Everyone remembers the movie Titanic when Jack and Rose (and most everyone else) went into the frigid North Atlantic Ocean after the boat hit the iceberg.

Rose survived (as she enjoyed her cozy floating door) and Jack froze to death.

The night of the actual Titanic disaster, according to the mighty Google the water was a lethal minus 2 degrees Celsius / or 29 degrees Fahrenheit. The typical life expectancy for those poor souls who went into the water was between 15 and 45 minutes.

Now flash forward to your pool this spring, or fall.

If the water is cold, at what point is it safe for your kids, family and or friends to jump in for their own version of a polar bear swim?

To answer this, we need to discuss hypothermia.

Hypothermia is a condition that occurs when the body’s core temperature drops below 35 degrees Celsius for us Canadian folk (or 95 degrees Fahrenheit).

According to the CDC, “cold water immersion creates a specific condition known as immersion hypothermia. Immersion hypothermia develops much more quickly than standard hypothermia because water conducts heat away from the body 25 times faster than air”.

The rate at which hypothermia sets in will depend on many variables or factors, including things such as the water temperature, the air temperature, and the individual’s body size, age, and metabolism.

In general, hypothermia can set in after just a few minutes in very cold water (below 40 degrees Fahrenheit or 4.4 degrees Celsius). In water that is slightly warmer (between 40 and 50 degrees Fahrenheit or 4.4 and 10 degrees Celsius), it can take anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours for hypothermia to set in.

But even more alarming is that hypothermia can even set in in 70-80 degree water.

The most common symptoms of hypothermia are:

• feeling cold and chilled or tired or weak
• shivering
• numbness in fingers, toes, or face
• slurred speech
• confusion or difficulty thinking
• clumsiness
• loss of consciousness

If you think you or someone else may be experiencing hypothermia, it is important to seek medical attention immediately. Hypothermia can be life-threatening if left untreated.

This is not to say you cannot enjoy a refreshing cold-water swim or polar bear dip, just do so with caution and supervision to ensure a positive outcome.