What to do if stranded at sea

[lamont]

Are we assuming you have a BC & weights?
One of the tests I did with my BC was to transfer the integrated weights from the side pockets and clip them to the Drings I have at the bottom of the back plate. This put me in a position in which I would actually be able to sleep, inclined backwards with the weights giving me stability and no risk of rolling over or tipping forward with my face in the water.

With my steel tank, it tends to drag me face-up in the water -- even with a BP/W setup. If I close my drysuit exhaust valve and inflate the suit then I'm really going to float face up -- and I'm going to be warm.

 

[Georg_R]

lost divers in egypt again:

12 divers did a long drift - 30 hours at sea - http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=sto...mideast_afp/egypt_tourism_diving_040808195627

They all survived.

thank god it was a group of 12 divers, 2 divers would have been written off.

 

[mempilot]

Just saw that in the USA Today. Only got a soundbyte, but figured there would be a post on here today. Crazy! A group of 12 is much easier to spot from the air. Keeps the critters off a little longer too.

 

[jkennedy]

Good and educational thread. Thanks.

 

[Optik]

No, the boat belonged to my buddy and he forgot to turn the pumps on and the engine started to take water some how. I don't know what else he touched but the boat 28ft. started to take water. I never want to go through that again.. Rey

Selfish idiot, it makes me very mad to even think of what happened to you. I have no words to describe what i would do to the buddy had i seen him again. Glad you made it out.

 

[alemaozinho]

What do you do if your stranded 100 miles out at sea? A person's biggest worry is definately dehydration. I estimate a person could survive 3 or 4 days if swimming, or about 10 days just drifting.

I think I would have to try swimming for shore. Its really hard to spot a scuba diver floating in the ocean from the air. Heck, its even hard to spot an orange rescue raft from the air.

i was wondering why you get thaughts like this living in kentucky and worrying about drifting in the ocean,peace

 

[Blackhawk9898]

you wouldnt last 3 days swimming, you could last 3 days drifting. You cant drink the salt water because it only dehydrates you. You would pretty mush be screwed

 

[Bubbledup]

One thing you don't want to do is get rid of your BC or whatever buoyancy device you're wearing. I know of two incidents where divers shed their BCs, figuring they would be less encumbered in a swim to a nearby island. In both cases strong currents prevented them from reaching the island. Neither diver was ever found (but their BCs were found). Never, ever dump your BC!

 

[DennisS]

One thing they stress in all the abandon ship drills I have been through is that everybody has their hat. One day in the tropical sun from sun up till sundown will turn your face into a blister, the second day will really suck.

 

[tddfleming]

Let see if I get this?? AOL CD's out, hats are now in? rofl3: I wonder if the OP is still wondering this from 2004? Sorry could not hold back.:kiss2: