How am I gonna drown by swimming a mile or so across the lake?

Factual Questions
41

This is what I was think in terms of an on demand flotation device, 'course I can’t imagine how anyone could actually swim while wearing it. :rolleyes:

CMC fnord!

I don’t know.
I’m certain really accurate numbers are out there, but a year ago when I went Googleing that was the best I could find. I’m really not thrilled with it as a cite. The reason I linked to it was because most folks know falling through the ice skating can kill you from hypothermia. A whole lot of folks don’t know that you can become hypothermic any time of the year if your in cold enough water long enough and that’s the main point the site is making.

The problem with coming up with accurate numbers is what’s required to get them, putting someone in cold water and waiting until they die. AIUI a lot of the time to death numbers come from the [del]experiments[/del] war crimes done by Unit 731.

I’m like you when it comes to the cold. My annual “first real snow of the winter” ritual is to walk around outside in it … barefoot. I wouldn’t be surprised at all that if we found two guys that exactly matched us physically that you and I would be swimming happily in really cold water while they were anything but.

42

Here’s another vote for the buddy system.

I don’t do much swimming, but I’m very confident in what I do… maybe I just float better than most, but I can get tired, float around a bit to recover and then keep swimming. I’ve never had any cramps. I’ve always scoffed at people who seem to think swimming a mile or two is somehow life threatening.

BUT… unexpected things can always happen, and if you’re in the middle of a lake alone, you’re not going to be able to react to all of them.

My own personal example of the unexpected happened close to shore, thankfully. I was swimming along and suddenly found myself entangled in a whole lot of fishing line. It was a heavy enough line that I couldn’t break it and trying to untangle myself just made it worse. I wound up having to stand up and walk to shore, dragging the line (and a log that was also tangled up) along with me, and then worked myself free of it. Apparently, some fisherman dropped a reel of fishing line and couldn’t get it back. That could have been fatal if the log had been floating around in the middle.

43

Count me in the group that says “Have fun, go for it.” Of course, I’m also in the group having fun, and going for it. I’m also a “born in the water” kind of guy, with lots of experience.

I live in a neighborhood with pond/small-lake access, and routinely cross the 1/2 mile or so of lake, and return.

From the hypothermia link:
Water Temperature (F) Expected Time Before Exhaustion or Unconsciousness Expected Time of Survival
50° – 60° 1 – 2 hours 1 – 6 hours
60° – 70° 2 – 7 hours 2 – 40 hours
70° – 80° 3 – 12 hours 3 hours – indefinite
> 80° indefinite indefinite

I’m just not worried about survival time. If I can’t do the distance in the 1-2 hours available in 50-60 degree water (which would be too uncomfortable for me to spend that long in anyway), then you’re not what I’d call “a strong swimmer” in the first place. I assume a strong swimmer covers about 2 miles/hr, so you’d be doing each stretch in 30 minutes or so. (semi-backed up by the following data What is the average time to swim a mile? - Answers) If you’re cold at the other side, take a break. If you’re tired at the other side, take a break.

I’ve had one “panic situation” in the water during my 35+ years of swimming, and that came from running out of air diving, at about 15’ on my way up. The panic came due to the slight negative boyancy at the surface at the end of the dive, along with the inability to suck more air at depth. 20 seconds after surfacing, I had my vest inflated, and I was on my way back to the boat. This was not my “normal swimming” and only my 2nd dive outside of my classes. (FWIW, the gauge was WAY off. >500lb indicated, nothing coming out of the regulator. The dive master, who owned the shop where we got the equipment agreed that it shouldn’t have happened the way that it did). Even in the choppy water, with weight on my back/belt, I handled it fine. I don’t want to have it happen again, but I was prepared. (Like Batman).

If my wife was asking the same question, I’d have a different answer for her, as she’s a “good” swimmer, but not someone that I’d lump into the “strong” category in the water. You have to decide if you’re comfortable with it, and if you have any other modifying factors, such as injury, impairment (chemical or otherwise), skill level, and conditions.

I won’t dive my myself, though there is a growing segment of the diving community who are embracing the idea, and SDI is offering a certification course (http://www.diveglobal.com/special/solo.asp). I won’t be signing up for it, but there are folks who consider it “safe enough.”

On top of the water, I’m comfortable alone, and would get very little swimming time if I was required to have a buddy. Under water, is WAY out of my element, and I’m not comfortable enough to even consider it.

44

I’m not sure those numbers are accurate. In order to even try and do an English Channel crossing you have to do 6 hours in 60° water. Then channel usually runs in that temperature and takes a lot longer then that.

Lynne Cox has also spent long periods of time in water much colder, some as low as freezing in Antarctica.

Those numbers maybe good for people who don’t try and swim, but there are plenty of people who can and do swim in them.

45

How about a flourescent swim cap like this? That might help with the boating concerns.

46

Don’t they tend to be wearing protective clothing? Wetsuits, or at least a nice layer of grease? Not to mention that these are athletes, who are expending HUGE amounts of energy, which produces heat. I’d think that the numbers in that chart are more for a “fell off the boat” type of situation, than an athlete actively swimming.

47

Is it riskier to swim alone as opposed to with a buddy? Duh.
You could easily swim this lake everyday for the next 30 years and be ‘proof’ that it’s not dangerous. You could also get a debillitating cramp tomorrow and quietly slip beneath the surface and drown.
A strong swimmer, under by far the majority of conditions, will not drown. But, there are some conditions, even on a calm lake, where that strong swimmer will drown.
All activity in life is potentially dangerous. Some activities are more dangerous than others. Each individual gets to choose how much risk they are comfortable with.
I, too, am a very strong swimmer. I’m generally considered someone that tries things pretty high up on the risk meter. I wouldn’t go on a two mile swim by myself. Unusual conditions in water end in death, not injuries.

48

In boating circles, it is generally argued that solo boating is a no-no. I have engaged in many discussions along these lines, as I kayak solo much of the time. Bottom line is I enjoy it. Like much of life, it is all about risk/benefit analysis.