Ultimate Kayak Fishing

What Can We Do To Prevent It?

Hypothermia can happen in the middle of the summer in a kayak. This is the reason for this article and I hope by following it you may one day educate a new kayak fisherman or someone who is ocean kayaking. Cold air and water with temperatures below 70° Fahrenheit and wind chill can all contribute to life threatening hypothermia.

I can hear the argument now, hypothermia only happens in the winter spring months or on very cold days. This is an assumption that has killed people and it's one that can render you helpless. 98.6° is the body's optimum temperature, this is where the "life supporting" chemical reaction occur.

What is "HYPOTHERMIA"?
Hypothermia happens when the bodies core temperature goes below 96° Fahrenheit. Core temperature that low is when the inside of your body is too cold to function properly.

How can you get "HYPOTHERMIA"?
If you don't layer your clothes and you encounter a summer rainstorm and then the wind picks up just as the sun sets. This is a perfect example on how summer hypothermia can set in. (This example is from everglades Florida in the middle of the summer). This is not an isolated example but happens several hundred times every year in the united states.

What are signs that someone has "HYPOTHERMIA"?
How can you tell if you or someone else has hypothermia! (This list is not all inclusive and are compiled from several sources)

• One result is Cerebral or muscular impairment (Skin numbness, cold skin, uncontrolled shaking)
• Motor coordination is impaired, stumbling, loosing paddle, and mumbling or growling / grumbling. This can be indicators of hypothermia setting in and a diminished level of consciousness.
• Body shivering uncontrollably can be a sign that the body has reached a core temperature of 96° Fahrenheit. You can still perform "gross motor skills" like walking, talking but have problem tying a fly line or change out a lure.
• If the core body temperature falls down at 93° to 95° Fahrenheit you become dazed, hands will be so impaired that any fine motor skill will not function. Speech will be slurred, behavior becomes irrational and violent shivers occur. Person will have the attitude they don't care about anything.
• If the temperature falls between 86° to 95° Fahrenheit the body would assume fetal position, you will be unable to paddle and shaking will be violent with pauses in between. Muscles will be rigid, skin will be pale, pupils dilated. Respiration and pulse will slow down.

Treatment of "HYPOTHERMIA"!
This list is again not inclusive; you need to seek medical help and call for ambulance (911) or Coast Guard if you are on the ocean.
The following is to start treating mild hypothermia

• Start by adding layers of clothing, remove wet clothing first and put on dry clothes.
• If you wear clothes made out of fleece, polypropylene or wool they will provide some insulation when wet. DO NOT WEAR COTTON because it has no insulating proportions when wet and it act's like a heat exchanger on the fridge by removing body heat.
• Move around to generate more body heat, paddle a little harder. For quick energy eat carbohydrates and for long term energy eat fats and protein. Don't forget to drink plenty of water to stay hydrated. Warm liquids, hot chocolate or soup in a thermos will help raise the temperature.
• Bring a space blanket or two, wrap yourself in it to conserve body heat.
• It's important to avoid caffeine, alcohol and tobacco because they all restrict the blood flow through your body. During early stages the body is shutting down the blood flow to external limbs to preserve the core heat so any of those substances will just speed up the hypothermia.
• Seek help before it's too late and the situation becomes to severe. Get to land where you can seek shelter or light a fire to heat you up. It's easier to get into dry clothes on land and you can dry the wet clothes next to the fire. (The old wives tale that you can warm up someone with hypothermia by sharing a sleeping bag, it's just that: "an old wives tale". A body will generate internal heat faster while wrapped in dry clothes and a space blanket than any external heat source can heat it up.)

When a person have severe hypothermia, don't give them solid food to eat because the stomach can't digest it. The best quick fuel for the body is sugar diluted in warm water given at a rate of 1 cup per 15 minutes. Chemical heat packs can be placed on several different locations of the body to help increase the heat inside the wrap. Same thing with heated water bottles. Place them in the groin area, neck, in the palms of your hands and feet and under the armpits. "DO NOT" expose a severely hypothermic person to extreme heat. Last but not least, listen to the weather and marine forecast before you leave. Bring extra clothes in a dry bag and pack food and water. Emergency food like power bars, matches in waterproof packaging, space blanket.

If you never use it, it was a perfect investment. If you need it and didn't bring it you may not survive the trip.