Newfoundland and Labrador Hunter Education Program


Coldwater Immersion

Many drownings and boating related fatalities are a result of cold water immersion. When a person falls into cold water their body experiences a number of physiological responses which are affected by both the temperature of the water and the amount of time they are in the water.


Vessel capsizing and falls overboard are the leading causes of cold water immersion. Capsizing is most often caused by overloading, poorly secured loads, improper boat handling and anchoring or loss of power/steerage.


Stages and Effects

Step 1.

If a person falls into cold water their body's initial reaction is a gasp reflex, which can included hyperventilation and muscle spasms. This initial can result in water inhalation as well as significant changes in heart rate and blood pressure. These initial effects are present for the first two or three minutes of immersion.

Step 2.

In cold water you may begin to experience the loss of basic motor skills after only a few minutes. Between three and thirty minutes after immersion a person's hands quickly lose strength and sensation and subsequently their ability to swim, even strong swimmers. In cold water immersion cases, boaters often drown as a result of swimming failure before hypothermia ever has the chance to set in.

Step 3.

Long term immersion or immersion hypothermia becomes a concern following 30 or more minutes of immersion and hypothermia, a drop in body temperature below the normal level will begin to set in. The persons' overall body temperature will continue to drop until it reaches the same temperature as the water. As the body's core temperature falls, a person will eventually lapse into unconsciousness.

Step 4.

Post Rescue Collapse results from a drop in blood pressure which may lead a person to become unconscious or to stop breathing at the point of rescue or up to several hours afterward.