BODY FLOAT INFORMATION
This information was complied by members John Sanders, Dr. John Whittington,
and Mark Williams of the National Underwater Rescue-Recovery Institute and
should only be used for estimating when a body should float.
WATER
TEMPERATURE
DAYS TO
SURFACE
40 degrees 14-20 days
50 degrees 10-14 days
60 degrees 7-10 days
70 degrees 3-7 days
80 degrees 1-2 days
1. Victims that have drowned in 30-40 degree water will not surface until
water warms.
2. Victims that are 100 feet or deeper may not surface at all due to the
combination of pressure and temperature.///TO READ THE REST of THE ARTICLE CLICK READ MORE in LOWER CORNER
VARIABLES THAT AFFECT FLOAT TIME
1. When and What food was last consumed (foods high in carbohydrates:beer, soft drinks, hot dogs, potato chips) produce gases faster. 2. Medications, drugs, or alcohol.
3. Body composition – skinny, muscular, obese. (fat float quicker). 4. Age, weight, and height of victim.
5. Activity at the time of drowning (hunting, fishing, swimming, skiing). 6. Suicidal drowning – self weighting, stacked clothing.
7. Type and layers of clothing worn including footwear (heavier winterclothing of hip boots)
. 8. Gases produced in the intestinal tract are: methane, hydrogen sulfide, and
carbon dioxide. These gases are soluble in water and compressible.
9. Any visible body wounds – previous or after drowning?
10. Type of water: River, Quarry, Lake, Pond, Freshwater, Saltwater?
Body Float Information 2 6/22/2005
11. Bottom temperature – currents, spring fed, stagnate, polluted water
presents different problems for determining bacteria in intestinal tract.
12. Pressure exerted holding victim down varies with depth of water.
13. Any debris – stumps, trees, fence, fishing line that could cause
entanglement. Water sheds and most State Parks are flooded farm land.
14. Adult men and women on the bottom weigh about 6-15 lbs. negative.
Children weigh less and may not sink unless intentionally weighted. Some
kids will float face up.
15. Victims who are dead before they enter the water will not sink and float.
We had a victim travel 175 miles in 3 days who was thrown in the river
from a motorcycle accident.
16. Most adult victims will float face down due to the weight of arms and legs.
They float just like you recover a victim from the bottom face down.
For additional information contact:
Todd’s Scuba Sales, Inc.
National Underwater Rescue-Recovery Institute
Circleville Twin Quarries
www.twinquarries.com
dive@twinquarries.com
(740) 474-9530
Instructors:
John Sanders (740) 412-3053
Dr. John Whittington (740) 438-1336
Mark Williams (614) 314-3624
Todd Tomlinson (740) 412-6818
