Our
second course of the week was Personal Survival Techniques - basically
it is sea survival techniques if you have to abandon ship. This was a
fun course involving a few hours of practical in the afternoon.
Thinking about having to use this in real life was not fun, so let's
hope we avoid that. It was really useful also because of the yacth
sailing Emily and I will do.
For the morning we covered what to do prior to abandoning
a ship; entering the water from a height, life jackets, immersion
suits, liferafts and signalling. At one point, the instructor got four people up
to the front and made them put on full immersion suits in less than two
minutes (this is the maximum time that it should take you to get
fully on). This was very amusing, and they looked like some kind of
alien, especially as the gloves on the suit have three finger pockets
only, so more like alien mittens.
Most of the afternoon involved the practical element of the course. We were transported by minibus to a dive training pool nearby. Once we were all changed and ready to swim, we split into two groups with about twelve in each. We then had to put a twelve man liferaft into the water and inflate it by pulling the painter (the rope leading to it that you tie onto the ship's rail). Upon pulling this all the way out the gas cylinder fired into action, inflating the liferaft in about one minute. The noise of it inflating was pretty deafening, and I could imagine the commotion there would be with a real life situation with lots of them being inflated at once and people trying to communicate.
Once inflated, our task was to enter the water from a height of 3 metres whilst wearing lifejackets. With one hand we had to pinch our nose with our fingers whilst cupping one hand over our mouth - this prevents you inhaling water when you gasp due to the cold shock of entering the water. With the other hand we had to hold the top of our lifejacket down and stop it smacking us in the face while entering the water. We then had to step off the 3m board, but instead of looking down keeping our eyes looking dead ahead. I've gone off much higher boards than this before, but having to look dead ahead while falling made it feel very strange!
Upon landing in the water we were to join together in a circle so as not to lose anybody. We then practised the HELP position (heat escape lessening position), ways of staying warm clamped to somebody else, swimming in a long train, and a demonstration of how your lifejacket will pull your face out of the water if you are unconscious.
Then came the time to all heave ourselves into the liferaft. The first time we had to do this unaided, the second time others already inside were allowed to help you. It's not that easy to climb in, and this was in a 30 degrees centrigrade pool wearing only swimming trunks and a lifejacket. In seas of fifteen degrees or less, wearing full clothing, you would find it very difficult. Ideally though, you would not have to enter the water to get into the liferaft, but we had to cover it as part of what can happen.
There are various things to do once everybody is in the liferaft, the most important of which is to do a head count. Posting a lookout, putting up the radar reflector, putting out the drogue, closing the hatches and everyone taking anti sea sickness pills were the next tasks.
After learning this, we all had to prove we could right a capsized liferaft, which involved putting two feet on the edge of it and pulling yourself up onto it until the weight countered it into going over the other way. The only bad thing is that it falls on top of you so then you have to swim out from under it - I think it would be a case of drawing short straws for that job...
After learning all these techniques we prepared for the final test, which would combine most of the techniques in one drill. The instructors covered the windows and we were sent out of the pool area. When we came back in it was dark and there was water raining down on us from the ceiling, as well as a cold hose being sprayed from the side onto us! We had to climb the ladder and do the 3m entry into the water, group up and swim together to the liferaft, get into it and follow all the procedures as mentioned before. When we were near/in the liferaft we seemed to be getting a particularly large amount of hose water spraying onto us which was pretty cold (although easy compared to real life conditions of course). There was a lot of noise and activity and it showed how in the situation it is confusing and you have to be clear and communicate, whilst paying attention. To end it we had to simulate a plane/helicopter being spotted and set off the correct flare to show our position (floating smoke flare).
It was enjoyable and informative and is useful information to me for yachting also. Once we got back to the campus we finished up in the classroom by discussing EPIRBs (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons), hypothermia and frostbite etc, and discussing escape devices used on passenger ships. These are a bit like huge floating bouncy castles and each can carry hundreds of people! You get down to them via an inflatable slide. There is a photo below of a small one.
Most of the afternoon involved the practical element of the course. We were transported by minibus to a dive training pool nearby. Once we were all changed and ready to swim, we split into two groups with about twelve in each. We then had to put a twelve man liferaft into the water and inflate it by pulling the painter (the rope leading to it that you tie onto the ship's rail). Upon pulling this all the way out the gas cylinder fired into action, inflating the liferaft in about one minute. The noise of it inflating was pretty deafening, and I could imagine the commotion there would be with a real life situation with lots of them being inflated at once and people trying to communicate.
Once inflated, our task was to enter the water from a height of 3 metres whilst wearing lifejackets. With one hand we had to pinch our nose with our fingers whilst cupping one hand over our mouth - this prevents you inhaling water when you gasp due to the cold shock of entering the water. With the other hand we had to hold the top of our lifejacket down and stop it smacking us in the face while entering the water. We then had to step off the 3m board, but instead of looking down keeping our eyes looking dead ahead. I've gone off much higher boards than this before, but having to look dead ahead while falling made it feel very strange!
Upon landing in the water we were to join together in a circle so as not to lose anybody. We then practised the HELP position (heat escape lessening position), ways of staying warm clamped to somebody else, swimming in a long train, and a demonstration of how your lifejacket will pull your face out of the water if you are unconscious.
Then came the time to all heave ourselves into the liferaft. The first time we had to do this unaided, the second time others already inside were allowed to help you. It's not that easy to climb in, and this was in a 30 degrees centrigrade pool wearing only swimming trunks and a lifejacket. In seas of fifteen degrees or less, wearing full clothing, you would find it very difficult. Ideally though, you would not have to enter the water to get into the liferaft, but we had to cover it as part of what can happen.
There are various things to do once everybody is in the liferaft, the most important of which is to do a head count. Posting a lookout, putting up the radar reflector, putting out the drogue, closing the hatches and everyone taking anti sea sickness pills were the next tasks.
After learning this, we all had to prove we could right a capsized liferaft, which involved putting two feet on the edge of it and pulling yourself up onto it until the weight countered it into going over the other way. The only bad thing is that it falls on top of you so then you have to swim out from under it - I think it would be a case of drawing short straws for that job...
After learning all these techniques we prepared for the final test, which would combine most of the techniques in one drill. The instructors covered the windows and we were sent out of the pool area. When we came back in it was dark and there was water raining down on us from the ceiling, as well as a cold hose being sprayed from the side onto us! We had to climb the ladder and do the 3m entry into the water, group up and swim together to the liferaft, get into it and follow all the procedures as mentioned before. When we were near/in the liferaft we seemed to be getting a particularly large amount of hose water spraying onto us which was pretty cold (although easy compared to real life conditions of course). There was a lot of noise and activity and it showed how in the situation it is confusing and you have to be clear and communicate, whilst paying attention. To end it we had to simulate a plane/helicopter being spotted and set off the correct flare to show our position (floating smoke flare).
It was enjoyable and informative and is useful information to me for yachting also. Once we got back to the campus we finished up in the classroom by discussing EPIRBs (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons), hypothermia and frostbite etc, and discussing escape devices used on passenger ships. These are a bit like huge floating bouncy castles and each can carry hundreds of people! You get down to them via an inflatable slide. There is a photo below of a small one.
I hope you never ever have to put this into real practice Tom, pretty hairy stuff but good that you are taught it in this way!
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