Help Prevent Drowning with These Tips

» barrie - Uncle Geo is in the water - oh what to do!!!

Hi Capt. Matt
Useful tips on how to recognize a person who is drowning.

I think a discussion on how the person got into the water and what to do is also valuable.

From my experience, of over 50 years on the water, people do not drown while on or in boats. People usually find themselves in the water while getting on of off the vessel and ‘man over boarders’. There is a long list of why and how people go over the side or transom.

When a boat operator has one of his passengers accidentally in the water he must act as though that person is drowning. As you point out, the reaction time is short and even shorter in colder waters or when the person has been drinking more booze than their body is comfortable with.

If an infant, non-swimmer or fragile person is in the water and the vessels free board and/or maneuverability puts the person out of reach then the appropriate rescuer will have to go into the water to secure the person overboard. This is one more good reason why the crew (if not everyone on board) should be wearing floater jackets, vests or survival suites. There is no time to stop the boat & suite up when a child or at risk person is overboard.

It is very important that the person doing the rescuing take enough rope (secured to the boat and ideally in the hands of a mate) or you could have two problems in the water instead of one. A panicking parent, who is not wearing a lifejacket, not a strong swimmer and/or lacks the rescue skills, is not a good candidate for the rescue. The shock of cold water and a gulp of seawater can cause the brave to become meek. One rescue at a time is more than enough to cope with.

The captain of the boat (big or small) must have a plan of what to do and who is to do it in the case of a person overboard. This is a discussion that should be included along with where fire extinguishers are, evacuation path in case of fire, how to call for help on the VHF etc.

Once the person is back on board getting them warm and if necessary clearing their lungs of water is be done without delay. You do not have to be in the water for an extended period of time to suffer from hypothermia. If in doubt about the person’s condition call the Coast Guard. They are equipped to administer help at sea. Error on the side of safety.

With a plan in place most ‘man over board’ mishaps can be dealt with. It is a shame that for the lack of a plan life is lost or a bad experience leaves a person too fearful to enjoy the wonderful experiences and adventures the sea has to offer.

Keep up the good work Capt.

Regards

-- posted by barrie

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» captmatt - Crew Overboard

Barrie,

You comments are very well taken and right on. The short ariticle posted just touches the basics of recognizing the problem. With your permission I will expand on the drowning issue with your comments and credit you as the contributor. We would also like to post the important message on our main website at http://boatsafe.com

Capt Matt

-- posted by captmatt

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