year old athlete, Travis Olesen slipped below the surface and drowned. This was my son’s graduating class. Travis was one of those kids, athletic, smart and very personable. He was definitely going to be very successful in life. Everyone who knew him was devastated.

Please don’t be the next. Go out and stay cool, but in cold water lakes and rivers, please, wear that life preserver.

 

[Editor note: This Seattle Times article in 2002 blames Travis’ death on hypothermia, that was before the curse of cold shock was well known.  Love and hugs to the Olesen family.]