Dress for the water temperature, not the air temperature, and always wear a life jacket.
Paddlers and small boat operators should use extreme caution on the water this spring. Maryland DNR photo.
With rising outdoor temperatures on the way as winter ends, the waters of the Chesapeake Bay, Atlantic Ocean, and Maryland’s rivers and lakes aren’t as quick to warm.
While spring can be an ideal time to be on the water for anglers, boaters, and paddlers, it can also be dangerous. The National Weather Service defines water as being cold if its temperature is 70 degrees or lower. In most of Maryland, average water temperatures are lower than 70 for all but the hottest summer months.
Warm air temperatures can create a false sense of security, leaving people susceptible to cold shock, physical incapacitation, and hypothermia if exposed to or immersed in cold water. If a waterway user isn’t prepared for the effects of cold water on their mental and physical state, an accidental fall overboard could quickly become deadly.
DNR’s Eyes on the Bay program indicates that water temperatures in the Chesapeake Bay near the Bay Bridge only rise above “cold water” from May through October.
Cold shock occurs in the first one to three minutes upon entering cold water. Individuals may experience involuntary gasping for air, rapid breathing, or hyperventilating. Uncontrolled, a drowning situation could arise if water is inhaled. Most cold water deaths are attributed to drowning as a result of cold shock. One in five cold water deaths occur in the first minute of immersion. This phenomenon can be triggered by water as warm as 77 degrees.
After a more sustained period of time – from 10 minutes up to 30 minutes of immersion in cold water – loss of muscle control may set in. Known clinically as physical incapacitation, this means an individual loses the ability to tread water, stay afloat, and move extremities. Even strong swimmers will notice a loss of strength and dexterity as the arm and leg muscles cool. If someone suffering physical incapacitation also doesn’t have a life jacket or floatation device, this condition can become fatal.
Beyond the initial dangers, core body temperature will continue to plummet while immersed in cold water. Hypothermia begins when body temperatures dip below 95 degrees. Physical and cognitive abilities continue to deteriorate and unconsciousness becomes a true factor, limiting any chance of survival. Once removed from cold water, there is still danger, and a victim’s core temperatures may continue to drop until relocated to a warm, dry area.
Surviving cold-water immersion depends on preparedness. Life jackets should be worn at all times if in or around water. Other examples of cold-weather gear include wetsuits, dry suits, immersion suits, survival suits, and exposure coveralls. Combined with naturally positioning the body so the head remains out of the water, life jackets and other flotation gear can create extra time for help to arrive or for a situation to become more stable.
Maryland law mandates life jackets be worn by children under 13 while underway on boats shorter than 21 feet long, and one life jacket per passenger must be on board all recreational boats. Kayaks, canoes, stand-up paddle boards, and other non-motorized vessels aren’t exempt – a personal floatation device (PFD) should be worn or easily-accessible at all times.
Eyes on the Bay data indicates year-round water temperatures month-by-month at the Bay Bridge. Temperatures vary throughout Maryland by waterbody.
There are also multiple methods of preserving body heat. Two of the recognized methods include the Heat Escape Lessening Posture – or H.E.L.P. – and the huddle position. The H.E.L.P. position is for an individual, and includes drawing your knees to your chest and crossing your arms while keeping your head out of the water. The huddle position is intended to be used with multiple people, facing inward and forming a tight group with arms and shoulders as close as possible to each other.
Another principle of cold water survival safety is the 1-10-1 rule, which is an easy-to-remember phrase to help understand the three stages of cold water immersion. The principle refers to having one minute to control your breathing, 10 minutes of viable muscle control to self-rescue, and approximately one hour until hypothermia causes unconsciousness.
Maryland’s waterways can be fatal for even the most prepared individuals when it comes to cold water and drowning. Death by drowning was the fifth leading cause of death in Maryland for children under age 18 during the ten-year period from 2010 to 2019, according to a Maryland Department of Health report.
Other boater safety principles should always be followed while engaging in water-centric activities. Operators should file a float plan, detailing for others where, when, and with whom a boater will be out on the water. Weather conditions should be closely monitored, especially with unpredictable spring weather looming.
Required safety equipment should be on board, and alcohol and/or drugs should always be avoided when operating watercraft.
Anyone experiencing a natural resources emergency should call Maryland Natural Resources Police at 410-260-8888.