Five cold water dips could slash drowning risk

More than 200 people drown in UK waters each year, with most deaths happening in the first moments after entering cold water.

Cold water, typically defined as being below 15°C, is so dangerous because it immediately triggers a ‘cold shock response’ in the body,.

This shocks causes uncontrollable gasping, rapid breathing and panic, which increase the chances of inhaling water.

It also causes the heart rate and blood pressure to surge, which can lead to cardiac arrest, especially in people with hidden heart problems or other underlying health conditions

In these situations, a person can drown within seconds.

But according to Professor Mike Tipton, one of the UK’s leading experts on cold survival, the risk of cold shock happening can be reduced by as much as 50 per cent by training the body to adapt to cold water.

Just five short dips. each lasting no more than two minutes and spread out over several days, can help swimmers learn to cope with the shock so that they can keep calm and in control, he says.

The body ‘remembers’ the training, which reduces the shock response, lessening the severity of the initial gasp reflex and rapid breathing, and minimising the spike in heart rate and blood pressure.

Professor Tipton, who heads the Extreme Environments Laboratory (EEL) at the University of Portsmouth, says this simple ‘body hack’ could save thousands of lives of coming decades.

Interviewed in The European magazine by ultra-long-distance swimmer Ben Hooper, who trained with the academic for his historic 2015 Swim the Big Blue expedition to cross the Atlantic, Professor Tipton said:

“It is the cold shock response which probably accounts for the majority of near-drowning incidents and drowning deaths, following accidental immersion, in open waters below 15°C,

“The sudden lowering of skin temperature upon immersion in cold water produces a number of significant physiological responses

“Each of these can have a detrimental effect on the body and adversely affect survival chances.

“They include gasping and hyperventilation, which can lead to inability to breath hold and panic and therefore be a precursor to drowning.

“Five, two-minute dips, spread over days, can halve the cold-shock response.”

Open-water swimming — in rivers, lakes, reservoirs, and the sea — has exploded in popularity in recent years.

There are now more than eight million open-water swimmers in Britain alone, according to the Outdoor Swimming Society (OSS).

But even in summer, UK waters can be cold enough to trigger a shock response, with temperatures often well below 15°C and as low as 10°C.

In 2023, 236 people in the UK died in accidental water-related incidents, with 63 per cent occurring in inland waters.

In one tragic case, 55-year-old Joel Ineson died in 2023 after suffering a cardiac episode during a swim in Sunderland Lake.

Professor Tipton, whose research at the EEL has shaped international policy on drowning prevention and rescue techniques used by the RAF, RNLI and HM Coastguard, says that no one should enter cold water without being fully prepared.

A health check for any undetected heart or other health issues that could make a swimmer more vulnerable to cold shock is an essential first step, he says.

And in addition to training the body to cope with cold shock, open-water swimmers should always enter the water slowly, avoiding diving straight in, and not hold their breath.

But even with proper preparation, swimmers should always be accompanied by a friend on shore or be in sight of a lifeguard, and limit their swims to a maximum of 10 minutes to reduce the risk of hypothermia.

Professor Tipton, who has written over 650 papers, reports and books on how the human body responds to extreme environments and who was awarded an MBE in 2018 for services to physiological research in extreme environments, added: “You should always get a health check before embarking on cold and wild swimming.

“Always walk in slowly — never jump or dive. Allow yourself 30 to 60 seconds to feel the water about your waist before you begin to swim.

“Avoid face immersion with prolonged breath holding; this is a very good way of producing cardiac arrythmias.

“Start with a wetsuit and reduce coverage gradually, in line with exposure.

“Swim with a buddy or where there’s a lifeguard on shore, wear a bright swim hat, and use a tow-float. It’s not just about survival. It’s about being seen.”

Main image: Courtesy, Professor Mike Tipton

Additional image: Courtesy, STBB

Story by Belters News/Palamedes