Actions to be taken when in the water
Governing: STCW Table A-VI/1-1; RNLI "Float to Live". Builds on: L3.1.
The first minute: cold water shock
Sudden immersion in cold water triggers a gasp and uncontrolled rapid breathing, with a jump in heart rate and blood pressure. The RNLI states that cold water shock can occur in water below 15°C, and the average sea temperature around the UK and Ireland is about 12°C. Much of the Mediterranean in winter and spring is below that threshold.
The RNLI's key message: the initial effects pass in less than a minute, so do not try to swim straight away. Inhaling water during the gasp is how people drown in their first seconds.
Float first
- Lean back, ears in the water, face up.
- Relax and control your breathing.
- Move hands and legs gently to stay afloat.
- Accept that your legs may sink.
- When breathing is under control, think, then act.
A lifejacket makes this much easier, which is why you put it on before entering the water.
The first hour
After the shock, the danger is losing the use of your hands and arms as muscles cool. Do the difficult things early: reach the raft, grab the line, climb aboard.
| Situation | Action |
|---|---|
| Alone, in a lifejacket | Keep still, knees drawn up, arms crossed over the chest to protect the core |
| In a group | Huddle: arms linked, sides of chests together, weakest in the middle |
| Needing to move | Group in a line, each holding the one in front, and swim on your backs together |
| Near wreckage | Hold something that floats; stay clear of burning fuel and sharp debris |
Swimming wastes heat. Only swim to reach a raft, a group or a floating object.
WARNING — Burning oil If there is fuel on the water, enter upwind of it. If you must swim through, go on your front, splashing the surface ahead to push flames away.
Righting a capsized liferaft
Rafts can inflate upside down, especially in wind. You practise this in the pool on the course.
- Swim to the side where the gas cylinder is; its weight helps the rotation.
- Turn the raft so the wind is on your back and the cylinder side faces the wind, so the wind lifts the raft as it comes over.
- Climb onto the cylinder, feet on the tube, holding the righting strap.
- Lean back and pull. The raft comes over towards you.
- Swim out from under it, keeping a hand on the tube or line, and move to the entrance.
CAUTION — Under the canopy When the raft lands on you, keep calm: there is air under it. Push the floor up to make a pocket, then work your way out along the side to the edge.
Boarding from the water
Use the boarding ladder and ramp at the entrance. Those already aboard pull the next person in by the lifejacket shoulders, kneeling and leaning back rather than using their arms. Get the heaviest crew in early so they can help.
Recovering someone unconscious from the water is covered by the drowning guidance in Elementary First Aid: the Resuscitation Council UK advises five rescue breaths, then CPR, once the person is out of the water and not breathing.