Why This Is The Most Dangerous Time Of Year

By Nick Pritchard

I was fortunate enough to have the time to get out on the water in my playboat yesterday. It was a beautiful day; the sun was shining and it was about 75 degrees outside making it a great time to practice some rolls and work on my bow stall.

When I was getting ready to go out I struggled with what layer I should wear under my drytop; it was 75 degrees but I knew the water was still cold. I decided to go with my favorite winter long sleeve shirt instead of a light synthetic t-shirt and I'm glad that I did. I had started to get too warm quickly once I had geared up but my first roll quickly took care of that. Even with my helmet liner on, I still got slightly disoriented from the cold water. I was only able to do two or three rolls in a row before I would have to take a break because I was getting too dizzy.

It is so easy during this time of year to get distracted by the warm air temperatures and to forget about the cold water temperatures. Especially after a long winter and spring fever there are more and more folks getting out on the water but they aren't preparing themselves for the swim. Just this past week, on two separate occasions, I saw folks who weren't even wearing their PFDs, much less wearing any type of thermal barrier. Little did they know what type of unnecessary danger they were putting themselves in!

During the winter months we recognize the danger of cold water much better because the air is cold as well and there is snow and ice everywhere. However, once the snow melts and the ice thaws we start to forget about the dangers. We can finally go outside without a jacket and we don't realize that the water is just about as cold as during the middle of the winter.

The American Canoe Association (ACA) uses the rule that if the water temperature is under 60 degrees a wetsuit or drysuit is required or if the combined air and water temperature is under 120 degrees than a wetsuit or drysuit is required. Whichever comes first. The ACA also has this brochure available about cold water paddling.

To find out more information about the effects that cold water has on the body check out Cold Water Boot Camp. They have a lot of great videos, statistics, and information about the real effects of cold water.

Take the time to do the research and to adequately protect yourself from cold water before venturing out. Don't let the warm air temperatures sway your good judgement about wearing a wetsuit or drysuit.

As always feel free to contact us if you have any questions!