I don’t think I can even fathom what seriously freezing cold water feels like.
Seriously, if I jump into a pool when it’s 70 degrees outside, I begin to hyperventilate (we here in the south, I’m on South Carolina, do not deal with cold temperatures very well).
However, for those in the north, it’s just a part of life… but, you need to know the dangers associated with freezing cold water.
If somebody falls through the ice on a frozen pond or lake, there is a strong risk of death due to the absurdly cold waters. When the water is below 40 degrees, hypothermia can occur in a matter of minutes. Death in as little as 30 minutes.
We saw the seriousness of these situations play out recently in Vermont, when three fishermen fell through the ice and passed away ahead of the Islands Ice Fishing Derby ice fishing tournament.
And if we needed further proof, here it is right here.
In this wild video footage, you can see a fox that was found frozen inside the ice of a frozen over pond.
It’s a pretty eerie scene, and is definitely something you don’t see everyday.
The caption to the video perfectly sums up what can happen if someone or something were to fall through the ice:
“The cold shock of suddenly falling through ice into the frigid water below can kill within minutes; the panic that follows can cause hyperventilation and unconsciousness.
In both scenarios, drowning is a real danger. Cardiac arrest is also possible. As blood vessels constrict from the extreme cold, the heart has to work overtime to get blood where it needs to be.
The best way to survive falling through an iced-over body of water is to not walk on an iced-over body of water.”
Brutal… stay safe out there folks.
Check it out:
Unfortunately for foxes, it happens fairly often.
This fellas was found a few years back, completely frozen in a block of ice:
