16/08/2025
#460
H.E.L.P. POSITION
When you are immersed in water, a big lake or open sea, your survival is at risk. Moreso if you are immersed in cold water. Although our coldest water is nothing compared to places with winter, still, it's cold for us living in the tropics.
When does this immersion happen? Usually when a ship sinks, that's when. In this case, you don't swim to shore particularly if it's far. You just float around in your Personal Flotation Device (PFD) and wait for rescue.
In the context of survival swimming, HELP stands for Heat Escape Lessening Posture. It is a survival technique used in cold water to reduce heat loss and increase survival chances. This position involves bringing your knees to your chest and hugging them with your arms, protecting the body's main areas of heat loss: the groin, head/neck, and rib cage/armpits.
How it works:
By drawing your knees to your chest and wrapping your arms around them, you minimize the surface area exposed to the cold water, thus slowing down heat loss. This position will be quite a challenge for non-flexible people or those with big tummy. You may alternatively do hug yourself then raise your knees up.
Why it's important:
Prolonged exposure to cold water can lead to hypothermia, a dangerous drop in body temperature. HELP can help delay the onset of hypothermia, increasing the chances of rescue and survival.
Other considerations:
Wearing a life jacket or PFD can further improve buoyancy and effectiveness of the HELP position. Huddling with others in the water can also provide additional warmth and help rescuers spot a group more easily.
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