David Mecki’s New Achievement That Could Have Been Deadly For You

In 1999 David Mecca He successfully completed his first challenge as a swimmer: he swam almost 8 kilometers separating Alcatraz Prison and San Francisco BayToday, 25 years later, he wanted to show that he was still in shape and repeated his feat.

He covered the distance in less than two hours, and also swam a little further than in 1999. No doubt the task was even more difficult, since this time he did it at the age of 50. But also because of the weather conditions, since the area of ​​the symbolic prison. Strong currents prevailed here and the water did not exceed 14 ºC. And all this without taking into account the danger of meeting with white shark one of those who sometimes hangs around there.

Of all these, sharks seem to be the biggest danger. But the water temperature could also be deadly. You need to be in very good shape and have excellent breathing control to swim in such cold water without suffering the consequences. David Meka has shown that he is ready. Other people are not so lucky.

David Meckie’s Amazing Cold Water Swimming Ability

In swimming, cold water is defined as water that below 15 ºC. Swimming without a wetsuit at such temperatures is dangerous, as it is very difficult to control your breathing. Those who are not familiar with this can lose consciousness and drown.

In fact, as Cornwall First Aid explained, the county is part of the United Kingdom. where the most people drown each yearAnd this is precisely because the water there has a temperature below 15°C for 9 months of the year.

In today’s videos we see David Meka swimming. bare-chested, without neoprene covering his chest. So it’s clear that he needed some extra skills to breathe without passing out. And of course, the currents won’t help much.

Actions that may lead to drowning

Swimming experts like David Meca himself are well aware of the difficulties they can face when swimming in cold water. On the Spanish triathlete page, 16 degreesThey talk specifically about the risks of swimming in low temperatures and explain step by step what happens in such circumstances.

In fact, a limit is set initially below 18 ºC. As soon as you enter the water, heat stroke which can last up to 3 minutes. With such thermal shock, control over breathing is lost. Therefore, if this happens with the head under water, you can swallow water and drown. This is something swimmers like David Meka know. They try to avoid it, but the risks are far greater.

In 5 minutes, skin temperature sensors go numb and you will stop feeling the cold. It would seem that this is good, but the dangers are not over yet. The fact that we do not feel the cold does not mean that we do not experience its consequences. And the fact is that between 10 and 30 minutes from entering the water, cardiac arrhythmias. This is where the worst part comes in. After 30 minutes you can start hypothermiabut not before the period has passed difficulty swimming. This is caused by loss of coordination due to cooling of muscles and nerves. A swimmer must be very well prepared to overcome this phase. So was David Meka.

Both this and other swimmers perform exercises acclimatization and habituation overcome all these obstacles. But at the same time they are in very good physical shape, which allows them to pass the test much better.

The prisoners who escaped from Alcatraz in 1962 have disappeared forever. Reports from the time suggest that the water was 12 ºCeven more deadly than it is today. Could this be the reason for its disappearance? We will never know.