South Africa is a prime destination for many boaters around the world to enjoy serene coastlines and observe the wonders of marine diversity. The ocean surface temperature is generally pleasant and the risk of hypothermia is often on the lower side. However, if you are a winter boater, the risk shifts its balance to the higher side. In this article, let’s understand the risk of hypothermia amongst South African boaters and how to combat such situations.
What is Hypothermia and how does it affect South African Boaters?
Hypothermia refers to the condition of losing your body temperature below healthy ranges. This condition generally occurs when you start losing your body temperature faster than the body’s capacity to compensate for the offset. When this happens, you may start feeling dizziness or loss of unconsciousness of varying degrees, depending on the severity. You may feel numbness in your muscles as if they have become stiff. This condition can be fatal if you do not consider the early signs.
If you remain in a condition that sustains your hypothermia, it will eventually progress. It is a progressive condition in which the body passes through several stages before you lapse into unconsciousness. Awareness is the key to identifying such conditions to alleviate the risk of hypothermia amongst South African boaters.
The Three Stages of Hypothermia amongst South African Boaters
Depending on the symptoms, Hypothermia or Cold Shock can be classified into three different types.
Mild Hypothermia
Your body may progressively start experiencing mild hypothermia if your body temperature falls within the range of 32 to 36.5 degrees Celsius. While your body temperature is still in normal ranges, the conditions causing hypothermia may make you exhibit the following symptoms.
- Cold,
- violent shivers,
- unclear speech,
- lack of coordination,
- paler appearance,
- cold skin, and in rare cases
- memory loss.
Moderate Hypothermia
As we explained earlier, hypothermia is progressive. If your body continues to stay in conditions causing hypothermia, it may progress to moderate hypothermia. These symptoms may start showing when your body temperature is within 30 to 32 degrees Celcius. The symptoms may include the following.
- Loss of muscle control,
- lack of shivering (abnormal)
- drowsy appearance,
- exhaustion,
- confusion,
- and incoherence.
Severe Hypothermia
The next and final stage is severe hypothermia. This stage can permanently damage your body and brain or even prove to be fatal if you remain exposed to this condition for extended periods. It would not be an exaggeration to consider severe hypothermia as an emergency. The severely cold body temperatures between 25 to 30 degrees Celcius and one of the symptoms from the following signal the onset of this condition.
- Unconsciousness,
- signs of respiratory distress,
- signs of cardiac arrest,
- severe muscle stiffness, and
- ice-cold skin.
Combating Hypothermia
Pray that you never fall into the sea or get into one of those situations where you will experience hypothermia. But if you ever find yourself in such situations, remember that you have time, so try to stay calm.
The very first thing you need to remember is to conserve your heat. That means limiting your body movements. Only swim if your actions can take you out of the water, like boarding a boat, or hanging on a floating object nearby. PFDs (Personal Floatation Devices such as Life Jackets) also help you combat hypothermia and help you keep your head out of water.
If there are others in the water with you, huddle together with them to keep warm.
People with lower body masses and children are more susceptible to hypothermic shock than adults. If there are any physically weak people with you, consider helping them out after you are sure about your safety. Always help yourself first.
Treating Hypothermia
Combating hypothermia is not equal to treating it. And if you are not out of the water, you are not treating hypothermia. You are just delaying its onset. So, when you are out of the situations that cause you hypothermia, consider warming yourself up.
Discard all the wet garments, dry yourself up (with help from others if necessary), get a warm drink for yourself or sit near a heater. Anything that will keep you warm. Consider restricting your movement if you are feeling dizzy and always rely on others for help whenever necessary.
Do NOT consume alcohol or coffee. These drinks can lower your body temperature. Consider not massaging yourself either, as it can recirculate your cold surface body temperature to your core, thus further dropping your temperature.
All you can do is warm yourself up and wait it out.
Conclusion
Water can significantly reduce your body temperature in a short amount of time. Fortunately, South African surface sea temperatures are often between 14 (in Winter) to 22 (in Summer) degrees Celsius. So, the risk of hypothermia for South African boaters is moderate at worst. Regardless, the risk is there. If you fall into the water, please wait for the help to arrive and make sure you conserve your body temperature as much as possible.
This is why having safety gear onboard is equally important. Make sure you have a checklist every time you take your boat out.
On the other hand, if you are looking for skipping lessons in South Africa, Sail and Power SA is here for you. Kindly check our website for more information or contact us today!