What to do if stranded at sea

[mempilot]

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.

Even in the warmest of waters, hypothermia would sap your strength. A couple diving off their boat in the Florida Keys returned to find their boat had drifted off. They were rescued the next day and the woman was so sapped of strength, she couldn't get out of the water on her own. The body tries to maintain 98.6 deg F. In warm tropical waters in the 85 deg F range, the temp differential is still over 8 deg F cooler. Through conduction, your body heat will transfer to the surrounding cooler water. A wetsuit will slow this process, but you will still suffer the effects. Swimming will make things happen quicker. You will generate body heat initially by burning calories, but that heat will quickly leave the body.

As a pilot, even with the proper life support suit on, a ditching in any water far from rescue is a death sentence. I wouldn't even want to deal with the blue water sharks that aren't too picky about where they get food.

Sorry to say it, but being stranded 100 miles out without an EPIRB, radar reflector, and mirror, is a recipe for fish food.

 

[android]

I'm ok with the floating part. How does one, "try to stay warm if it's cold", while not swimming or treading water"? Also, how do you stay out of the sun?

Joe

If you fell off the flight deck, you started with a flotation vest, cranial, dungarees, boots, T-shirt and overalls if you are dressed to regulation. You stay warm by huddling with anyone else that went with you. (If you're by yourself, think warm thoughts) You ditch the boots and the cranial but keep the goggles. Put your T shirt over your head doing a dead-man's float. The T shirt is white, so easily seen and ready to be waved if you hear something. If the vest get knocked off as they sometimes will falling 80ft, you take off your pants, tie off the legs with your shoe laces (acquired from boots before ditching them) get 'em wet, fill the leg with air and float on them. Hopefully, you will be missed. They are pretty good at backtracking and accounting for currents, so sometimes overboards are picked up if they manage to stay alive.

Results will vary in scuba gear of course. The key is to think and use what you have on hand. I have a back float BCD, so I could probably cut up enough of the lining without puncturing it to make an umbrella.

 

[Nay]

i just floated around..thank god for back inflate bc's they came in handy in this occassion.

How did your back inflate help?
Not trying to be confrontational, just wondering because I have one too.

I would have a hard time not panicing.

 

[Allison Finch]

[
{they dropped all weights after a few hours, and also the tanks.}

I would not drop the tanks! Inflate the BC and use it for a float. If you have the means, Tie the tank by the valve and suspend them from the BC. Why? If you see sharks in the area, you can use the tank as an effective battering ram. Two divers can go back to back and fend off critters from all angles. Those tanks may be the only effective weapon you have.

 

[SHARKBAIT94]

i have a question when you go diving off a boat do you think it would be wise to maybe carry a smoke can the ones that are used for stranded boats. They are the size of a can of soda and can fit in and pocket or zip tie it to your bc to keep your pockets empty for other gear. just my thought.

 

[Knavey]

A bit unnerving: On one of the Discovery Channel shows (Bermuda Triangle Dive one, I think), they interviewed the local Coast Guard Rescue chiefs, who stated that even with all our state of the art technology and techniques, finding a person floating in the ocean, during calm seas and knowing approximately where they are, the percentage chance of being found by S&R is 78%. With rougher seas and less precise knowledge of where they ditched, the probability drops significantly.

I saw that show...even more interesting was the camera shots that accompanied the discussion. They were showing the coastie in the water wearing a bright orange suit with a view from the copter. Then the guy says...and lets see what he looks like WITHOUT the zoom lens and from a half mile away. They unzoom, and *poof* you cant see the guy anymore. Amazing to me that 78% is the success rate.

 

[Scubamedicjoe]

One of the things I always have in my BCD pocket is my CD from AOL. Yes, that little AOL CD can signal for help.....I guess you always wondered why so many were mailed out. Seriously, having something that you can signal with could mean the difference between life and death. Thank you God for the AOL cd's

SWT

I see someone else picked up on my first post about the AOL cd LOL

 

[O2BBubbleFree]

I see someone else picked up on my first post about the AOL cd LOL

You missed the more important replies to your suggestion:

See marscuba's post about ineffeiciency of CDs as reflectors

http://www.scubaboard.com/showpost.php?p=635162&postcount=14

I have tried the CD thing and all the reflective "junk" comes off over the course of several dives in my BC pocket!

CDs should not be considered proper signaling devices.

 

[Scubamedicjoe]

I disagree and tell you why we did a test less than a month ago on dive , with a dive operator guess what they both came up and had equal signalling power. much less its allot cheaper and less likly to break other than glass.

 

[mempilot]

I disagree and tell you why we did a test less than a month ago on dive , with a dive operator guess what they both came up and had equal signalling power. much less its allot cheaper and less likly to break other than glass.

I agree with medic. They work great. The stuff coming off the other person's AOL CD is the metallic screenprint paint on the label side. Just use a standard CDRW with nothing on it. Then you have two sides. 33cents or less

This is the single cheapest and most effective DIY piece of equipment you can own. I wonder if it reflects radar?