cold water rescue
Members of the Amphibious Response Support Unit One, an organization based in Fort Qu’Appelle, Sask., take part in training on cold water rescue. Photo: John Maczko.

Kayaker's dunk highlights dangers of cold water

Without my training, I might have ended up another drowning statistic.

By Jacob Ulrich

A splash, a flash of panic and a thump in my chest like a freight train. That's what I felt when I fell into the frigid water of Saskatchewan's Buffalo Pound Lake in May 2021.

I had been paddling hard in my new kayak and went a little past the tipping point. When I reached that point of no return and knew I was going into the water, I quickly began to mentally prepare for what would come next.

Click here to read the rest of Jacob's story, "I thought I understood what happens to your body in frigid water. Then I fell in," that is part of CBC Saskatchewan's First Person series. Click here to listen to Jacob's interview with Stefani Langenegger, host of CBC Saskatchewan's Morning Edition. 

Jacob Ulrich of Milestone, Sask., is a master's student in biology at the University of Saskatchewan (USask). As part of a graduate course taught by WCVM professor Dr. Maud Ferrari, Jacob wrote about his personal experience with cold water.