Drinking sea water

[gregorio]

Hi all.

Do you think that if you are lost at sea you can drink sea water?


I already have an answer but I'm curious to know what people think here.


It seem that all of you don't think it's pssible.
Please can you read post 8 and comment?

 

[sharkattack]

joke right?

 

[redblanket]

No. It would take more water to metabolize the minerals dissolved in sea water than is provided in the water itself.

If you had a peice of plastic, a hot sun and some sort of container, you could purify the water using condensation. Besides using some sort of purification technique, drinking sea water will kill you quicker than not drinking anything.

 

[KazooDiver]

Been in rough seas before waiting to be picked up by the boat and had accidently swallowed some sea water...not only is it gross, but your mouth gets so dehydrated...so to me Nope....wouldn't do it.

 

[REII]

Not a good idea.

TOM

 

[Reef Man]

joke right?

My feelings exactly!!! :no

 

[vondo]

There is actually an optimal amount of sea water to mix in with fresh water to make the maximum amount of liquid. Unfortunately a) I don't know this number and b) it is a small percentage.

Yup, you should die of thirst before drinking sea water. I'm not sure I could resist though...

 

[gregorio]

From the Times on line:
The French doctor and biologist Alain Bombard achieved worldwide fame in 1952 with a scientific experiment of foolhardy audacity. He set himself to sail alone across the Atlantic in a 15ft Zodiac dinghy in order to show that a human being can survive for weeks if not months by drinking seawater and juice pressed from the flesh of fish.
link


From everything2.com:
This came as quite a surprise to many, and is still controversial. He based his findings on studies surrounding the safe intake of salt, and found that a pint and a half of sea water (c. 1 litre) would enhance survival, whilst causing little permanent damage to the kidneys. He was careful to point out that this level of consumption was still dangerous, if it formed the only fluid intake for more than a few days, and at most a week.
link


This is no joke at all.
Mr Bombard was pretty famous here at the time, and he risk his life to convince people in order to save life. If it is true then I think it is worth spreading the word.

 

[lmorin]

For what it's worth, the ocean salinity is about 35-36 parts per 1000 (although it varies from place to place) LINK. In contrast, human blood is 0.9% saline or about 9000 parts per million (=9/1000) LINK. That means it is necessary for the kidneys to excrete all the excess salt drunk in seawater. The kidneys do a fantastic job, as that is what they are for--maintaining salt balance. It is a well-demonstrated fact of physiology and behavior that if blood salt concentration goes up, thirstiness goes up and, if the person is allowed to drink water, consumption goes up. So, regardless of M. Bombard's views, drinking hypertonic saline will increase thirstiness. You would become thirstier and rapidly dehydrated (contributing to more thirstiness). In addition, you have to pee. As you dehydrate, urine becomes more and more concentrated, but you still lose water through urination, at least until the kidneys fail. If the blood salt concentration exceeds 0.9%, water is pulled from cells into the blood, causing cellular dehydration. The more water you pass, the less there is to dilute the salt ingested or to re-expand the normal cell volume. With cellular dehydration, thirstiness goes up still more. Not a pleasant picture.

 

[Nautical Dreamer]

You can also survive by giving yourself an salt water enema. But I am not sure how a diver floating in the sea could forcefully inject water into the rectum.