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Canoe on the pebble shore of a mountain lake, two people in blankets and lifejackets on the bank

I have capsized or fallen into cold water

The boat tips over and you are in cold water. Float and breathe first – then stay with the boat and get help.

First

  1. Float first: lie back, spread your arms and legs slightly, head back – until your breathing settles after about one to two minutes.
  2. Stay with the boat and hold on or climb onto it. A boat is found far more easily than a head in the water.
  3. Do not swim off wildly: cold water weakens the muscles within minutes. Only swim if the shore is genuinely close.
  4. Call for help: 112; at sea a distress call on VHF channel 16 (MAYDAY). Use a whistle and a light.

Call emergency services if

  • Someone is in the water and cannot get out at once
  • Someone is missing
  • Someone went under or swallowed or inhaled water
  • Breathlessness, coughing or confusion in the hours afterwards
  • Signs of hypothermia

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What is happening

A gust while sailing, a wave while canoeing, a slip off a jetty: falling into cold water happens fast. In central Europe, lakes and rivers are often colder than 15 °C even in early summer – cold enough for a violent cold shock.

In the first minute the body gasps involuntarily, breathing races and the heart is put under great strain. Anyone who swims in panic now can easily inhale water. The British lifeboat charity RNLI therefore recommends “Float to Live”: lie back, spread your arms and legs and float until your breathing has settled.

After that there are some minutes with usable strength in your arms and legs. Use this time to hold on to the boat, climb onto the hull or reach a nearby safe exit. Almost everyone overestimates how far they can swim in cold water; a capsized boat usually floats and is easy for rescuers to see.

Even once you are back on land you are not out of danger: wet clothing and wind keep cooling you, and anyone who inhaled water can develop breathing problems later.

Step by step

I have capsized or fallen into cold water – Phase 1 of 4The first minute. Do not fight: lie back, head back, arms and legs slightly spread, keep afloat with small movements. Breathe out slowly until your breathing calms. With a lifejacket: the jacket holds you up – concentrate on your breathing. Call out to the others on board and check whether everyone is at the surface.
Phase 1 of 4

Phase 1 of 4

The first minute

Do not fight: lie back, head back, arms and legs slightly spread, keep afloat with small movements. Breathe out slowly until your breathing calms. With a lifejacket: the jacket holds you up – concentrate on your breathing. Call out to the others on board and check whether everyone is at the surface.

The animation shows the key actions of each phase schematically; the text below is what counts.

  1. Phase 1

    The first minute

    • Do not fight: lie back, head back, arms and legs slightly spread, keep afloat with small movements.
    • Breathe out slowly until your breathing calms.
    • With a lifejacket: the jacket holds you up – concentrate on your breathing.
    • Call out to the others on board and check whether everyone is at the surface.

  2. Phase 2

    The next minutes

    • Stay with the boat, hold on or pull yourself onto the upturned hull – get as much of your body out of the water as possible.
    • If possible, call for help: 112 with a phone in a waterproof pouch; at sea VHF channel 16 (MAYDAY) or activate a beacon.
    • Only swim for the shore if it is genuinely close and the boat will not support you; if your strength fades on the way, float on your back.
    • In rivers: on your back, feet first downstream, fend off obstacles with your feet, work diagonally towards the bank. Do not stand up in fast water.
    • Never get between the boat and a rock, bridge pier or tree. Let go of the boat if it is pushing you against an obstacle.
    • With a lifejacket and no way out: HELP position (knees to chest, arms crossed) or huddle closely with others.

  3. Phase 3

    Out of the water

    • Get out of the wind at once, remove or wring out wet clothing, put on dry things.
    • Wrap an emergency blanket, sleeping bag or blankets around you, put on a hat, sit on something insulating.
    • Warm, sweet drinks without alcohol if the person is awake and can swallow.
    • Handle hypothermic people gently, do not rub, no hot bath.
    • Count whether everyone is there – report anyone missing at once.

  4. Phase 4

    Afterwards

    • Anyone who went under or swallowed water should be checked by a doctor.
    • In the following hours watch for coughing, breathlessness, confusion or tiredness.
    • Recover the boat only when all people are safe and warm.
    • Rethink equipment and trip planning: lifejacket, wetsuit, weather, water temperature.

★ Pro tips

What experienced people do differently: proven practice from mountain rescue, fire services, lifeguards and civil protection that beginners rarely know.

  1. Dress for the water, not the air

    In spring the air may feel warm while the water is still icy. Experienced paddlers and sailors dress for what happens if they end up in it: wetsuit, drysuit, or at least wool and fleece rather than cotton.

  2. Keep your clothes on in the water

    Don't take off your jacket or shoes in the water. Clothing holds a layer of water and trapped air against you that gives some warmth and buoyancy. Undressing only costs energy and heat.

  3. Never tie yourself to the boat

    Lines, paddle leashes or loops around your body can wrap around arms or legs in a capsize – deadly in moving water. Stow loose lines. River paddlers carry a knife within easy reach on their buoyancy aid to cut themselves free if needed.

  4. Test your lifejacket in the water

    A loose lifejacket rides up in the water, sometimes over your face. Tighten every strap and try it once in shallow, warm water. That way you know how you float in it before it matters.

What to watch out for

  • Cold shock

    The first minute is the most dangerous. Anyone who floats first instead of fighting gains time and control.

  • Swim failure

    Cold water quickly chills the muscles and nerves of arms and legs. Even good swimmers often manage only short distances.

  • Currents and obstacles

    In rivers, fallen trees, weirs and bridge piers are deadly – water pushes through them and can pin people. Work towards the bank early and avoid obstacles.

  • Offshore wind

    Wind blowing from the land towards the water quickly pushes boats and people out and makes swimming back hard. Be especially careful on lakes and at sea when the wind is offshore.

  • Wind on land

    Wet clothing and wind cool you quickly on land too. Wind protection and dry clothing take priority at once.

  • Rescuing others

    Anyone who jumps in to rescue someone puts their own life at risk. Reach and throw from the bank or boat and call for help.

Common mistakes

  • Going out on the water without a lifejacket because it is “only quick”.
  • Swimming off straight away in cold water.
  • Leaving the boat to reach a distant shore.
  • Standing up in fast water.
  • Staying in wet clothing after the rescue.
  • Ignoring the water temperature and the forecast.

Prepare in advance

  • Always wear a suitable lifejacket, not just have one on board.
  • Carry your phone in a waterproof case on your body; at sea a beacon or handheld radio.
  • In cold water consider a wetsuit or drysuit.
  • Take spare clothing in waterproof packing.
  • Practise capsizing and re-entering under supervision in warm water.
  • Leave your route, return time and number of people with someone on land.

Special consideration

Children
Children always wear a suitable child’s lifejacket with a collar and crotch strap. In the water, secure the children first and hold on to the boat.
Heart and circulation conditions
Cold shock puts heavy strain on the heart. Anyone with a heart condition should discuss cold-water activities with a doctor and be especially careful.

Sources

  • Respect the Water – Float to Live · Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), UK
  • Cold water immersion: kill or cure? · Experimental Physiology (M. J. Tipton, N. Collier, H. Massey, J. Corbett, M. Harper), 2017
  • Wilderness Medical Society Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Treatment and Prevention of Drowning: 2019 Update · Wilderness & Environmental Medicine (Wilderness Medical Society), 2019
  • Wilderness Medical Society Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Out-of-Hospital Evaluation and Treatment of Accidental Hypothermia: 2019 Update · Wilderness & Environmental Medicine (Wilderness Medical Society), 2019
  • Convention on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, 1972 (COLREGs) – Annex IV: Distress signals · International Maritime Organization (IMO), 1972
  • 112 – the European emergency number · European Commission

Your situation

Water
Lifejacket
People
Where are you now?

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Basics for this situation

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All rules of this situation (6)

  1. [not active] If Water = River with current

    In a current float on your back, feet first downstream, and work diagonally towards the bank. Do not stand up in fast water – feet can get trapped between rocks.

  2. [not active] If Water = Sea

    At sea: send a distress call on VHF or activate a beacon, stay with the boat, keep signalling devices ready.

  3. [not active] If Lifejacket = No

    Without a lifejacket, use anything that floats: the boat, a paddle, a cool box, a rucksack. Keep movement to the minimum.

  4. [not active] If Lifejacket = Yes

    With a lifejacket: draw up your knees and cross your arms over your chest (the HELP position) – this reduces heat loss.

  5. [not active] If People = Several in the water

    Stay together and hold on to each other closely (the huddle). A group stays warmer, is more visible and keeps each other calm.

  6. [not active] If Where are you now? = Out, wet and cold

    Get out of the wind, swap wet clothes for dry ones or wring them out, wrap up, insulate from below. Body temperature can keep falling after you get out.