Horn
19th June 2015, 12:51 AM
It wouldn't take more than an hour or two for even a strong swimmer to succumb to hypothermia in Lake Ontario, experts say.
In many cases, death could come far quicker.
The observations come in the wake of the disappearance of Keith White, a London man who went overboard off the Northern Spirit cruise boat south of the Humber River on Saturday.
White, 34, was described by his family as "very healthy" and a certified lifeguard.
Lake Ontario's waters are an estimated 6C, which is cold and dangerous, Barb Byers of the Lifesaving Society said in an interview.
"This year and last year took much longer for the lake to warm up," Byers said.
Byers noted a recent study in which 10 young, strong, experienced swimmers tried to swim in Lake Simcoe in 6C waters.
The swimmers had to quickly be pulled from the waters and several reported rapidly losing their sense of direction.
"For most of them, the maximum time was one or two minutes," Byers said. "They said they couldn't swim."The experienced swimmers even had trouble keeping their heads above water.
"Your cognitive ability is affected," Byers said. "You can't even move your arms very swell." There are 125 to 130 drownings in Canada a year because of boating mishaps, she said. About 100 of those victims aren't wearing life jackets, she said.
"Cold water is a big deal and most water in Canada is cold," she said. She added that someone who falls overboard is in increased danger of swallowing water and drowning quickly. "They're so in shock they swallow the water," she said.
Her comments were supported by Dr. Christopher Milroy, a University of Ottawa pathologist, in an email interview.
"Drowning can be quick but if someone stays above water because they are swimming or have a flotation device the temperature of the water becomes relevant," Milroy said.
"These people die of hypothermia if not rescued," Milroy said. "Even when the temperature is reasonable for ordinary swimming, death may occur because water conducts heat away from the body if the person is in the water long enough. So a temperature of 18 Celsius will prove fatal if the person is in water long enough."
Once a body drowns it can sink and then rise again in a few days as decomposition occurs, Milroy said. "This may be delayed if the body gets snagged on branches, rocks etc.," Milroy said.He noted the 1963 Lakonia disaster, when a ship fire resulted in 128 deaths during a Christmas cruise of the Canary Islands.
Most of them died from hypothermia in the hours following the abandoning of the ship.White's family released a statement on Monday expressing confusion and concern.
"We are confused about how Keith could fall off a ship in daylight, surface alert and continue to swim, and yet it appears nothing was done to assist him in a timely manner. We want to make sure this does not happen to another family," the family statement reads. White fell from the yacht owned by Mariposa Cruises, around 7:30 p.m. Saturday during a 19+ event called "Knot Another Yacht Party."
The search area consists of the western end of Lake Ontario. The location of the original incident was south of the Humber River.
Torstar News Service
http://www.thespec.com/news-story/5681689-lake-ontario-within-one-hour-even-strong-swimmers-can-die-from-hypothermia/
In many cases, death could come far quicker.
The observations come in the wake of the disappearance of Keith White, a London man who went overboard off the Northern Spirit cruise boat south of the Humber River on Saturday.
White, 34, was described by his family as "very healthy" and a certified lifeguard.
Lake Ontario's waters are an estimated 6C, which is cold and dangerous, Barb Byers of the Lifesaving Society said in an interview.
"This year and last year took much longer for the lake to warm up," Byers said.
Byers noted a recent study in which 10 young, strong, experienced swimmers tried to swim in Lake Simcoe in 6C waters.
The swimmers had to quickly be pulled from the waters and several reported rapidly losing their sense of direction.
"For most of them, the maximum time was one or two minutes," Byers said. "They said they couldn't swim."The experienced swimmers even had trouble keeping their heads above water.
"Your cognitive ability is affected," Byers said. "You can't even move your arms very swell." There are 125 to 130 drownings in Canada a year because of boating mishaps, she said. About 100 of those victims aren't wearing life jackets, she said.
"Cold water is a big deal and most water in Canada is cold," she said. She added that someone who falls overboard is in increased danger of swallowing water and drowning quickly. "They're so in shock they swallow the water," she said.
Her comments were supported by Dr. Christopher Milroy, a University of Ottawa pathologist, in an email interview.
"Drowning can be quick but if someone stays above water because they are swimming or have a flotation device the temperature of the water becomes relevant," Milroy said.
"These people die of hypothermia if not rescued," Milroy said. "Even when the temperature is reasonable for ordinary swimming, death may occur because water conducts heat away from the body if the person is in the water long enough. So a temperature of 18 Celsius will prove fatal if the person is in water long enough."
Once a body drowns it can sink and then rise again in a few days as decomposition occurs, Milroy said. "This may be delayed if the body gets snagged on branches, rocks etc.," Milroy said.He noted the 1963 Lakonia disaster, when a ship fire resulted in 128 deaths during a Christmas cruise of the Canary Islands.
Most of them died from hypothermia in the hours following the abandoning of the ship.White's family released a statement on Monday expressing confusion and concern.
"We are confused about how Keith could fall off a ship in daylight, surface alert and continue to swim, and yet it appears nothing was done to assist him in a timely manner. We want to make sure this does not happen to another family," the family statement reads. White fell from the yacht owned by Mariposa Cruises, around 7:30 p.m. Saturday during a 19+ event called "Knot Another Yacht Party."
The search area consists of the western end of Lake Ontario. The location of the original incident was south of the Humber River.
Torstar News Service
http://www.thespec.com/news-story/5681689-lake-ontario-within-one-hour-even-strong-swimmers-can-die-from-hypothermia/