How Long Can You Tread Water?

[Bequia]

A 35-year-old Orlando man had jumped from a cruise ship balcony yesterday (Carnival Glory) -- rescue officials were at a loss to say why, though they reported a witness said he was drunk. He was out there for eight hours, he was able to remain calm and tread water.

The Coast Guard cutter Chandeleur's crew rescued him.

I'm good for about 20 minutes but 8 hours in seas 4 to 6 feet high I'd be shark bait. :rolleyes:

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-crescue17mar17,0,6493031.story?coll=sfla-home-headlines

 

[klct39lg]

I don't know how long I could last. It sounds like the water was choppy and cold. I guess his being overweight was a plus in this situation, kept him warm and bouyant.

[tinlizzy]

Coast Guard said on the news that even though the water temp was 78 it was amazing he lasted so long.

[dforeigner]

It also depends on stamina. I had to thread water for some training I did in the past and as long as you remain calm, it is not that hard. What it is impressive here is that this individual survived a 60 fall. Yes he landed in water but after a certain height, water is almost as hard as concrete when it comes to a fall.

[Bimini Twist]

I think the size of this man (300 lbs)created additional buoyancy that helped.

Another good reason to go to the midnight Buffet

 

You are correct Treading water is tiring. A technique to survive in warm waters is Bobbing. Hopefully we will never need this bit of info.

[Spikesgirl]

My memory is a little hazy, this being the weekend and all, but didn't the ship's cook from the Titanic manage to survive in the water for nearly an hour after their tangle with the iceburg? It was largely due to to the fact he was very inebriated and they said it acted as a sort of anti freeze for his blood. That might have been part of what saved the Carnival guy.

 

I'm with you, Bequia, that is a very long time to tread water. Maybe his name was Noah (old Bill Cosby joke)

 

Charlie

[klct39lg]

Will there be legal consequences, For Carnival? For the guy?

[Sheffie]

It also depends on stamina. I had to thread water for some training I did in the past and as long as you remain calm, it is not that hard. What it is impressive here is that this individual survived a 60 fall. Yes he landed in water but after a certain height, water is almost as hard as concrete when it comes to a fall.

 

I heard he had a collapsed lung. It is amazing that he didn't break a lot of bones, too!

 

About the floating, I can float a lot longer than my DH. (I think it is because I am "fluffy.") We always joke that he is rock, and I am balsa! But for hours in a sea that isn't calm? I think that I would be turning into "rock" by then. He is lucky to be alive.

[Cruzfan34]

I've never tried to tread water for very long periods of time, but I can float on my back easily. So, I would say, as long as I don't panic, I could stay buoyant indefinitely, if I could rest by floating on my back for a few minutes at a time. But that's just in theory. I don't think I would handle the situation very well. There would be panic. :eek:

[BobBeaSea]

I think the size of this man (300 lbs)created additional buoyancy that helped.

Another good reason to go to the midnight Buffet

 

You are correct Treading water is tiring. A technique to survive in warm waters is Bobbing. Hopefully we will never need this bit of info.

 

This is also called "drownproofing" and it's taught in most advanced swimming classes. Hopefully, one will never need it......

[vowsatsea]

I've been a competitive swimmer all my life, and we use to have to tread water as part of our swimming practices. I could definitely do it for 8+ hours. Treading water wouldn't have been a problem for me, but I'm petrified of sharks, so that would've been on my mind! :eek:

[Bequia]

Saw the video footage on the six o'clock news this evening. He was a big boy, probably just bobbed like a buoy. :p

[Gingee]

I would probably freek out and think sharks would get me. Of course if he was drunk, his brain may not have been working that well.

[copnlpn2]

Like cruzfan34, I can float for hours on end, especially in salt water. I've actually falled asleep while floating in the water. I'm so buoyant that the top third of my body stays above the water. And BTW, I'm well within my "normal" body weight so it's not "fluffiness" keeping me afloat.

 

That said, I'd never want to find myself all alone in the ocean for any reason - regardess of my ability to float! Can't imagine anything quite as scary as that!

 

Cindy

[Nebr.cruiser]

I'm a very good swimmer and an excellent floater, even though not overweight. We live on a lake and I swim regularly for exercise in the summer and usually end up by treading water for twenty minutes or so; I have treaded for over an hour with no problem, not even tired. I can keep myself up easily using just arms, just legs, or both. It's nice to be so bouyant; my husband, also a great swimmer, sinks like a rock and has to work hard to float.

 

I'm confident that I could keep afloat for eight hours or more with different swimming strokes, treading strokes and floating as long as the sea conditions were not terrible; that is, very high seas, undertows, or very cold conditions. I think for me, hypothermia would be the most dangerous. I bet his body size and alcohol level had a bearing on keeping body heat up.

 

And I too would be very fearful of sharks!!! And I'm not jumping overboard either!

[Trevoli]

This whole story is very odd (as most of them are). There are reports of his having a physical fight with his godson (who was his cabinmate), and then crashing through a window before jumping overboard.

 

Experts have said that he's very lucky to be alive, and in fact, is in pretty good shape for someone who's been through an ordeal like that. Yes, they say that his weight and being (allegedly) inebriated worked on his favor.

 

I, too, would be petrified of the dark (it would be absolutely pitch black out there), of being run over by a ship, of being eaten by a shark, of drowning, of lots of things.

 

Whatever the circumstances, you gotta hand it to the guy for not panicking and staying afloat for that long, especially in an uncontrolled environment and after a fall of 60 feet.

 

One news report I read said that he's keeping his trap shut. You can bet it's because a lawyer told him to clam up. We haven't heard the last of this, that's for sure.

 

T

[Honbun]

He's actually keeping his yap shut because he's negotiating exclusive interviews with major news outlets. Its always about the cash! My question - why would you let your 16 yo son travel alone with this man who obviously has some issues, especially in this day and time?

[Happy ks]

Will there be legal consequences, For Carnival? For the guy?

 

It's great news that he is alive and doing well after this horrendous experience.

 

I do feel that he should be making some sort of restitution for his rescue, or some short of charges filed against him for causing this.

 

I'm at a loss as to why a person like this should make anything or be able to sue for his own stupid, intentional actions, no matter that he was inebriated.

 

I once worked with a young woman who drove while intoxicated, ran into an electrical pole (thank goodness no one was hurt!) and she had to pay restitution for the repairs to the pole, it took her years to pay it off. It was a better lesson for her than the night in jail and the court fines.

 

Maybe the next person might think a little bit about it if people like this are fined and not celebrated for this type of stupidity. Can you tell, I'm not a fan of Jack A__??:rolleyes:

[traveling1969]

This is also called "drownproofing" and it's taught in most advanced swimming classes. Hopefully, one will never need it......

 

BobBeaSea is correct. The most efficient means of staying afloat for a long time is indeed drownproofing. It would work as long as a person could stay awake as it conserves energy quite well. It consists of floating in a standing position with the top of one's head just barely breaking water and the arms outstretched limply in front. When you need to take a breath, you scissor your legs and push down with your arms and hands. Your head goes above the water, you take a deep breath while looking around for signs of rescue, than settle back under with the top of your head just breaking water. In cold water it might feel better temporarily to move one's arms and legs more but then loss of body heat will occur faster so drownproofing is superior to treading water whether in warm water or cold. Having alcohol in one's system is not an advantage. Alcohol is a vaso-dilator so it speeds up the loss of body heat. Being overweight is a distinct advantage however as fat is bouyant and an excellent insulator. That said, the best method of survival in water is STAYING ON THE BOAT!

[LHP]

Also, hopefully not for future reference, if you ever "fall overboard" and are lucky enough to have long pants on.....take them off, tie a knot in the end of both legs of the pants and fill the pants with air by parachuting them over your head. Then rest your chin in the crouch to keep your head above water.

[bplazo]

I found this interesting http://www.cruiseserver.net/travelpage/other/man_overboard.asp