Water Survival

SpaceCanada · Post by **SpaceCanada** » Fri Feb 11, 2005 10:32 am

What do they teach you about water survival at AC? What types of activities do they do in the lake besides the helo-dunker and zip line? What's this 'drown proofing' I hear about?

Curious as always...

Space Nerd · Post by **Space Nerd** » Fri Feb 11, 2005 8:20 pm

Drown proofing is learning how to use what you have with you to stay afloat. (yeah thats not the best definition ever but still) Basically its learning how to take off your bdu pants and make them into a life preserver. Also works with jeans, flight helmet...... theres probably more.

So basically the majority of what you learn is how to stay afloat if you're stranded at sea. Or at least thats the majority of what you learned in 2002 theres probably more new cool stuff now though.

tennisrox014 · Post by **tennisrox014** » Sun Feb 13, 2005 3:58 am

they also show how to use a helmet to float and sit in a fun little raft that has a hood so you dont get sunburned. its really relaxing just floating there. and there was something else but i cant rememeber. ill try to think of it.

Boomerang · Post by **Boomerang** » Mon Feb 14, 2005 10:22 pm

When i went to AC we did several water survival activities. We ofcourse did the zipline and helodunker. We also did life raft training. The one other thing we were supose to do was the Helohoist but after so many of us guys on the team complained how uncomfortable the parachute harness was we decided not to be hoisted up by it.Never did the drownproofing at AC but have done it in scouts its not extremely dificult but is still a challenge. Granted i went to AC 9 years ago so i know some things will have changed.

MAYTAG · Post by **MAYTAG** » Tue Feb 15, 2005 8:38 am

well they do have a new hoist now, its one of the baskets that you just wit in, no pain!!!!, it is so much better than the old one that they still had my first year there, bad memories

SpaceCanada · Post by **SpaceCanada** » Tue Feb 15, 2005 10:21 am

Interesting...

I am guessing that you can make floats with pants by tying one end of a leg and filling the rest with air? Who would have known that would be waterproof? I guess you need special material to do it.

See, when I think of drownproofing I think of the Navy SEALS training where they tie your hands and feet together and make you 'squirm' to keep from drowning! I thought this was a little extreme for AC, since I can hardly do it for 5 minutes and I'm an experienced swim instructor!

The HeloDunker is heaps fun, especially when counsellors throw in certain anomolies!

Space Nerd · Post by **Space Nerd** » Tue Feb 15, 2005 5:54 pm

Its not completely waterproof. You'll have to reinflate often but i guess if you're stuck in the middle of the ocean its better than nothing, right?

In response to the hoist. That was the most painful portion of my ac experience (if you dont count the time that i landed on the rock and messed up that bone in my foot) and i'm a girl. So i know it has to be one of the most painful things possible for the guys. The new basket is sooooooo much better. And easier to get into without falling off of.

Now they just make the SEALS link arms and stay afloat according to the military channel. They ran a show where they followed the SEALS through training from beginning to end. It was interesting.

Boomerang · Post by **Boomerang** » Tue Feb 15, 2005 9:09 pm

Actually the first step if your shirt is tuckled in is to blow into their it gives you some buyoancy then remove the pants tie the legs and ussually swing them over your head to inflate. It does work but has to be reinflated often. And it will definately work if you are stranded at sea a sailor from Norfolk fell overboard about 10 years or so ago and actually stayed afloat that way for a couple of days till he was rescued. Everyone thought he had kind of an ironic name though. Zack Mayo for those of you who have never seen An Officer and a Gentleman that was the name of the main charachter who was a navy officers canidate trying to become a pilot.

Carrie · Post by **Carrie** » Wed Feb 16, 2005 6:47 pm

I remember having to do the using clothes to float activity as part of a junior lifesaving course I took. I always regretted not taking the next course and becoming certified to be a lifeguard.

We also learned a combination of treading water and curling up in a ball that can be used to float for long periods of time...some of you may know the more official name for it! We had to do this at the end of the course for a certain period of time, I think it was at least 15 minutes?

Space Nerd · Post by **Space Nerd** » Wed Feb 16, 2005 9:43 pm

Wow. You must have been taking open water classes because pool certification is nothing like that.

There was no treading water in my certification but there was a monster long swim. (ok it wasnt that long but it was in the spring and i was out of shape with no access to a pool)

SpaceCanada · Post by **SpaceCanada** » Thu Feb 17, 2005 10:47 am

I know this is off topic... but I work at a pool on Saturdays. In Canada, to become a lifeguard you must take several courses: Bronze Medallion, Bronze Cross, and National Lifeguard. For the latter of the three there is a 600 metre swim that must be completed in under 14 minutes - it's quite the challenge. In addition, you must pass a series of advanced first aid skills, water rescue skills, and water survival skills in a day-long exam. While we don't do the clothing floats we do have to learn to tread water for 15 minutes, tread water and carry a 5 kilogram (10 pound) weight for 5 minutes, etc. It is actually quite fun, minus the swim part because I am so out of shape!

spacy chick · Post by **spacy chick** » Thu Feb 17, 2005 6:55 pm

hmm well i'm a red cross life guard and if you know your stuff and can handle blood it's really quite easy. I had to swim a 250 in 5 min. and be able to swim a 500...we didn't really have a time limit..we had to swim a 25m holding a 10lbs weight above us and could only use our feet to swim...we had to complete a bunch of water rescues and professional rescuer stuff...we had this drill thing where we would sit stand and people would be in the pool and someone would pretend to drown or something...the first time i did it the person had a "seizure"...oh um we have to be able to stay at the bottom of 13ft for a while too...i never had a water survival skill course and we never used clothes for anything... just the rescue tubes...do the guards at AC have any "special" training? b/c who ever watches the kids while they are in free swim don't exactly have a difficult job...

Space Nerd · Post by **Space Nerd** » Thu Feb 17, 2005 7:45 pm

I have the same training as you spacy.

The guards at ac are supposed to be red cross certified however i've seen them get up and walk away leaving unattended kids in the pool/lake.

I was told by one of the supervisors that lifeguard certification is good to hold if you want to work at camp. So stay certified if you want to get a job as a counselor!

Carrie · Post by **Carrie** » Thu Feb 17, 2005 7:49 pm

Nope, our course and test at the end of it was in a pool. It was a long time ago (late 1980's), so I imagine a lot has changed. I can't remember details about if or how long a time we had to swim.

Another interesting activity I remember doing involved rescuing another person using their hair! While swimming, you had to grasp their hair close to the scalp and hold them face up and out of the water while pulling them to the side of the pool. Now, this wouldn't work if the person had little or no hair, or was still conscious enough to be struggling. I remember being the one rescued, and surprisingly it doesn't hurt to be pulled along by your hair!! Anyone else do this?!?

Space Nerd · Post by **Space Nerd** » Thu Feb 17, 2005 7:55 pm

We def. dont do the hair thing in Red Cross lol. Because our rescue training involved us using real people they tried to minimize that pain for those of us with sensitive scalps! Plus if theres any chance of neck injury that'd be bad. Supposing you have a submerged victim and thats the only way to get to them i'm sure it'd be helpful.

spacy chick · Post by **spacy chick** » Thu Feb 17, 2005 9:15 pm

Although i agree with you space nerd, when i was little (say 3rd grade) and i was taking swim lessons i was up to the swim lessons/rescue level (nothing compared to lifeguarding, just basic little stuff) and i do remember them saying something about pulling the person by the hair

Space Nerd · Post by **Space Nerd** » Thu Feb 17, 2005 11:02 pm

Oh, i dont doubt it would work in extreme situations. I just woldnt try it on little jane doe whos only an inch below water.

spacy chick · Post by **spacy chick** » Fri Feb 18, 2005 4:54 pm

yup, i defentally agree

MAYTAG · Post by **MAYTAG** » Fri Feb 18, 2005 10:44 pm

ive done that to my little brother but i dont really think i was saving him lol

Space Nerd · Post by **Space Nerd** » Fri Feb 18, 2005 10:56 pm

Nice.