PHOTO BY STUART KEASLEY
A rare problem - a frozen hood and mask
PHOTO : DAAN VERHOEVEN to keep my head above the water . You see , physical fitness is immaterial when your muscles stop working .
The final issue to watch out for is the last to arrive – hypothermia . As British divers , we are not unfamiliar with being cold and many of us have probably spent some time in the initial stages of hypothermia . Signs can include shivering , loss of coordination , slurring of speech and drowsiness . Other signs include cyanosis , a change in colour to blue of the fingers and eyelids . But these can be hard to see in a buddy if they are wearing hood and gloves . It can also be seen on the lips , which might be more obvious around your buddy ’ s snorkel .
‘ So , shall I only dive in warm water ?” you ask . Of course not . I have extolled the virtues of cold water and winter snorkelling many times in this column . We simply need to be aware of the potential problems and do what we can to avoid them . There are three broad things to consider – thermal protection ( your suit ), time in water and your plan when you exit .
In Greenland , when diving under icebergs in the ridiculously cold water mentioned above , we wore double undersuits , drysuits and kept our dive time to 45 minutes or less . In Alaska I had to freedive under the ice of a frozen lake ( I know this is a snorkelling page , but the experience is instructive ). Although only in a 5mm wetsuit I spent less than 5 minutes in the water getting ready and doing the actual dive .
Time spent in the water and the thermal properties of dive-suits can both positively
affect how cold you get . From experience , I know a well-fitting 5mm wetsuit trumps a baggy 7mm . Also , consider the topside conditions . If you exit the water nearhypothermic into freezing winds , it will not improve your situation . In Alaska , where the air was minus 28 Celsius , the safety team had set up a tent at the finish hole heated to 30 + Celsius .
It ’ s always better to be informed than ignorant and I share my own experiences in the hope they will help keep people safe . However , this should not to discourage you from therapeutic cold water immersion , cold water swimming nor , especially , carrying on snorkelling through the chillier months . Sensible precautions , as in the diving form of diving , make the difference between staying safe and putting your wellbeing at risk . �
For more information on snorkelling with BSAC go to bsac . com / snorkelling Looking to introduce snokelling into your club ? Find out more at bsac . com / snorkellinginstructor
Andy with Doug Allan in Greenland
PHOTO : ED HORNE
PHOTO : RICH STEVENSON
It ’ s better to snorkel in a more cumbersome drysuit than freeze in a wetsuit
65