Waterway Guide | The Cold Facts on the ‘120-Degree Rule’ (2024)

FAQs

Waterway Guide | The Cold Facts on the ‘120-Degree Rule’? ›

The 120-degree rule is a formula that adds together the air and water temperatures to determine when thermal protection is required. It assumes that if the total is above 120 F, that no dry- or wetsuit is needed.

Everybody has heard of the 120 rule, which says if the water temperature plus the air temperature is over 120, you do not need any cold water gear. As with all rules, there are exceptions. You might have a random warm day in the winter where the temperature hits 70 degrees and water temperature is still at 40 degrees.

Your body continues to lose heat, blood shunts to the core to keep organs warm. Your muscles lose power, limbs become slow and heavy, and swimming becomes increasingly difficult. Swimming becomes slower, ragged and short distances can take a long time to cover.

1-10-1 is a simple way to remember the first three phases of cold water immersion and the approximate time each phase takes. 1 Minute - Cold Shock: An initial deep and sudden Gasp followed by hyperventilation that can be as much as 600-1000% greater than normal breathing.

No matter where you're swimming, avoiding water below 70 degrees Fahrenheit is a good rule of thumb for the average swimmer.

Hot water should be in the safe range of 110º - 120º F. At this range, it takes a few minutes to cause a third degree burn. At temperatures of 140º F. or greater, it takes only a few seconds. Water at 120º F. is hot to the touch and is warm enough to clean clothes and wash dishes.

And while there is a very slight risk of promoting legionellae bacteria when hot water tanks are maintained at 120ºF, this level is still considered safe for the majority of the population.

The great thing about cold water therapy is that even a cold bath/shower improves your mood. But if you want to elevate your experience and get more benefits, cold plunging is a great option. The ideal immersion temperature range to achieve mental clarity and reduce stress is between 50 degrees F – 60 degrees F.

Cold water quickly removes heat from the body which could lead to cold water shock within the first minute, loss of muscle control within 10 minutes or hypothermia within 20 to 30 minutes. When your body hits cold water, “cold shock” can cause dramatic changes in breathing, heart rate and blood pressure.

At a water temperature of 32.5 to 40 degrees, death may occur in 30 - 90 minutes. At a water temperature of 40 to 50 degrees, death may occur in 1 - 3 hours. At a water temperature of 50 - 60 degrees, death may occur in 1 - 6 hours.

What are the 4 stages of cold water immersion? ›

Four stages of cold-water immersion leading to incapacitation and death: • Stage 1, Initial immersion responses or cold shock; • Stage 2, Short-term immersion or swimming failure; • Stage 3, Long-term immersion or hypothermia; Stage 4, Post-rescue collapse.

The plunge can be done as one continuous session or multiple sessions with breaks between the sessions. Typically, cold-water plungers start with 30 seconds to a minute and work up to five to 10 minutes at a time. Researchers are still determining the optimum process and timing for cold-water immersion sessions.

A trainee's time for these exercises must continuously improve. Another evolution is surf torture, also called "cold water conditioning." The water temperatures usually hover around 65 degrees Fahrenheit (18 C), and never go above 68 degrees F (20 C).

Water Temp + Air Temp = 100 Some call it the rule of 100 but the rule of 110 may be better and here's how it works. Take the Air Temperature and Add it to the Water temperature. If the combined total is not at least 100 (some would say 110 is safer) then you should consider not going.

If someone is in 50°F (10°C) water for 50 minutes, he/she has a 50 percent better chance of survival if wearing a life jacket.

High water temperatures create a scalding risk. When water temperatures are in excess of 44°C, there's a high risk of burns and scalds to: the elderly.

It's called the 1-10-1 rule. It refers to you having one minute to control your breathing, less than 10 minutes for self-rescue, and 1 hour before you become unconscious due to hypothermia. Hypothermia is when your body loses heat faster than it can produce it.

Conclusion. The optimal temperature range for effective cold water therapy sessions is 50oF - 60oF.

Body heat can be lost 4 times faster in cold water than in cold air. Wearing a life jacket significantly increases chances of survival. Cold shock can be just as severe and dangerous from water temperatures of 50-60F (10-15C) as it is from water at 35F (2C).

Rule 1: If the average person were to capsize in 50°F water (the typical water temperature in the San Juan Islands of Washington and Alaska during mid-summer) they would have a 50-50 chance of being able to swim 50 yards in full clothing.