Fishing out in the ocean can be both an exhilarating and dangerous experience. Unpredictable weather conditions can turn your experience from calm to chaotically scary, especially if you’re caught under heavy rains or storms unexpectedly. Not only this is a scary experience, it can also be extremely chilly when this happens, and if you didn’t bring the necessary gear that will protect you from cold weather, you will risk getting hypothermia.

Hypothermia is the lowering of a person’s body temperature. It occurs when a person suffers a loss of internal body heat. Hypothermia can cause a person to become disoriented and even lose consciousness when their body temperature drops below 35°C. If their temperature drop even further, it would cause heart failure, resulting in their deaths.

Unfortunately, hypothermia is the leading cause of death among boaters and other emergencies at sea. Hypothermia can cause a person at sea in an emergency situation, such as being submerged in the water, to drown. That’s why it’s important for anglers, mariners, and boaters to be aware of this dangerous situation and know how to prevent it and treat it if they or anyone on board suffers from it.

How to Prevent Hypothermia

The best way to treat hypothermia is to avoid it. Here are the things you need to prepare and bring to you at sea, especially if you're boating during winter or on cold weather:

Layering clothes: Cold air temperatures can bring on hypothermia if adequate protective clothing is not worn. An important method of protecting yourself while operating your boat in a cold weather environment is to properly layer your clothing. This method of dressing allows you to regulate your temperature by taking off or putting on additional clothing layers. Layers are broken down into three categories: Inner, mid, and outer. These three layers work together to trap heat, absorb moisture, give breathing room, block wind, and repel water.

Warm drinks: Carry a thermos with warm liquid, like decaffeinated tea or soup. Caffeine can actually amplify the feelings of cold and increase anxiety levels for some people, so avoid those drinks. Make sure to regularly sip or drink these warm liquids to maintain your body temperature. This is to prevent shock from occurring in your body. It can be detrimental to your health so it’s best to have a steady flow of warm hydration as you catch fish or navigate along the cold.

Blankets: Have blankets or sleeping bags available to keep yourself warm. And be sure to have the necessary marine equipment in your boats such as a VHF radio and flare guns, so you can contact rescue if you need it.

What to Do When Someone is Suffering from Hypothermia

If someone is experiencing hypothermia, you want to keep them calm but alert, warm and relaxed and sheltered from the elements causing the cold. And you want to get them to medical care as soon as that’s possible.

Some hypothermic patients may be unconscious and not show signs of any pulse or breathing; it’s important to observe them carefully and check their breath and pulse. If there is none, do CPR.

If the hypothermic patient is wet, get the victim out of their wet clothes and wrap them in a hypothermic wrap (made with blankets and a tarp as the outer shell, which locks in heat) or a space blanket (a tin foil used as a blanket to trap heat). Keep the patient flat and treat him/her very gently. Stay with the patient to monitor their behaviour and vital signs.

When the person is rescued, even when wet clothing has been removed and she/he has been wrapped up in a hypo wrap, their internal organs are have still low temperature so it takes time for their body temperature to return to normal. One warming method is to microwave plastic bottles of water to a “warm tub temperature” and place them under the arms and between the legs of the patient, while also using the wrap or blanket to insulate the patient. Observe the patient and never take leave them alone. Keep them in this state until rescue comes.

Never give a severely hypothermic patient alcohol. And do not try to “walk them around” to warm up. They are already weak and doing this can lead to cardiac arrest. The importance of treating the patient gently is a crucial action that cannot be overstated.

The next time you’ll be out in the ocean catching game fish in your Quintrex fishing boat, or cruising at sea in your yacht, make sure to bring the appropriate equipment to protect everyone on board from the bitter cold and acquire the knowledge on how to treat hypothermia if it happens.