What to Do If You Are Stranded at Sea

Getting stranded at sea is a critical emergency resulting from engine failure, severe weather, capsizing, or navigation errors. Remaining calm and taking systematic survival actions greatly increases your chances of being located and rescued.

Emergency Warning

If you are in immediate danger of sinking, severe injury, or drifting into open ocean, signal for emergency help right away. Broadcast a MAYDAY distress call on VHF Channel 16 or activate your Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) or Personal Locator Beacon (PLB). Contact local maritime search and rescue services immediately.

Step-by-Step Survival Actions

1. Ensure Personal Flotation: Put on personal flotation devices (life jackets) immediately. Ensure straps are tightened securely around every person on board.
2. Signal for Help: Transmit a MAYDAY call on VHF radio Channel 16. State your vessel name, location/coordinates, nature of distress, and total number of occupants. If equipped, activate your EPIRB or PLB to transmit your GPS coordinates to rescue satellites.
3. Stay With the Vessel: Remain on or attached to your boat or liferaft whenever possible. A vessel provides shelter and presents a vastly larger visual and radar target for search teams compared to a person swimming in open water.
4. Conserve Freshwater: Ration your fresh water supply carefully. Protect water containers from damage or contamination. Never drink seawater or urine; the high concentration of salt and toxins severely accelerates dehydration and renal failure.
5. Protect Against Environmental Hazards: Shield exposed skin from direct sun and ocean spray using available fabric, sails, or clothing. In cold waters, adopt the HELP (Heat Escape Lessening Posture) or huddle with other survivors to retain core body heat and prevent hypothermia.
6. Establish a Lookout System: Set up a continuous watch rotation to monitor the horizon for passing ships, aircraft, or land. Keep visual distress signals, such as signaling mirrors or smoke flares, ready to deploy.

What NOT to Do

• Do not drink seawater: Consuming ocean water accelerates dehydration and can lead to delirium, renal shutdown, and death.
• Do not abandon ship prematurely: Only enter the water or transfer to a liferaft if your vessel is actively sinking or engulfed in uncontainable fire.
• Do not waste signaling supplies: Save pyrotechnic flares for moments when you clearly see or hear a rescue vessel or aircraft nearby.
• Do not overexert yourself: Avoid non-essential swimming or physical labor, which drains critical caloric energy and accelerates body heat loss.

What to Monitor

Regularly check the following physical and environmental conditions:

• Hypothermia Symptoms: Watch for intense shivering, slurred speech, confusion, and loss of dexterity. Huddle together and stay as dry as possible.
• Dehydration and Heat Illness: Watch for dizziness, dark urine, confusion, and rapid heart rate. Maintain shade and avoid unnecessary movement.
• Hole Integrity and Water Ingress: Check the hull or liferaft regularly for leaks or pressure drops, and bail out accumulating water immediately.

Stay anchored if in shallow water to avoid drifting further off course, and remain vigilant until search and rescue personnel arrive on scene.

This guide provides general emergency information for maritime survival and is not a substitute for professional captain training or safety certification. In any emergency at sea, contact local Coast Guard or emergency maritime services immediately.