Cold Reality - First Aid Information

We had a Hypothermia Awareness training at the Dolphin Club last week. I couldn't attend, but the chatter in the sauna piqued my interest. I did some internet research and came up with interesting quotes and potentially critical first aid information.

Interesting Facts About Hypothermia

"Normal body temperature of course, is 98.6. Shivering and the sensation of cold can begin when the body temperature lowers to approximately 96.5. Amnesia can begin to set in at approximately 94, unconsciousness at 86 and death at approximately 79 degrees."

"Cold water robs the body's heat 32 times faster than cold air. If you should fall into the water, all efforts should be given to getting out of the water by the fastest means possible."

"Physical exercise such as swimming causes the body to lose heat at a much faster rate than remaining still in the water. Blood is pumped to the extremities and quickly cooled. Few people can swim a mile in fifty degree water. Should you find yourself in cold water and are not able to get out, you will be faced with a critical choice - to adopt a defensive posture in the water to conserve heat and wait for rescue, or attempt to swim to safety."

First Aid Considerations For Cold Water Victims

Treatment for hypothermia depends on the condition of the person. Mild hypothermia victims who show only symptoms of shivering and are capable of rational conversation may only require removal of wet clothes and replacement with dry clothes or blankets.

In more severe cases where the victim is semi-conscious, immediate steps must be taken to begin the rewarming process.

Get the person out of the water and into a warm environment. Remove the clothing only if it can be done with a minimum of movement of the victim's body. Do not massage the extremities.

Lay the semi-conscious person face up, with the head slightly lowered, unless vomiting occurs. The head down position allows more blood to flow to the brain.

If advanced rescue equipment is available it can be administered by those trained in its use. Warm humidified oxygen should be administered by face mask.

Immediately attempt to rewarm the victims body core. If available, place the person in a bath of hot water at a temperature of 105 to 110 degrees. It is important that the victim's arms and legs be kept out of the water to prevent "after-drop". After-drop occurs when the cold blood from the limbs is forced back into the body resulting in further lowering of the core temperature. After-drop can be fatal.

If a tub is not available, apply hot, wet towels or blankets to the victim's head, neck, chest, groin, and abdomen. Do not warm the arms or legs.

If nothing else is available, a rescuer may use their own body heat to warm a hypothermia victim.

Never give alcohol to a hypothermia victim.

Source: United States Search and Rescue Task Force

Lets be SAFE out there!

"They don't do it to you"

I saw this poster on BART the other day and thought it was just hillarious! Look at the faces of the two office workers! There is another one with a guy in a Pelican costume chasing a 5 year old across the beach with a plastic six-pack holder. Classic. Click Save the Bay then click the shark picture to see the other ads and video clips

The videos are entertaining and the message is important. Save the Bay did so much to help clean up after the spill - I think they are a deserving organization if you are considering a donation this year.

Mileage update! I got a 2-miler (1 hr) in on Saturday. Note to self - too cold, too long. Then a couple 1-milers (Mon. and Tues. morning.) I'm started to get more optimistic about my Polar Bear chances - 25 miles to go!

"Am I bugging you? I don't mean to bug ya." - Bono, Rattle & Hum

Rainy 6 a.m. Swim (photos)

There is an "aqua-culture" shared by the group. Each morning starts with mention of the phase of the moon, tide, current, tempurature, seal activity and wind.

I really enjoy the social aspect of swimming with the club. It isn't that we have any deep converations, in fact, we are usually pretty rushed and each swimmer is somewhat mentally preoccupied with the thought of entering the water. However, there is something about gathering with like minded folks that I find rewarding.

It is hard to describe, but I know I wouldn't get out of bed at 5 a.m. if they weren't there. There are reassuring nods when the course is agreed upon, sharp exhails of self-doubt before opening the back door of the club, the unique pre-swim routine of each swimmer, everything is so authentic. It feels right to me to be part of this group.


Here is the march out of the club and into our version of winter. The temperature is around 40, it is windy, the waves are crashing loudly on the beach, the gulls are screaming, and the stairs are hard and cold. If you look close at this picture (click it to enlarge), you can make out the crew heading down the stairs.


Nobu on the beach, he looks a bit like a deer caught in the headlights. Nobu and Vince were the only swimmers in our group to complete the 100 mile summer swim. He has overcome so much as a swimmer. Everyone seems to know Nobu, his determination and kind demeanor has pretty much won over everyone at the Dolphin Club. I think it has become a very special place for him.


Ah, the most exciting part - getting in! At this moment, I'm on the verge of losing my nerve, retreving my camera, and walking back up into the warmth of the club. Almost. Every morning, almost. I guess that is part of it for me, the mental challenge.


Off we go, into the night!

A milestone and a wakeup call (Mile 10)

At the end of the group swim this morning, I turned back toward the dark opening of the bay to log another .25 mile. It was frigid this morning, but it was worth it to hit the 10 mile mark. 10 miles, I'm 25% to my goal! After rewarming in the sauna, I did the math and was truly humbled.

There are only 58 days of winter remaining and I have 30 miles to go to reach 40. That means I have to average one mile every other day to get there. Currently, I swim 3 miles a week. Assuming a 'perfect' 3 miles a week for the next 8 weeks and I'll end up 6 miles short. I guess the Hawaii Christmas vacation set me back a bit. This polar bear thing is harder than I thought!

"Noth'ins easy, is it Chiefy."
Quint, Jaws
(Photo above)

Snow in San Francisco?

Well, not quite, but still worth mentioning. Here are a couple quotes and a photo from this morning's SF Gate article Snow, rain a double treat for the Bay Area.

In general, residents should prepare for cool temperatures and showers during the next several days, with heavier rain forecasted for Thursday night and Friday, National Weather Service forecaster Brian Tentinger said.

"But it's going to be pretty snowy (this week)," he said. "Some areas will see large amounts of snow, and some areas will hardly see anything. ... Toward the weekend, there will be a bigger storm coming through, and that might generate more widespread, heavy snow. "

Later in the article, the author gets real. . .

Forecasters said the weather will be chilly near Lake Tahoe and in the Bay Area, though it's all a matter of perspective: Some East Coast cities were reporting temperatures as low as 34 degrees below zero Monday.

It will be admittedly more comfortable in the Bay Area, said Tentinger, where highs will hover around 50 degrees today and lows will drop into the upper 30s overnight.

You see. . . as compared to the majority of the US, it isn't really THAT cold here (on land anyway).

Midwinter Gashouse Swim

My alarm rung at out 5 a.m. this morning. A quick change of clothes and I hit the road, bound for the Dolphin Club. Hmmm, no traffic at all today. . . ah yes, its Sunday.

Today was an organized, out of cove, swim staged by the Dolphin Club. It is called the Midwinter Gashouse, I think, because there is a boat refueling station near the pier where we jumped in. It was a water start, members only, 1-mile swim back to the club. Here is a poorly lit photo of the 6 a.m. briefing at the club.

Some of the 6 a.m.'ers were there. It was nice to see Nobu, Jason and Rebecca.

Thoughts on jumping vs. wading into 47 degree water. . . I don't know which is worse. I think I actually prefer jumping. I may try this next week during my regular swims. It is brutal, but quick.

I completed the swim in just under 24 minutes and placed 6th. Congrats to Jason, he placed 4th, behind three English Channel Swimmers! Also, today was Nobu's first no wetsuit, out of cove swim! What a great event! Huge thanks to all the helpers and pilots! Thanks for keeping us all safe.

A Rare ‘Daylight’ Swim with Dave

My good friend Dave will compete in the Escape from Alcatraz triathlon in June. He started his swimming training today by joining me for a sunset bay swim. It was a beautiful sunset and a tranquillo swim around the cove. There was some sea lion activity; in fact there were four of them in the cove. However, they are more cute than menacing during the daylight.

Midway through the swim we paused to watch the sunset against the Golden Gate. It is hard to describe this site from the water, it is just spectacular. Later we met up with another friend and hit Kennedy’s Irish Pub and Curry House for $2 Guiness Pints and Indian Food. It was a great night out.

The quote of the night was from Dave. After the swim his feet were bright red and stinging due to the cold. Through chattering teeth he exclaimed,

“I just don’t know how you do this! My f-feet, d-d-does your whole body feel as b-b-bad as my feet do r-right now?!?”

An elusive shot of the Kobold Tactical Phantom Chronograph


“Come on in Dave the water is greaa . . .uhh. . . 47 degrees.”


That is the spirit!

Up Close with a Monster Sea Lion

About 15 minutes into the swim this morning, I encountered a huge sea lion. I say huge, but I never actually saw it. I have about a 34 inch reach and I hit the sea lion at the top of my stroke and pulled down its back, all the way through my stroke, to my hip in the shape of an "S." My hand never lost contact with the sea lion, so it felt really big.

I've touched sea lions before while swimming and my reaction is always the same.

The first thing I did was 'jump' over the swimmer next to me, which happened to be Rebecca. I babbled some sea lion stuff when she popped up wide-eyed. Then I swam, basically in her armpit, shielding myself from the beast. My heart was racing and my breathing was fast and shallow.

As I calmed down, I marveled at the warmth of the seal lion. When I bump into another swimmer in the water, they feel cold. A seal lion actually feels warm. As I got back into my stroke, I noticed the fingers on my right hand still felt warm. I embraced the magic of the encounter.

Then, as I made my final turn back to the beach, the magic was gone. Long gone. My fingers were cold again and I prayed to god the sea lion moved on. "Swim fast, swim quietly(?), hope he doesn't come back." He didn't.

The REAL Polar Bear

Vince Huang is the rock of our 6 a.m. swims. In the year I’ve been at the club, I think he has only missed one morning swim. I remember wondering if the Golden Gate had fallen when he didn’t show up. Then I thought, no, he would have just swam over for our morning work out.

If Vince completes the Polar Bear 2008 (which I am sure he will), he will have the Dolphin Club record of 30 years of consecutive successful Polar Bear swims! I am in complete awe of that number. One Polar Bear year is no easy feat!


I’ve done the math and I’m pretty sure he is older than me. But since he is always leading the way on our epic and fast paced morning swims, I figure he can’t be much older than me. It isn’t possible right? I’m 36 and feel like I’m slowing down a bit. So, he can’t be north of 40, could he? You be the judge, here is a picture from our swim on Friday 1/11/08.

Good luck Vince! We are all pulling for you. Thanks for showing up every morning and leading the way!

Post script – I recently learned Vince was once the Dolphin Club swim commissioner. At that time the Polar Bear competition only required 25 miles. Vince’s last act as swim commissioner was to up the miles from 25 to 40. I guess 25 miles in 48 degree water just wasn’t enough (I’m on mile 5.75). If I were swim commissioner I might opt for something more simple, like this.

Rebecca in the Water and Unresponsive!

As usual, it was dark and cold when we started our swim just after six a.m. this morning. It was a large group - Nobu, John, Jason, Rebecca, Vince, Tom and myself. I brought my camera down to the pier, took a few quick photos of our swim start, stowed my camera and swam fast to catch up with the group.

I felt great this morning, better than I have all winter. I felt strong, graceful and in full control. About mid way through our swim I noticed Nobu had fallen back a bit. I waited to be sure he was doing alright. As he surfaced, he had a huge grin on his face and his words were slurred. He looked like he was laughing. Hypothermia? Later in the warmth of the sauna, he told me what happened, it went something like this. . .

Nobu - "I was swimming back toward the beach. Right? So, I knew Rebecca was right in front of me, so I just followed her in. About 50 yards from the beach I saw Rebecca had stopped swimming. I thought something was wrong so I swam up next to her to see what was happening.

"Why have you stopped?" No reply from Rebecca.

"Rebecca?" No reply.

"Rebecca!?!" No reply.

"Rebbbeeeeccaaaaa!"

Then I realized it wasn't Rebecca. I was talking to a round swim bouy. It was so dark, I got confused."

I completely lost it when he told me about his conversation with the bouy. Click on the photo of Nobu above and you can see the darling round bouy off to the left. That is the one Nobu was yelling at. Hillarious! I'll post the pics I took this morning soon.

Mimi Joins the Polar Bear Swim!

My mom (Mimi) called me from Hawaii last night to report 3 consecutive swims during 2008. She is the teeny tiny Japanese woman in the picture in the blue fleece. She said she decided to join me in my Polar Bear swim attempt - 40 miles, without a wetsuit, during winter (12/21 - 3/21)! Of course, she'll be logging her miles in the warm waters of Kauai, but I am super excited to be sharing these swims with my mom.

I've asked my web savy friend, Kenneth, to create a quick chart for the blog to track our progress. I hope to have it up soon.

A cold, 48 degree, mile this morning. Bumped into a few jellies and almost ran into a row boat. 36.25 miles to go!

First Swim of 2008

After a tropical Hawaiian vacation and the worst Northern California winter storm in recent history, I waded back into the bay this morning for my first swim of 2008.

The water temperature was somewhere around 47 degrees but it felt much colder. The break from cold water swimming made the start of the swim really challenging. We only logged .75 miles this morning but it felt much longer.

I noticed my friends at the Dolphin Club got some local press during the holidays. Check out this article. Way to go Phins!