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Surviving 75 hours alone in the ocean

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Re: Surviving 75 hours alone in the ocean

#51

Post by virtualwhys »

piva00 wrote: post #38
virtualwhys wrote: post #24

5mm wetsuit (or more likely drysuit given that he's a diver) saved his life far more than anything else. That's some serious insulation, though barely enough over such a long period of time. The article doesn't go into much detail in terms of the psychological aspects of the ordeal -- your life flashing before your eyes for days, can't imagine.

Why would it be barely enough? I'm not being snarky, asking because I used to surf and wearing a wetsuit would seriously make me warm, to the point where surfing on 10C would require me to unzip the wetsuit every half an hour to make me comfortable. After my body warmed up the water inside the suit I didn't feel at all the cold of the water except on my feet/head, like I mentioned, I actually felt overheating after a…

It's the duration that gets you. For example, if you go out in a 3/2 (3mm torso, 2mm arms/legs) when the water temps call for a 4/3, sure, you can surf for 45 minutes or so, but after that you'll start getting quite chilly.

This guy spent 75 hours floating in the water, not paddling around expending tons of energy competing with the pack for the next set wave :)

Re: Surviving 75 hours alone in the ocean

#52

Post by nstart »

Similar survival story of a surfer who got dragged out to sea and had to survive in the irish waters. Admittedly this was 32 hours in comparison but the effects of what happened are remarkably similar. Nocturne had a great podcast episode on this. https://nocturnepodcast.org/ep-31-shortboard/

Re: Surviving 75 hours alone in the ocean

#53

Post by exDM69 »

ant6n wrote: post #31
fernly wrote: post #3

OK 75 is a lot, but for an almost as harrowing first person account, listen to the interview with Brett Archibald about surviving 28 hours after falling off a cruise ship: http://www.modernmann.co.uk/new/2017/10/24/61-lost-at-sea

Not quite a cruise ship, more like a 10 passenger boat. I wonder what would happen if one actually fell off a large cruise ship.

There are lots of cruise ships in the Baltic Sea, and there's perhaps 2-3 cases per year where someone falls overboard and quite a few who go missing without a trace (ie. fall overboard at night with no-one noticing). Practically no-one is ever found, even though several ships participate in the search if the falling is detected.

It is possible to jump off a cruise ship and survive, though. Every now and then an idiot decides to jump off before reaching the harbor and swim to some island near the coast. And get a hefty fine afterwards. But at this point the ships aren't doing full speed or at the open sea.

Re: Surviving 75 hours alone in the ocean

#54

Post by jeffhuys »

joevandyk wrote: post #14
kwindla wrote: post #13

An Australian on a surf trip a few years ago fell off a boat in the Mentawais and survived 27 hours with no flotation help. 75 hours in cold water is crazy, but the diver didn't have to keep himself afloat. I find it almost unbelievable that it's possible to swim and tread water -- even in warm salt water -- for 27 hours. https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/12/alone-lost-overb... https://stabmag.com/news/missing…

Salt water is buoyant. If you know how to float, it doesn’t take much energy.

Some people simply cannot float. Me included. I've had 3 different instructors try to tell and show me that everyone can float. I can't. I have 5 swimming certificates, I'm fit, but I think I just don't have enough body fat? Even in the Red Sea (if it's called that in English) I can't float. Not for more than 5 seconds.

Re: Surviving 75 hours alone in the ocean

#55

Post by philbarr »

narag wrote: post #49
philbarr wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No that's wetsuits. Dry suits don't let water in.

Exactly, wetsuits like, you know, the ones we're talking about: Prolonged soaking in seawater, along with the friction from his wetsuit and fins, damaged Hewitt’s skin pretty badly.

What? You said:

> Divers' suits are not dry

Wetsuits are wet. Drysuits are dry. Sometimes divers wear wetsuits, and some of the more experienced ones wear drysuits.

Re: Surviving 75 hours alone in the ocean

#56

Post by ptaipale »

thorin wrote: post #36
kwindla wrote: post #13

An Australian on a surf trip a few years ago fell off a boat in the Mentawais and survived 27 hours with no flotation help. 75 hours in cold water is crazy, but the diver didn't have to keep himself afloat. I find it almost unbelievable that it's possible to swim and tread water -- even in warm salt water -- for 27 hours. https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/12/alone-lost-overb... https://stabmag.com/news/missing…

If you're interested in this topic, watch this film based on a true story about an Icelander who survived at sea https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Deep_(2012_film)

That man must be an interesting sample for the research of human physiology.

Re: Surviving 75 hours alone in the ocean

#57

Post by teddythetwig »

philbarr wrote: post #55
narag wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Exactly, wetsuits like, you know, the ones we're talking about: Prolonged soaking in seawater, along with the friction from his wetsuit and fins, damaged Hewitt’s skin pretty badly.

What? You said: > Divers' suits are not dry Wetsuits are wet. Drysuits are dry. Sometimes divers wear wetsuits, and some of the more experienced ones wear drysuits.

It isn't that the more experienced ones wear drysuits, it is that they are diving in colder water, which requires more experience + a dry suit.

Re: Surviving 75 hours alone in the ocean

#58

Post by oeuviz »

mixmastamyk wrote: post #35
juliendorra wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hypothermia starts at relatively high temperature (naked, below 25°c if I remember well) There are records of people dying after hours of being exposed to 14°c without proper clothing (actually in the Philippine, if memory serves me well) Our body (without technology like clothing or homes) are really just adapted to live around the equator at constant 27°c :-)

The Ph. are just off the equator. I’ve been in the water in northern Australia and the water was 30c and on the verge of being too warm. Definitely not refreshing, felt like a salty bath tub.

Due to water being a way better conductor of heat than air you lose heat up to 75% faster than in air. Even 30°C warm water can therefore quickly lead to hypothermia if unprotected. Ever seen scuba instructors in warm countries? While their customers would often submerge in nothing but a swimsuit the instructors would often wear 6mm full body wetsuits due to longer exposure. And yet a lot of them are shivering in the evenings.

Re: Surviving 75 hours alone in the ocean

#59

Post by teddythetwig »

virtualwhys wrote: post #24

5mm wetsuit (or more likely drysuit given that he's a diver) saved his life far more than anything else. That's some serious insulation, though barely enough over such a long period of time. The article doesn't go into much detail in terms of the psychological aspects of the ordeal -- your life flashing before your eyes for days, can't imagine.

I think it is more likely that he was in a wetsuit... Dry suits aren't measured in thickness since the purpose is to just keep the water out, as opposed to providing insulation like a wetsuit. Most divers wear a wetsuit unless they are in particularly cold water.

Re: Surviving 75 hours alone in the ocean

#60

Post by shusson »

> The practical guidance in situations like this is that you should avoid drinking for the first day; this will trigger hormone changes that make your body start conserving water. After that, aim to scrounge up half a liter per day

Hmm, anyone heard of that before?

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