Re: [Paddlewise] cold water article

JCMARTIN43_at_aol.com wrote:
 
> John brings up some good points --- and appropriate in light of the death of
> "Rhino" Hancock on Lake Erie last Saturday.  The most important question on
> wet suits and dry suits --- and I'm not trying to open a thread on this,
> necessarily --- is are you confident in swimming whatever you're wearing?  And
> <do> you swim what you wear periodically, as the water temps decline, to make
> sure you're still confident that your equipment of choice will keep you
> functional in cold water?  Not comfortable, but functional.

Well, you are starting a thread :-)

There are definite schools of thought on safety gear and testing it
under every condition.  It certainly makes good sense to wear a dry
suit, closed (that includes no neck rings that defeat the neck gasket),
plenty of insulation, neoprene gloves and hood, etc.  That is really the
only outfit that can stand the 15 minute comfortable immersion test you
had at the cold water shop last january.  But I think we are getting to
a worse-case scenario mania akin to the recent discussion of roof racks
on this listserver where it came down to extra sets of straps and
finally came down to bolting the boat bottom through the car roof.

I am seeing a can-you-top-this attitude emerge in safety gear and
preparation.  An example is that paddle CPA had at near 70 degree air
temperature and mid-60s water temperature and calm conditions in which
people were stopped from paddling with the group if they had no cold
water gear on.  Leaders are free to set any standard they want and
certainly hypothermia is a killer and you can die of it in 80 degree
water if exposed long enough.  But when is enough enough?

I think you are right on the proper use of the gear.  Rhino, if indeed
his dry suit zipper were open, was defeating the way his gear worked. 
The same as the guy who died in NJ (was it?) who had a dry suit and just
a bathing suit underneath.

But there are levels of protection that will work.  Your example of guys
trying out their wet suits in the 30s degree water and becoming dry suit
converts is a case in point.  Their wet suits functioned.  No, they were
not up to a 15 minute comfortable swim but they were functional.  Is it
survival we are talking about or comfortably thriving in the cold water?

If the criteria is to be happy and comfortable in the water for 15
minutes or more than certainly the lines are pretty clear.  Wear a wet
suit when water temperature drops below 70 degrees or so;  immersion for
prolonged periods while you are scared and away from shore in anything
less would be uncomfortable.  And a dry suit when it is below 60 or so.

If the criteria is to be survivable, then the thresholds would be quite
a bit lower.

Don't get me wrong.  I wear a dry suit when the water temperature drops
below 45 degrees or so and a full wet suit below 55 degrees.  Would I be
happy at 50 in the wet suit?  No.  Would I survive and function, Yes,
miserable but okay.  The alternate would be to be uncomfortable for the
hours and hours I would be paddling at those water temperatures in 60
degree air temperature conditions.

ralph diaz
-- 
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Ralph Diaz . . . Folding Kayaker newsletter
PO Box 0754, New York, NY 10024
Tel: 212-724-5069; E-mail: rdiaz_at_ix.netcom.com
"Where's your sea kayak?"----"It's in the bag."
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