How Long Could A Person Potentially Survive Lost At Sea?

For many, being lost at sea only lasts a few seconds. A person who unexpectedly falls into the water without any sort of flotation device, swimming abilities, or awareness of water safety techniques is automatically at a greater risk of drowning, but even skilled swimmers can drown if they give in to fear. A panicked

For many, being lost at sea only lasts a few seconds. A person who unexpectedly falls into the water without any sort of flotation device, swimming abilities, or awareness of water safety techniques is automatically at a greater risk of drowning, but even skilled swimmers can drown if they give in to fear. A panicked person behaves irrationally and impulsively — and, unfortunately, there's no margin for error in the ocean.

According to WebMD, a panicking person may thrash wildly, yell, and desperately gulp air or shut down entirely, tilting their head back and bobbing silently up and down until they eventually submerge in what lifeguards call the "instinctive drowning response." As Mayo Clinic notes, panic also causes shortness of breath, which makes breathing seem harder in general. What's worse, intense fear can even cause a person to faint. In all cases, panicking in the water quickly becomes a deadly positive feedback loop.

As a person sinks deeper, they become unable to reliably inhale air, which leads to greater panic. Since the average person can only hold their breath for about one minute, they inevitably start inhaling water instead. Drowning then occurs in seconds to minutes as water fills the lungs. In the absence of a rescuer who can immediately administer CPR, it's fatal. "Once the panic sets in, everything changes," Ocean City Beach Patrol member Lt. Ronald Kirk told WHYY. "If you panic, it could be doomsday. You don't think straight anymore."

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7qL7Up56eZpOkunB9km1wb21kZLWww4ylpqefXZi8trjDZrCorV2owrPCyK%2BcZqSfqMFurdNmqp6ZXw%3D%3D

 Share!