What is heat stroke, and does it differ from heat exhaustion?
Heat exhaustion develops quickly in the heat of summer, especially while boating in Florida’s intense heat. It can develop suddenly or worsen slowly over time and is often precipitated by dehydration and heavy sweating. Left untreated, heat exhaustion can develop into heatstroke, which is a life-threatening condition. Luckily, we have a ton of recommendations to prevent the summer weather from ruining your boating fun.
What are the symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat stroke?
Heat exhaustion can involve a variety of symptoms. The most common are pale, clammy, damp skin with goosebumps while in the heat, profuse sweating and fatigue, nausea, heat cramps, headache, a weak and rapid pulse as blood pressure lowers, and dizziness, especially upon standing up. Someone experiencing these symptoms should be moved into the shade immediately to rest and drink cool water to lower their body temperature before they develop heat stroke. Fanning them or sponging them with cool water can also be a rapid solution. As long as you act quickly and follow these guidelines, they should respond quickly and be shipshape in less than an hour. If they don’t improve considerably within the hour, it’s probably time to call back to the marina for advice or call it a day.
Heat stroke symptoms include many the above, but it also presents with much more extreme symptoms. An altered mental state is common, and the person may exhibit confusion, irritability, slurred speech, and even seizures if left untreated. Rather than the clammy goosebumps caused by the early stages, at this stage your skin is more likely to feel extremely hot and dry as you stop sweating and may flush bright red. Nausea will likely develop into vomiting and you may notice shallow, rapid breathing. A throbbing head and racing heart are common as your body goes into overdrive trying to cool your system. These symptoms indicate that the sufferer is in serious danger and at a real risk of dying.
Call emergency services immediately if someone is not responding to treatment for heat exhaustion and instead appears to be progressing into heat stroke.
How can I stay cool on the boat and prevent these conditions from developing?
We know these conditions sound extreme and scary, and they absolutely are. However, they’re also fairly uncommon because they’re extremely easy to prevent. Just a little planning and common sense will prevent you from ever experiencing these illnesses. Below are ten cool tips to help keep you comfortable, safe, and healthy while boating.
- Stay in the shade – This one might seem obvious, but when you’re not feeling overheated yet and you’re having fun boating, it can be easy to forget. Staying under the bimini top when it’s possible will go a long way when it comes to keeping your body temperature down and preventing heat stroke and heat exhaustion, especially between 10 A.M. and 2 P.M., when the temperature is usually at its peak.
- Bring a cooler – Another obvious tip, right? Who needs to be reminded to bring a cooler on the boat? You might be surprised! Many people visiting from out of state underestimate the intensity of Florida’s weather and just bring a cold drink or two to go boating. Even when the air temperature is reasonably low, the sun can be incredibly intense. We suggest bringing plenty of water for everyone in your party as well as some kind of snack, especially if you have kids or four-legged friends accompanying you on your trip. This is so important in Florida that we consider a cooler part of our basic safety equipment while boating. Drinking water is a no-brainer but it will seriously improve how you handle the heat. But we don’t just suggest bringing a cooler to keep your drinks chilled…
- Cool off in the water – Of course, you can just hop in the water when you’re feeling steamy, but that’s not always convenient (or possible, when the boat is moving). Remember that cooler we mentioned earlier? Soak some rags or one of your towels in the cold water and wrap it around your feet while you chill in the shade for a moment. Heat escapes the body easily at your head and feet, so this is doubly helpful: you’ll feel cooler right away for instant relief, and your body temperature will slowly lower while you relax, preventing your body from trying to raise your temperature again, which it often will if you cool it more aggressively (for example, with an ice-cold shower).
- Bring a hat – Hats can be incredibly useful for keeping cool, beyond keeping the sunlight out of your eyes and off your skin. Your head is sensitive to temperature, and sun beating down directly on it can heat you up quickly. Conversely, if you’re starting to feel the heat, you can dunk your hat in the ocean or your cooler, or even just douse it with a cold water bottle. Your hat will feel cool almost until it dries and will be cooling your head (and the rest of your body) the entire time as the water evaporates. This trick can keep you feeling comfortable all over even while you’re baking in direct sun. We also love cool towels like these meant for outdoor sports, which are made from a special fabric that feels cold to the touch without the aid of ice.
- Boat air conditioning – If everyone on the boat is feeling the heat, or you’ve been stopped for a while and the deck is warming up, grab anything you can scoop up water with and douse your entire boat deck. As the water evaporates, it will cool the deck, the air above it, and everyone onboard, all at the same time. This is a great way to ease the transition between boating around and docking or anchoring, because it can be a bit jarring to lose the wind created by the movement of the vessel when it’s staving off the heat.
- Ice to the rescue – If you’ve got a cooler full of ice, you’re moments away from stopping heat exhaustion in its tracks with this tip. The back f your neck and the underside of your wrist are both packed with bold vessels and are two easy quick-cooling points on your body. If you’re suddenly starting to feel badly (think nausea, seeing spots, or feeling faint), quickly grab just one or two ice cubes and press them against one of these spots. Within seconds, your body will begin to circulate cooled blood and will stop sending you these preemptive “warning bells” indicating that heat exhaustion may be imminent.
- Cover up – More heat= less clothes, right? Not always! Floridians and experienced boaters know that loose-fitting, thin clothing in light colors will keep you the coolest while also protecting you from the sun. Tight-fitting clothes and dark colors will heat you up quickly, and lots of bare skin (think boating in just a swimsuit all day) leads to overexposure to the sun, which is an easy recipe for heat exhaustion and burns. Speaking of UV protection…
- Mind the sun – Even though we’re speaking about heat protection, it goes hand in hand with sun protection, and many of these tips will help protect you from both heat and UV rays. However, you can’t underestimate the importance of sunscreen and sunglasses. Although these won’t keep you much cooler, they’ll help save you from bigger problems down the road, including cataracts and skin cancer. When we go boating, we also consider sunscreen and sunglasses essential safety equipment. It’s so worth the few extra moments to grab them on your way out the door!
- Bring some cooling mist with you – if you know ahead of time that you don’t respond well to heat, you can plan ahead to stay comfortable easily. Bring some face mist with you (or make your own by brewing some weak peppermint tea for a cool, refreshing feeling) and keep it in the cooler to spray on your skin any time you’re uncomfortable. While many of the tips on this list are meant to be used when you’re already overheated, this is a great way to preemptively avoid getting into that situation.
- Keep a good balance – we hate to spoil the party, but you should know that excess caffeine and alcohol consumption is a fast ticket to heat exhaustion and dehydration. However, this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have fun and relax on the boat. Just be sure you’re drinking PLENTY of water to balance your consumption and staying alert and you should be absolutely fine. The mantra “drink responsibly” definitely applies on the water!
Easy, right? Even if you forget to plan ahead, many of these tips don’t require any preparation in advance. Knowing the symptoms of heatstroke and how to prevent it from occurring are an essential part of any boater’s safety education. While these conditions can be serious, they’re also incredibly easy to prevent. There’s just no reason to let Florida’s intense summers prevent you from enjoying the beauty that boating has to offer!