Water Entry Shock
Although water entry close to the surface is relatively uneventful, the density of water makes it harder for it to move out of the way when penetrated at high speeds, as occurs when jumping into water from great heights.
Mild bruising to being knocked unconscious can occur from very high jumps, especially if entry angle can not be controlled and the jumper is burdened by coiled rope and other heavy rescue equipment. In some situations the rescuers can themselves need to be rescued if they are injured by making a very high jump entry into water.
Generally rescue jumpers try to get as close to the water surface as is practical before jumping out of the rescue vehicle. In ocean rescues during intense storms, helicopters often must stay high to keep clear of large ocean waves, which also have very deep troughs. In these conditions, the jumper tries to time his jump to occur at the crest of the wave action.
Read more about this topic: Rescue Swimmer
Famous quotes containing the words water, entry and/or shock:
“It is moot whether there be divinities
As I finish this play by Webster:
The street-cars are still running however
And the katharsis fades in the warm water of a yawn.”
—Allen Tate (1899–1979)
“All mothers need instruction, nurturing, and an understanding mentor after the birth of a baby, but in this age of fast foods, fast tracks, and fast lanes, it doesn’t always happen. While we live in a society that provides recognition for just about every life event—from baptisms to bar mitzvahs, from wedding vows to funeral rites—the entry into parenting seems to be a solo flight, with nothing and no one to mark formally the new mom’s entry into motherhood.”
—Sally Placksin (20th century)
“Beware the/easy griefs, that fool and fuel nothing./It is too easy to cry “AFRIKA!”/and shock thy street,/and purse thy mouth,/and go home to thy “Gunsmoke,” to/thy “Gilligan’s Island” and the NFL.”
—Gwendolyn Brooks (b. 1917)