New York Safe Boating - 2020 - 77

Responding to a capsize

holding the head above water, which can lead to drowning.
Perform most important functions first, including situational
assessment, decision making and self-rescue activities.

If you're in a boat that capsizes, grab a PFD immediately if
you're not already wearing one. If your PFDs aren't by your
side (readily accessible), grab something that floats, such as
a seat cushion or a cooler. Take a head count to see who
else is in the water with you, and note how many people are
wearing their PFDs. Try to help anyone who doesn't have a
PFD find something that floats to hang onto. Stay with the
boat; the shore is probably farther away from you than it
looks. If you can, climb into or onto the boat- this is where
rescuers expect to find you. Wait until help arrives. If you
have a workable radio, send out a distress message. Save
your pyrotechnic distress signals until you see other boats in
your area.

Stage 3 is Hypothermia. Cold water cools a body about

25 times faster than cold air does. Being immersed in cold
water is much worse than being out in freezing air without
a coat. Immersion in cold water will cool the body's core
temperature, which affects the brain, heart, and internal
organs. It usually takes about 30 minutes for hypothermia to
set in fully. A person suffering from hypothermia will shiver
intensely and suffer reduced blood flow to the extremities
and skin. In later stages of hypothermia, the sufferer
experiences loss of consciousness and heart failure.
Focus on slowing body core heat loss and be prepared to
signal rescuers.

Responding to a
Person Falling Overboard

Stage 4 is Post-rescue Collapse. People rescued

from cold water often may not survive the experience. Cold
exposure may create significant changes in the body's
physiology leading to dangerous heart rhythms which may
cause death. Exposure to cold water is a critical medical
emergency; call trained rescue personnel immediately!

If a passenger falls overboard, toss a PFD to them, that's
why boats over 16 feet are required to carry a Type IV
PFD. Assign someone to keep an eye on the victim and
continuously point to the victim's location. Approach the
victim from downwind so the wind blows the victim to you,
rather than blowing your boat over the victim.* Turn off
the engine, and ensure that the propeller isn't spinning. If
possible, assist the person back aboard the boat, preferably
at the stern. Be careful, a panicking victim may capsize your
boat while climbing in.

Treatment of victims
If you are involved in a rescue of a person who has been
exposed to cold water, lay the victim on his or her back.
Handle the victim gently, remove wet clothing, and wrap
the victim in warmed, dry blankets if possible. Bring the
victim indoors, or into a warm vehicle, or if you're in a
boat, into an area that is as protected from the elements
as possible. If the victim is alert and responsive, and hot
packs are available, apply them to the neck, armpits and
groin area. You may give the victim a warm drink, but
nothing with alcohol or caffeine as these may induce erratic
heart rhythms. If the victim is unconscious, incoherent or
unresponsive, do not use hot packs, (you could burn their
skin). And don't give the victim anything to drink.

*If the weather is bad, try to approach the victim on the
windward side to shelter the victim from the wind. This will
also decrease the size of the seas. This will make it easier for
the victim to approach the boat and will assist the rescuers
doing the recovery.

Cold Water Immersion and Hypothermia
Cold water is deadly. A body immersed in water with a
temperature of less than 70ºF will become incapacitated
quickly. If the water is cold, 50ºF or less, an average adult
has only a 50% chance of surviving a 50 yard swim. The
problem is not just hypothermia. Cold water can kill in any
one of four stages:

If you cannot protect the victim from the elements and you
have no warm blankets or clothes to wrap the victim, share
your body heat by lying full length next to the victim. Do not
rub the victim's skin and don't let the victim walk or exercise.
Make the victim stay still; you need to protect the victim from
developing potentially dangerous heart rhythms. As noted
above, never allow the victim to have alcohol!

Stage 1 is Cold Shock. This stage occurs immediately

upon entering the water, and can last from 30 seconds
to 5 minutes. Cold shock affects breathing. It causes
uncontrollable intakes of breath, increased breathing rate,
reduced ability to hold your breath, and an increase in heart
rate and blood pressure. This inability to control breathing
can cause drowning and is the primary reason that wearing a
PFD when the water is cold is critical. The PFD will keep the
head above water and allow the victim time to regain control
over breathing.

Surviving
immersion
A PFD is critical to
your survival, so wear
one whenever you're
boating on cold water.
If you fall into the water,
don't shed your clothes
unless they're causing
you to sink; clothing will
help your body retain its
warmth in the water. Try
to be still in the water because movement will cause faster

Stage 2 is Swimming Failure. This happens after a
person has been in cold water for 5 to 30 minutes. Even
excellent swimmers can go into swimming failure. A
person in swimming failure loses manual dexterity, cannot
coordinate breathing and swimming strokes, and suffers
a loss of muscle coordination. This will result in difficulty
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New York Safe Boating - 2020

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