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Sea Kayaks Techniques Bulletin Board
Re: Surprise introduction to the Gasp Reflex
Posted By: Pete Staehling In Response To: Surprise introduction to the Gasp Reflex (Brian Nystrom)
Date: Saturday, 25 May 2002, at 9:44 a.m.
First, let me qualify my comments by saying that they are from the perspective of a former year round white water paddler who started paddling in the days before all of the modern gear that we have now.
: 2) The gasping is absolutely uncontrollable and can incapacitate you quickly.
: Self rescue would have been quite difficult until my breathing calmed
: down. I don't know if I would have been able to execute a re-enter and
: roll at all.In twenty five or thirty years of ww paddling I have never experienced this problem. This in spite of the fact that I have flipped literally tens of thousands of times in cold water (32 - 40 degrees f). A lot of my paddling was in water in the 30's, typically with a helmet and maybe a swim cap. I personally believe that this problem is a panic thing more than a physiological phenomenon. Yes, I have felt the desire to "gasp", but have always been able to easily control it. I credit knowing what to expect, knowing in advance how I will react.
: 3) Always wear a hood when playing in 50 degree water. I suspect that it was
: the lack of head insulation that triggered the gasping.Maybe, but I doubt it. I think most of the effect comes from having the face and chest getting hit with the sudden cold. I guess that if it is, as I suspect more mental than physical, that the lack of a hood may be a contributer since you are used to wearing one.
BTW: are we talking neoprene hood here or pile? I can't imagine wearing a neoprene hood in air above the 20's.
In a sense it could be the fact that you did always wear the hood in the past that made you unable to deal with it's absence.
Fifty degree water isn't all that cold, unless you will be exposed to more than a few minutes of immersion. A sudden flip in 50 degree water shouldn't be all that much of a shock to a paddler with a paddling jacket and at least one layer of even light weight pile underneath. It might not be pleasant, but it shouldn't be a big deal either.
: 4) Even a reliable roll isn't 100% reliable. Although I was executing moves
: that I had practiced many times, the effects of gasping were so
: overpowering that even muscle memory failed me. Unexpected occurances can
: disorient you to the point where your skills will desert you.NOTHING is ever 100% reliable. You need to be mentally ready and able to cope with a missed roll.
: 5) Spend lots of time in the water, especially upside-down, to help aleviate
: the feeling of panic that can occur if you're not comfortable being
: submerged. I thought I had licked this, but I was obviously wrong.Frequency of exposure, not length of exposure is what is important here. Hanging upside down for two minutes is of dubious value. Practicing a few rolls every trip would go a lot farther towards perparing you, but "surprise" immersions would do a lot more. I think that other than storm paddling or surfing, there is seldom a reason to find yourself suddenly upside down in a sea kayak, so many sea kayakers never really get these "surprise" immersions and therefore never get used to them. I believe that is why you hear more about this gasp reflex in seakayaking circles than in ww circles (despite the fact that serious ww paddlers paddle as much or more in the winter than in summer). Sea kayakers are just more likely to be mentally unprepared (hard core storm paddlers and surfers excluded here).
: 6) Regardless of your skill/confidence level, you should not take the effects
: of cold water lightly. Unless you have gills, it's a foreign environment
: that can hurt you.True, but it depends on what you call "taking it lightly". I suspect that people can be so cautious in their attire and other factors that they never get used to the cold or learn to be comfortable with it. As a result they are far more likely to panic when confronted with a "situation". The fact that folks dress to the extent that they usually never really feel the cold only makes them more likely to panic when they do.
I believe that it is best to dress for "comfort" in the air and "survival" in the water. Taking in to account the amount of time you might be in the water is a big part of this.
If you are never more than a few hundred yards from shore and the air is warm it doesn't take much clothing even if the water is in the 30's. I have a friend who is an EXTREMELY hardcore ww paddler who wears fuzzy rubber shorts a pile sweater and a drytop in 30 something degree water all the time. I suspect he is in a LOT less danger than most folks who are wearing a LOT more (and probably consider him reckless).
On the other hand if you are doing a long crossing. You need to be prepared for longer exposure. This requires more clothing.
: I was never in any real danger, as rescue was close at hand, but this was
: certainly an eye-opening experience.Glad there was no real danger. I am not sure you made the right conclusions though.
Pete
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