Safety Training and Pool Day

Words will never begin to explain how cold the water was the day we had our Safety of Life at Sea practical training day: cold, freezing, bitter, chilly, arctic, 15 degrees Celsius. If you are good at conversions then you realize that equals about 59 degrees Fahrenheit. It had been raining for two days before we headed for the saltwater pool next to the North Sea. The Lord heard our prayer for sunlight and the morning of the big swim the rain stopped. Bundled in layers, this was the day we would practice life saving techniques in the water.

Entering the water in jeans and long sleeves the first thing I noticed was the bite of the water. After a couple minutes I lost sensation in my extremities and the water became tolerable. We practiced floating and using our clothes to keep us buoyant. Then we got out of the water to practice putting on the lifejacket. It’s when I got out of the water that I begin to shiver. Pins and needles pulsated in my feet and legs, and I also lost control of my grip. Hypothermia was becoming a reality for most of us in my group. We jumped back into the frigid water, this time with our lifejackets on and practiced huddling techniques. Body heat is an amazing thing which you never really appreciate until it’s taken from you.

Over all I was in the water for about two hours. Getting out of the water was as bad as getting in. There were several of us who took advantage of the thermal suits and survival bags to warm our cores. They were teaching us in class that the number one thing needed to survive is “a will to survive”. That’s something that is easily taught and easy to say, but
after being in that glacial water many of us agreed that the warmth of heaven was looking a lot more tempting then staying there. We all survived and there was hot chocolate, chicken noodle soup and fresh French fries waiting for us after our hot showers. Unfortunately, because my hands shook and shivered so much drinking it was almost impossible. I couldn’t bring the cup close enough to my lips to sip without it spilling or jumping out of the cup.



Orange is a good visible color.