Preparing for Disaster: How to Stay Safe on the Open Water
Whether you’re planning on taking a bath in a designated swimming area around the beach or going out in the open water on your boat for the weekend, learning to swim should be your first step. If you do know how to swim, you must be fully conscious of the fact that the risk is doubled when you’re in the water. You have minimal manpower around and you can’t call out for instant help. So it’s critical that you step out prepared, both for accidents and natural disasters. We’ve put together a series of tips that you can incorporate into your itinerary to make sure you’re safe. Let’s get started.
Make Sure There’s a First-Aid Kit
While most people do keep a first-aid kit with them, they forget to include items for everybody on the boat. You can put together a customized kit manually but we suggest purchasing a pre-made first-aid kit. This kit should ideally have bandages of different shapes and sizes, tweezers, antiseptic, scissors, tape, sting relief wipes, cold packs, gauze pads and painkillers.
Marine Fire Extinguisher
There are 4 classes of fire extinguishers (A, B, C and D) – each class can extinguish a specific type of fire. Some fire extinguishers are a combination of two classes. Marine fire extinguishers are usually UL-rated for use on class B (liquids and gasses) and class C (energized electrical equipment) fires. The United States Coast Guard (USCG) requires that you must have a minimum of B-I or B-II marine-grade fire extinguishers onboard.
Confused? Don’t worry. We’ll break it down for you. Just remember that there are five main types of fire extinguishers used on ships and you should ideally have one of each onboard (otherwise just a B-1 or B-II), especially if there’s enough space on your craft. You may need more depending on the size of your craft. Following are the five main types of fire extinguishers used on ships:
- Dry powder extinguisher
- Water extinguisher
- Soda acid fire extinguisher
- Carbon dioxide extinguisher
- Foam extinguisher
Have the Right Equipment
If you’ll be swimming or snorkeling, wear a wetsuit that will help you stay warm and increase your buoyancy. It’s also essential that you have life jackets and bright-colored hats for everybody on the boat.
If you’ll be doing any other open water activities, make sure you’ve got the right equipment. If it’s too hot, you’re wearing a wetsuit and you stay underwater for longer periods, it may cause heat exhaustion.
Never Swim Alone
It’s never a good idea to swim alone. especially if you’re inexperienced in the dynamics of open waters. Take somebody with you so you can look out for them and they can look out for you. It’s always great to have a lifeguard around too, ideally!
Understand Currents
The ocean is unpredictable and full of uncontrollable factors. There are riptides, waves and currents that may take you far away from where you originally planned on swimming. Make sure that you have a static anchor to your boat/shore so you aren’t being swept away unwillingly. If you do become prey to these situations, don’t panic, don’t swim against a riptide and always remember to swim parallel to the shore to get out of it.
No Drugs Rule
Relaxing and partying on open water may sound exciting, but alcohol and drugs can cloud your perception of danger, compelling you to take unnecessary risks. No drinking or drugs on the water. That’s the rule.
Have a Plan for Emergencies
Lastly, when you’re going swimming, make sure somebody on the boat or an entity on the shore knows where you’re headed. Always plan ahead and make sure you’ve got the skills and equipment to face any situation. In case of a natural disaster, don’t panic and try to get to the nearest land (shore or boat).