Survival at sea
One moment you’re in the boat, the next you’ve fallen overboard. Your boat disappears and suddenly you’re alone in the water. Are you prepared to survive at sea?
Masterclass: survival at sea group training exercise.
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We take a look inside a masterclass in survival at sea and discover the factors affecting your timeframe for survival. We’ll explain what you can do to extend your timeframe and maximise your chance of rescue. Calculating timeframe for survival Environmental conditions, a person’s age, fitness, clothing, last food and drink, physical injuries, and their mental and emotional disposition are all factors that affect how long a person can survive in a life-threatening situation—like falling overboard. Australian anaesthetist Dr Paul Luckin AM has a unique perspective on human strength and endurance in the most extreme circumstances. With a career in retrieval paramedicine that has spanned across decades and continents he has profound insight into this field. Dr Luckin draws on his understanding of human physiology and years of training and experience to estimate time frames for survival during search and rescue operations.
Crunching the numbers Environmental factors play a critical role in calculating timeframe for survival. They can mean the difference between surviving 10 hours in the water or just 10 seconds. Here are the six most heavily weighted factors in a marine environment: 1 2 3 4 5 6
wave height water temperature time until last or first light wind speed white caps likelihood of predation by shark or crocodile.
AMSA, state, territory and federal police, as well as authorities in Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Manus and Nauru all defer to Dr Luckin for advice on the survivability of missing people. Dr Luckin’s calculations influence the decision by authorities on how and where to search for missing people and whether to continue or end search activities. 7
Working Boats May 2018
Life jacket: the most important item for survival.
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