Survive a fall through the Ice

Ice fishing is fun for sure but not if you fall through within some thin ice. It is nothing less than your worst nightmare coming alive. Being careful of the ice is absolutely crucial; people can even die if not careful enough. What would you do if you put one wrong step and find yourself in freezing water unable to get out?

Here are some things to know so that you know how to react in crisis. If you know what extreme cold water can do to a human body, you will know how to react, what to do and what not to. Read on.

 You first start gasping and hyper ventilating-breathing way more than you need to because the water is almost freezing; that is hoe the body reacts to what is known as ‘cold shock response’. This is pretty bad. If your head goes underwater and you gasp for the first time, you could drown immediately. The cold shock response lasts from 1 and 3 minutes varying from person to person. It is important to know here that one can survive these minutes with a controlled breathing. Once this phase is over, you will actually have more time to think about what to do next.

 Now after catching a breath, it is time to think of the next best escape route. Now you would want to try hard to pull yourself up on the ice. It is going to be a little difficult. Do not panic, your breathing is under control. Now you need to pull up your body on the top; kick hard like you do while swimming and crawl up, keep doing it, and force yourself up on the ice. Do not stand up, as the ice is weak; you just fell through it. Instead roll over till you are a away from the thin ice and then crawl. Avoid standing.

 If you are to help someone who has fallen through the ice, the most important thing to do here is to be safe on the ice; you do not want to fall in the ice as well! Don’t jump in trying to save the person and be a hero. Take your time, stop, think. Are you going to send somebody for help or are you going to make a call on your cell phone and call for help. Reassure the victim that you are going to help him, talk to him constantly. If the victim has lost the strength to get out, find a rope or some option that you can throw- like an extension cord. Also make sure it has a loop at the end of the cord so that they have something to hold on to. If you cannot find an object to throw, find something to extend, a long branch or a ladder.

 If you think you do not have the strength to get out, unless someone rescues you, try and keep some windows of opportunity open. If you are going to splash around, you wasting heat and will soon get exhausted and drown before any help arrives. Stop and try to relax. Keep as much as your body out of the water as possible keep your arms on the ice and do not move them. Even if you are unconscious, somebody can pull you out of the water by pulling your arms. This simple technique has saved so many lives.

The best safety tip however is to stay off the ice if you are not sure of its thickness. Avoid an uncalled for situation.

Posted in: Fishing,Ice Fishing