Table of contents:
- How to survive in the sea
- 1. "STOP" and think
- 2. Floats
- 3. Looking for water to drink
- Recycled water (urine) - avoid
- Rainwater - safe
- Fish liquid - safe
- Sea water - avoid
- 4. Find food
- Catching fish
- Harvest seaweed
- Cannibalism
- 5. Move or rest
- 6. Dealing with predators
- 7. Prepare to be saved
Surviving on the sea is not easy. Whether you're stranded at sea in a plane crash, drowning in a boat, or being swept out to sea by a current, it can definitely be the most terrifying experience. By following the survival tips below, you'll learn some strategies for keeping yourself alive until the rescue team arrives.
How to survive in the sea
1. "STOP" and think
Use the Scout mnemonic from the word "STOP", which is an abbreviation in English, namely, Stop (Stop) , Think (think) , Observe (observe) , and Plan (planned). If you have just discovered that you are stranded at sea and you are not sure whether the rescuers will arrive. So here are the tips you need to do:
- Stay afloat
- Find shelter during the day
- Wait to see if help comes
- Go in one direction at night until you reach a settlement
- Look for food sources
2. Floats
Your first priority when isolated on the high seas is to stay afloat. This means that you have to find floating objects that can support you swimming. You will probably have a boat or raft to stay alive, but any object will be better at keeping your body afloat on the ocean.
If you have no floating objects to hold on to and you are stranded in the sea entirely on your own, use the following techniques to protect yourself from rowing fatigue:
Floats on your back if the water is calm
- Step 1: If the water is calm, lie down on your back.
- Step 2: Let your body float and keep your head above the water line.
- Step 3: Continue to lie down like this until a rescue team comes to your aid.
Float with a chest if the water is in bad condition
- Step 1: If the water is bad, lie on your stomach in the water to allow your body to float.
- Step 2: Continue to float this way until you need air.
- Step 3: Lift your head out of the water just to take a breath, then bring your head back down again, and exhale under the water.
The rest of the steps in this guide assume that you are on a raft or other similar floating structure, which will allow you to stay above water and move around with relative ease.
3. Looking for water to drink
Your body can't last more than 3-4 days without water, so your first priority is to find drinking water to stay hydrated. The following are sources of drinking water that can and should not be drunk during an emergency:
Recycled water (urine) - avoid
There is a story of a victim who used urine as a last resort to replenish body fluids. In fact, many rescue instructors advise against drinking urine to hydrate the body. The salt in the urine will worsen dehydration and will make you much thirstier.
Rainwater - safe
If it is raining, use any material to collect as much rainwater as possible and collect it in a container. Before putting the water from the raft into the bottle, make sure it is not mixed with sea salt water which may also enter the raft.
Fish liquid - safe
Fish not only provide a source of food, but they also contain fluids in their flesh, eyes and spine. To extract the liquid, cut the fish open, break the spine, then suck the liquid inside.
Sea water - avoid
Sea salt water is the most forbidden source of water, as it can cause kidney failure. Although many people forbid drinking sea water, many people also agree to consume sea water based on experiments by Dr. Alain Bombard in 1952.
In 1952, Dr. Bombard deliberately swam across the Atlantic ocean for 65 days and had to survive on raw fish, plankton and salt water. Because he did it alone, it is not known how much salt water, rainwater, and fish juices were consumed.
The experiment he's showing is that we might survive a few days on the high seas with nothing, other than on your raft and your survival skills.
4. Find food
Since the digestive system is in desperate need of water, it might be best not to eat unless you have an adequate supply of drinking water. Food sources available on the sea are fish, plankton, and for the last option is cannibalism (eating limbs).
Catching fish
In order to catch fish you need several fishing rods. You can use any straps that are on your body, such as shoelaces. If you have a knife, a piece of aluminum can be used to make a shiny hook that will attract fish.
Harvest seaweed
Pull out any seaweed you find and use it to find edible fish, crab, or shrimp.
Cannibalism
Some people prefer to die rather than go this way. However, if a previous survivor had died of starvation or dehydration, their meat could be used as a food source. Remember, this is something only one should do to survive and cannibalism is not a happy choice.
5. Move or rest
In the open sea, there aren't many options to control where you go. Your best chance of survival depends on the current that takes you ashore. Don't waste your energy fighting the ocean currents. You can do that when you see land, and you have to row hard to get to land.
If you see a ship from a distance, you are more likely to make a signal than you are rowing after it.
6. Dealing with predators
The most common predatory threat in open water is sharks, so you need to avoid them as hard as you can. Don't drop anything in the water, or it won't attract the sharks' attention.
If you are in close proximity to a shark, it is best to get out of the water, by swimming away gently, so that it does not attract the shark's attention.
When the shark wants to pounce on you, push your gun, camera, knife or other weapon to prevent it. If you can, hit the nose of the super sensitive shark. You can also prick the eyes or gills.
7. Prepare to be saved
Your best chance of being saved is to stay near the location where the rescue team will likely be looking for you. If you are stranded at sea because of an airplane crash, try to stay close to the crash site.
The ideal signal to alert rescue aircraft is with a flare gun. If you don't have a flare gun, then use a mirror or other reflective object to generate a signal for any aircraft in view.
If you have more than one raft, join them together to help increase your visibility from the sky.