How to survive on the high seas

How long can you stay on the high seas?

In fact – a long time. One of the most striking cases occurred in the XVIII century with Captain William Blay and his team. After the mutiny on the ship “Bounty” captain and loyal people, they landed on a wooden boat with a length of only seven meters, leaving them a minimum supply of food and fresh water.

The sailors stayed in the ocean for 47 days. They even made it to the European colony, crossing the 6,700 kilometer path without having a compass and map, choosing a direction with the help of a sextant.

Survive at Sea: William Bly
Robert Dodd, “The Rebel”

This year, nine participants of the “Mutiny” show, which is already on the Discovery Channel, repeat their route on the same ship and with the same equipment. So, to stay on the water really, you can see for yourself – watch the show at 10 pm on Tuesdays.

What is most important for survival?

Ironically, the key to survival is not food or water, but peace. The traveler and doctor Alain Bombard was sure that people die in the sea not because of the weather and difficult conditions, but because of the depression and fear that make them make mistakes. His theory, he confirmed, swimming across the ocean on a lifeboat without food and water supplies. It was very difficult for him to travel this way, but in an extreme situation, for example, after a shipwreck, there is no task to swim the ocean – you need to wait for help.

survive in the sea: what you need to survive
Christopher Johnson / Flickr.com

Behavior on the high seas depends survival: because of panic, people make mistakes and make wrong decisions, too much fuss and move, and energy must be protected. Bad things have already happened – you are in the open sea. There is no time to suffer, we must get out.

How to save energy?

In the sea or the ocean, with too much activity, we lose too much energy necessary for survival. If you are in the water, then you need to move as little as possible and try to find a floating object, for which you will hook. Much depends on the temperature of the water, but the means for swimming will have to be searched even in warm seas.

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If you are on a raft, boat or something that keeps on the surface of the water, try to warm up and dry out, and look around. Choose everything you can pick up. In the open sea any object is useful.

How to extract fresh water?

The most obvious, but unreliable source of fresh water is precipitation. Try to prepare any capacity, where you will collect rain water: cans, shoes, floating plastic, thick leaves, bags, bags.

Another way to find a drink is to make a distiller. It requires two tanks (large and small), as well as waterproof material: a piece of polyethylene, a bag. In a large container, collect salt water, put in it an empty small container. Pack a package or other material on the edges of a large container and put a small load in the center. The water will evaporate and settle on the film. Drops will roll to the center where the load lies, and fall into an empty container. So you will gain a little fresh water.

survive in the sea: how to extract fresh water
Method of extraction of fresh water

Perhaps your condensation product will form condensation by itself. Collect it, even if you have to lick the boat.

Do not forget that algae and fish also contain fresh water, so if you manage to catch food, you will get some of the liquid along with the food.

How to get food?

Ironically, with food in the ocean, everything is more or less normal. Pan Lien, a Chinese sailor, found himself after the battle during the Second World War on the high seas and lived on the liferaft for 133 days. He even managed to make a supply of food, because he constantly got himself food, making fishing rods from improvised materials.

Try to invent, from what to make fishing tackle. Any rope, thread, pulled out of clothes, ornaments, pins, lids from tin cans will fit. For the first fishing bait can become a thread, then it will be possible to use the remains of already caught fish.

Even if the fish is not caught, it is possible to maintain strength by plankton and algae.

To collect them, you need to take any piece of cloth (out of clothes), form a “net” from it and catch them small inhabitants of the ocean. The taste, of course, is so-so, but for survival it is not necessary to choose. But the algae helps to prevent the development of scurvy.

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In general, there is everything you need to get caught (if only it looks fresh and non-poisonous): turtles, shrimp, birds. Feathered in desert areas are sometimes not afraid of people, and they can be caught with the help of bait and a loop from the rope.

Survive in the Sea: A Bird Trap
Trap for seabirds

You need to get fish right away, as soon as you are at sea, even if you are on a life raft and you have a laid three-day diet. No one can say for sure when you will be rescuers and for how long you have to stretch the ration. Act immediately.

How to protect yourself from dangers?

survive in the sea: how to protect yourself from dangers
Jeff Kubina / Flickr.com

Prepare for many dangers in the sea in theory is impossible, but something worth remembering:

  • If the storm is approaching, then for the stability of the raft all the heavy things need to be shifted to the center. The same applies to people – move in the middle of the ship so that its waves are not turned over.
  • Try to protect the head and skin from ultraviolet radiation. In the open sea, when there is little drinking water, a sunburn is more difficult to bear. Bright light reflects off the surface of the ocean, and this shine can severely damage your eyes, so take care of your eyes and do not look at water constantly.
  • When catching fish, do not tie a fishing line and rope to your hands or feet. A large fish can pull the hook with such force that it will not do without injuries.
  • Be careful and do not try to pull out too large fish. They can overturn the boat.
  • Do not take fish with needles and thorns. They can be not only acute, but also poisonous.

How to find the earth?

In fact, if you are shipwrecked, it’s best not to move anywhere and stay where you can, although it’s difficult in the ocean. Rescue operations will take place primarily in the area of ​​the accident.

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If you understand something in the navigation, it’s good to lie on the reverse course and return to the ground in the same way that you were going.

survive in the sea: how to find land
Alexander Boden / Flickr.com

When there are no navigational instruments at hand, but you do not understand anything in the starry sky and you do not know how to keep the course, you can find land by accident or by indirect signs: clouds gather over land, thunder beats are thundering in the thunderstorms, birds approach birds more often . In some areas they can be seen quite far in the open sea, but on land, of course, there are many more.

How not to go insane on the high seas?

To get to the land, you need a clear head and confidence in your abilities, but they are the hardest to keep. Rules that lone travelers follow will help:

  • Install and follow the mode, at least some. If you are not alone, assign duties and assign responsibilities. The need to stand on watch and do your part of the job will help to get ready and not to fall into despair.
  • Keep a journal or journal, if you can record. It helps to streamline thoughts and plan plans.
  • Work. Catch fish, collect algae, look out for the earth, come up with new ways of using old objects. Do everything to not be in time to regret your situation.
  • Try to move as far as possible. Swim, if the weather permits and you are sure that you will be able to return to the raft or boat.

Remember that you can survive even in the most difficult conditions. Nine people in the show “The Mutiny” show this with their example. They go on the route of Captain William Bligh to prove: people are stronger than we are used to thinking.

See the “Mutiny” program on the Discovery Channel from November 28 every Tuesday at 10pm.

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