the ice, get your arms up on the ice. more of your body you have out of the water, the longer it's going to take for that cold effect to happen. >> but it will happen and that's your next big challenge. some of the jackson lake victims have been in the water for nearly eight minutes. true or false? it takes about half an hour in frigid water to incapacitate a person's muscular coordination. the statement is false. it's way more dire than that. in fact, you may only have a matter of minutes before paralysis sets in. >> you have roughly five to ten minutes before you start losing strength. your body, your limbs, start going numb. then you're not going to be able to hold onto anything. you lose dexterity. you lose all motor control. >> with time running out, bystanders and relatives throw out everything they can. inner tubes and rope.