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Gulf of Mexico: More Deadly Than We Think

10-foot seas, 40-mph winds, hypothermia threaten

By Matt Cantor,  Newser Staff

Posted Mar 3, 2009 6:42 AM CST

(Newser) – People may imagine the Gulf of Mexico as a “pond,” but they’ve never seen it “get nasty” in a cold front, writes Terry Tomalin in the St. Petersburg Times. Boaters, like the missing NFL players, can face 10-foot seas and and 40-mph winds. “All it takes is one 8-foot wave to swamp a boat,” and then hypothermia looms, with offshore water temps in the mid to low 60s. "Even in a wetsuit, you will become chilled within an hour."

If after a few hours a victim haven’t been saved, he’s “on the losing end of a mathematical equation.”

U.S. Coast Guard Captain Timothy Close, center, briefs the media during a news conference at the U.S. Coast Guard station in St. Petersburg, Fla., yesterday.
U.S. Coast Guard Captain Timothy Close, center, briefs the media during a news conference at the U.S. Coast Guard station in St. Petersburg, Fla., yesterday.   (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
Former University of South Florida football player Nick Schuyler clings to the engine of an overturned boat in the Gulf of Mexico, as the U.S. Coast Guard approaches, yesterday.
Former University of South Florida football player Nick Schuyler clings to the engine of an overturned boat in the Gulf of Mexico, as the U.S. Coast Guard approaches, yesterday.   (AP Photo/U.S. Coast Guard)
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I've seen the gulf get nasty—10-foot seas and 40 mph winds. I've knelt on the deck and prayed, cursing my ignorance and damning the decisions of others. - Terry Tomalin

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COMMENTS
Showing 2 of 2 comments
Riffran
Mar 6, 2009 10:32 PM CST
Just like the river, if you don't use your head or don't respect it's "potential" and act accordingly, it can get ya
BackAgain
Mar 3, 2009 5:55 AM CST
My dad lives near the Gulf and this happens all the time.

Players' size and health could help against hypothermia
Associated Press

Reconstructing the players' story
St. Petersburg Times

US • Science

 
Florida • Gulf of Mexico • missing boater • boating • Corey Smith • Marquis Cooper • Nick Schuyler • William Bleakley

 
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