Survival tips at sea

Be sea-smart!

• When you board a ship, find out what survival equipment is on board, where it is stowed, and what it contains. If you have the choice, life rafts are more stable than dinghies.

Abandon ship!

• If you find yourself in the water without a life raft, grab anything that will help you float as swimming will quickly exhaust you. Ideally, a wear a life jacket. Failing that, look for plastic containers, buoys or pieces of wood.
• If you must swim, choose the right strokes. Doggy paddle is slow but needs little energy. Breast stroke is good for swimming underwater, through oil or debris or in rough seas. It's best for long-range swimming as it conserves energy while being reasonably fast. Sidestroke and backstroke are good rest strokes.
• If you were able to send out a distress signal or if you're near shipping lanes, stay near your abandoned boat. Only paddle for shore if you have some idea of where you’re going.
• If you have a raft, try to take along as much warm and protective clothing as you can - wool and polypropylene and anything that's windproof or waterproof. Once in the raft, protect yourself from the wind using clothing or a tarpaulin. Stay as dry as you can – you can get hypothermia even in a raft.
• Dehydration is also a danger. Fresh water supplies will be limited so avoid physical exertion and exposure to the sun to minimise sweating. If you can, make a sun shade with sails or a tarpaulin. And if it's hot, keep your clothes on and get them wet to keep you cool and help avoid sunburn.
• Try to keep skin covered to avoid cracking and drying in the sun. Use sunscreen or, failing that, grease. If you don't have sunglasses, cut slits in a band of fabric and tie it over your eyes.
• If you have a supply of water, start rationing right away. Don't drink much water the first day, no matter how thirsty you feel. Then limit your intake to 350-500mls for a few days, eventually dropping it as low as 50-150mls a day.
• Make a tarpaulin or sail into a bowl to catch rainwater, or use a plastic bag. Ideally, you'll have a can or bottle you can store rainwater in. If not, look for anything that can hold water; you don't want it washed away by rough seas.
• You can live longer without food than without water. Fish and seaweed are obvious options, but they're high in protein which takes water to digest. If you have survival rations containing carbohydrates, stick to those as long as possible.

Land ahoy!

• Birds overhead and drifting wood could indicate you are close to shore. Also look out for cumulus clouds that form over land or wind – it usually blows toward land during the day and out to sea at night.