Safety, Fire & Survival · Survival — Abandonment Priorities
If abandonment is unavoidable, why is boarding a survival craft 'dry' (stepping in without entering the water) strongly preferred?
- AEntering the water causes cold shock and rapid heat loss, so staying dry greatly improves survival time✓ Correct
- BWet clothing is merely uncomfortable, not dangerous
- CDry boarding is only a matter of keeping equipment dry
- DIt makes no difference to survival
Explanation
Immersion brings cold shock, swim failure, and rapid hypothermia. Boarding the lifeboat or liferaft directly without entering the water conserves body heat and energy and avoids the dangers of immersion — a key reason to abandon in an orderly way before the situation becomes desperate.
Authority: STCW A-VI/1; SOLAS III; survival at sea
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