- Sea-Doo 2009 Jet Ski Operator's Guide

SPECIAL SAFETY MESSAGES
Hypothermia
Hypothermia, the loss of body heat
to th e water, i s a sig nificant cause of
deaths in boating accidents. After an
individual h as suc c um bed to h yp other-
mia, he or she will lose co ns cious nes s
and then drow n.
PFDs can increase survival time be-
cause of the insulation they provide.
Naturally, the warmer the water, the
less ins ulation one will require. When
operating in col d water (be low 4.4°C
(40°F)) c onsideration should be given
to using a coat or jacket style PFD as
they cover more of the body than the
vest style P FDs.
Som e points to rem ember a bout hy-
pothermia protectio n:
– While afloat in the water, do not at-
tempt to sw im unless i t is to reac h
a nearby boat, fellow survivor, or
a floating object on which you can
lean or climb. Unne ce ssary sw im-
ming inc reases the rate of body heat
loss. In cold water, drown- proof
methods tha t require putting your
head in the water are not r ec om -
mended. Keep your head out of the
water. This w ill grea tly lessen heat
loss and increase your survival time.
– Kee p a positive a ttitude about your
survival and rescue. This will im-
prove your c ha nces of extending
your surv ival time until res c ue. Your
will to li ve does make a di fferen ce!
– If there i s more than one p erson
in the water, huddling is r ec om-
mended while waiting to be r es -
cued. This action tends to reduce
the rate of heat loss and thus in-
crease the survival time.
– Always wear your P FD. It won't hel p
you fight off the effec t s o f h yp other-
mia if you don't ha ve it on w hen you
go into the w ater.
Safe Boating C ourses
Many countries recom m end or requ ire
a boating safety course. Check w ith
your l oc al competent authoriti es .
Check loc a l and federal boating law s
applicable to the waterways wh ere
youintendtouseyourwatercraft.
Learn the local rule s of the road. K now
and understand the applicable naviga-
tion s ystem (such as buoys and signs).
14
_______
SAFETY INFO RM ATION
________