Some time ago I came across a very useful instructional video on how to survival float. I have been practicing it in pool since then. I find this technique to be much easier then floating on your back - you can see what is going on around you and almost all of your muscles are relaxed. Only your head is moving in order to inhale and exhale.

I once stayed in this position for maybe 15 minutes, then it got a little bit boring . This summer I want to test it for at least 30 minutes, preferably in open water.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMeierw40nQ

I was trained to do this in grade school, again in basic rescue, and again for SCUBA certification. In grade school the consensus was that the gym teachers whipped this out when we were being too obnoxious for them to want to hear us speak.

Boring beats the heck out of drowning.

Before you test it make sure that the people around you know what you're up to, or you might end up getting rescued when you don't need it.

I learned this as a kid, too.

I must say, in cold water, I don't think that any advice that involves putting your head in the water is very good advice.

I'd advise you to wear a PFD instead. Then you don't have to worry about staying afloat!

chaosmagnet: That's true, I thought about that too .

Jesselp: I wear a PFD where I am supposed to. I practice this mainly for situations where wearing a PFD is ruled out. For example open water distance swimming. If your muscles get fatigued and you get cramps, then this position is quite useful. Actually I have already had an opportunity to try this. I got pretty strong cramp in my calf while swimming in a pool. I could get to the shore without problem, but I decided to deal with it in the water as a training for such situations in open water. So I used this technique. I rested for a while, stretched the leg and resumed swimming. It worked very well. (There is usually someone on a boat near me when I swim longer distances though, but you never know.)

This could also come in handy for a lot of people that are carried away by rip currents. They try to fight their way back until they have no energy left and drown instead of staying in some sort of survival position like this. (You can escape the current by swimming parallel to the shore but not everyone knows it though).

I agree that in cold water it is not a good idea to do this unless you have to.

I know I was being a little harsh - it's impossible to always wear a PFD. And like you said, when I do open water swims I don't wear one (I'm a triathlete, so I do these with some regularity).

That said, I live on Long Island, NY, where even when the water is considered "warm," it's pretty cold. When I do an ocean swim, I'm usually wearing a wetsuit, which provides some additional bouyancy. I'm always amazed at how many people are out on small boats without wearing PFDs.

I do water rescue with the local rescue squad. It is not at all uncommon for us to be out in our 28 foot boat, all kitted out with PFDs and survival suits, and pass an open, overloaded 16 foot center console with a full family on board, with nobody wearing PFDs. It makes me mad.

For some certification I had to do this for an hour or more. Boring. Boring. Boring. If I was made to do it again, I would bring a waterproof MP3.

That being said, this is the energy conserving way to float for any long period, sans a PFD.

Of course, you could always blow up your pants too. But that's another video.

Here in the Santa Barbara Channel, the water is quite chilly - to some degree even in the late summer, when the temps will reach into the mid-60s, which still isn't warm enough for prolonged immersion.

The key to survival in these waters is a full wetsuit, or at least a floatation jacket, preferably with beavertail. For those who are in the water for any length of time, a PFD simply makes retrieval of the remains a bit easier.

Some years ago, a fishing vessel sank here in the Channel with something like six or eight people aboard. One guy went into the water wearing a wetsuit; his fiancee did likewise, although she did not have a wetsuit. He survived, she did not.

There is another instance of another wetsuited guy drifting in the Channel for at least two days, until he reached one of the oil platforms, finally reaching safety.

For this environment, the best wetsuit is a full 1/4 or 3/8 thick, Farmer John with an integral hood - makes a huge difference.

I'm guessing that putting your face in positions your shoulders correctly? My understanding is that in cold water, you should try to conserve energy as much as possible by moving as little as possible. Getting out would obviously be the immediate goal but this technique could come in handy if you cramp up or something. (Best bet, of course, is not to fall in in the first place and be wearing a PFD if you do!)

(BTW - why is it that on every fishing tv show, nobody wears their life jackets, except the odd one with the cool self-inflating ones. Whatever happened to lead by example?)