Swim for Shshshore Quiz Answers

1. False: Give it two or three minutes and your breathing will return to normal. Unless you are wearing an immersion suit, you will experience cold shock due to rapid cooling of the skin. You won’t be able to control your breathing, and you won’t get far if you try to swim at this point. Total disorientation may occur after cold water immersion.

2. False: If you decide to swim, look for the shoreline and decide if you can make it. Most people who participated in the three studies of Ducharme and Lounsbury could swim between 800 and 1500 metres (about 8 – 15 football field lengths) in cold water (or for 45 minutes) before the muscles in their arms and legs cooled to the point that they could no longer swim. The swimming distance is typically about 1/3 of the distance that you could swim in warmer water conditions.

3. True: If you are staying put, you must try to wait for rescue outside of the water. Cold water robs the body of heat 32 times faster than cold air. If you are unable to get out of the water you must try to conserve body heat by assuming a defensive body posture that covers “thermo-vulnerable” areas (hugging knees to chest). The major body areas that lose heat are the head, neck, armpits, chest and groin. Huddling with others may also work to conserve heat and boost morale.

4. False: Treading water results in about a 34 percent higher heat loss compared with passive flotation in a PDF. If you decide to stay put, complete any tasks that require the use of your hands (such as fastening straps on lifejackets, tying knots or turning on flares) as your hands will quickly lose dexterity from the cold.

5. True: After over 30 minutes in cold water, you may become hypothermic and you won’t make the best decisions. Severe pain can cloud rational thought.

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		Swim for Shshshore Quiz Answers 1. False: Give it two or three minutes and your breathing will return to normal. Unless you are wearing an immersion suit, you will experience cold shock due to rapid cooling of the skin. You won’t be able to control your breathing, and you won’t get far if you try to swim at this point. Total disorientation may occur after cold water immersion. 2. False: If you decide to swim, look for the shoreline and decide if you can make it. Most people who participated in the three studies of Ducharme and Lounsbury could swim between 800 and 1500 metres (about 8 – 15 football field lengths) in cold water (or for 45 minutes) before the muscles in their arms and legs cooled to the point that they could no longer swim. The swimming distance is typically about 1/3 of the distance that you could swim in warmer water conditions. 3. True: If you are staying put, you must try to wait for rescue outside of the water. Cold water robs the body of heat 32 times faster than cold air. If you are unable to get out of the water you must try to conserve body heat by assuming a defensive body posture that covers “thermo-vulnerable” areas (hugging knees to chest). The major body areas that lose heat are the head, neck, armpits, chest and groin. Huddling with others may also work to conserve heat and boost morale. 4. False: Treading water results in about a 34 percent higher heat loss compared with passive flotation in a PDF. If you decide to stay put, complete any tasks that require the use of your hands (such as fastening straps on lifejackets, tying knots or turning on flares) as your hands will quickly lose dexterity from the cold. 5. True: After over 30 minutes in cold water, you may become hypothermic and you won’t make the best decisions. Severe pain can cloud rational thought.			Safety Canada (April 2008)