Safety and Survival at Sea

Your ability to survive at sea depends on a range of factors which make all the difference. You must absolutely know how to use safety equipment and where it is kept onboard. As well as this, you need to have the appropriate survival skills and, just as importantly, the ability to apply them in the event of an emergency.

Man Overboard
Someone falling overboard may initially appear to have a simple solution of just turning around, heading back and picking them up – the reality of the situation can be much more complex. Locating the casualty in the water, navigating toward them with your craft and finally getting them on board can all present their own problems that could see the situation quickly turn tragic.

By following procedures and ensuring all passengers/crew are wearing the correct safety equipment, you can ensure that in the event of someone going overboard, you are in the best possible position to prevent a tragedy.

• Ensure all passengers and crew are wearing life vests at all times.
• Consider equipping each of the people on board with a device such as a personal EPIRB (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon) or, even better, a Mobilarm 406 PLB (Personal Locator Beacon) marine safety device. The difference between the two is that an EPIRB must be manually activated in the water (bad if the casualty is unconscious), and sends its rescue signal back to land. A Mobilarm PLB is automatically activated and sends an audible and visual alarm back to the boat from where they fell, along with GPS directions on-board. Learn more about Mobilarm PLB’s and other standard EPIRB devices.
• If someone is overboard, ensure one crewmember’s job is solely that of a spotter. They should only be tasked with keeping a constant eye on the casualty in the water, pointing toward them and yelling their whereabouts.
• Commence man overboard rescue turns and procedure. (Learn more about these marine safety turns to help locate any MOB).

If you fall overboard:

• Remain calm, keep your legs and arms close together and restrict movement as much as possible to stop flushing cold water under your clothes.
• Do all you can to conserve body heat. This starts with tightening all wrist, ankle, waist and neck fastenings on clothing.
• If conditions are rough, keep your back to approaching waves so your mouth and nose is clear of the spray.
• If wearing a Mobilarm 406 Personal Locator Beacon, wait for rescue and do all you can to help be noticed by your craft. If wearing a personal EPIRB, activate it as soon as possible.

Rafts
In the event of a vessel capsizing, your best chance for survival is to get to a raft. Here are some things to consider once you are in one.

• Remain calm and calm down any passengers who are not coping with the situation. Your survival depends on your ability to think clearly and act cleverly.
• Check everyone's physical condition and commence first aid if required. Seasickness pills should be part of any first aid kit and should be administered as soon as someone begins to feel ill. Becoming dehydrated is one of the biggest dangers.
• To increase the chances of your vessel being seen use any signalling devices or reflecting material to attract attention.
• Locate the emergency radio and follow the operating instructions to use.
• Check the raft for inflation, leeks or points of chaffing. Do this regularly to ensure your raft remains strong and intact. If you are in hot weather, release a little of the air to avoid expansion.
• Throw out the sea anchor so that you remain close to where your vessel sank. This will increase your chances of being rescued.

Exposure
Extended exposure to the elements can be incredibly dangerous, with hot weather speeding up dehydration, and colder weather putting the body further at risk for hypothermia. Be sure to protect yourself as much as possible from the extremes in the environment to help ensure survival.

In hot weather:

• Create shade by rigging a canopy.
• Avoid sunburn by covering your skin with clothes.

In cold weather:

• Put on an anti-exposure suit or clothing if it's available.
• Rig a windbreak, spray shield or canopy to reduce the cold.
• Keep the inside of the raft dry by covering it in canvas or cloth.
• Huddle with the others in your raft to keep warm and use anything available to cover the passengers and keep them warm.
• If you have rations available, ensure those suffering from exposure are given more rations.

Dealing with Hypothermia
Even the slightest change in your temperature can affect your ability to survive during an emergency. Your body can cool down 25 times faster in cold water than in air so it's extremely important to keep dry. During mild hypothermia (35°C - 36°C) a person will feel cold, experience violent shivering and slurred speech. Try to administer warm sweet drinks, food and warm with a bath or fire.

In the event of medium hypothermia (34°C - 33°C) a person will start to lose muscle control, feel drowsy and exhausted and become incoherent. A person with mild hypothermia must be handled gently, given warm sweet drinks and warmed via steam or a warm oxygen mask. Monitor their pulse and breathing and lay them down with their legs slightly elevated.

At 32°C a person will stop shivering, collapse and must be transferred to a hospital urgently. At 30°C they will become unconscious and at 28°C they will suffer a cardiac arrest. In the event of this, administer CPR with mouth-to-mouth breathing.


Water
Water alone will keep you alive for ten days or longer so you need to ensure your ration it well. No matter what happens, do not drink seawater, urine or alcohol.

• When drinking water moisten your lips, tongue and throat before swallowing.
• If you don't have water don't eat. You may become seasick and experience more dehydration.
• Reduce your loss of water through perspiration by soaking your clothes in the sea, wringing them out and putting them on again. This should only be undertaken in hot weather.
• Do not smoke.
• Watch for clouds and be ready for showers. Create a tarpaulin to catch any rainwater.
• Use a desalting kit if available in your first aid kit.

Detecting land

• Watch carefully for any signs of land.
• A fixed cumulus cloud in a clear sky or amongst other clouds that are moving can indicate an island.
• A greenish tint in the sky can indicate a reflection of sunlight off shallow lagoons or coral reef shelves.
• Lighter coloured water may indicate shallow water and that land may be near.
• Listen for sounds during times of poor visibility. The sound of surf or birds may indicate land is close.

It goes without saying that hopefully there will never be any need for putting any of these tips and advice into practise. Still, if you ever do find yourself in a precarious situation out on the open ocean, the right preparation, training and knowledge can help ensure you have the best fighting chance at surviving until rescue.