Perhaps the most difficult survival situation to be in is sea survival. Short- or long-term survival depends upon rations and equipment available and your ingenuity. You must be resourceful to survive. Water covers about 75 percent of the earth's surface, with about 70 percent being oceans and seas. You can assume that you will sometime cross vast expanses of water. There is always the chance that the plane or ship you are on will become crippled by such hazards as storms, collision, fire or war.
THE OPEN SEA
As a survivor on the open sea, you will face waves and wind. You may also face extreme heat or cold. To keep these environmental hazards from becoming serious problems, take precautionary measures as soon as possible. Use the available resources to protect yourself from the elements and from heat or extreme cold and humidity. Protecting yourself from the elements meets only one of your basic needs. You must also be able to obtain water and food. Satisfying these three basic needs will help prevent serious physical and psychological problems. However, you must know how to treat health problems that may result from your situation.
Precautionary Measures
Your survival at sea depends upon —
• Your knowledge of and ability to use the available survival equipment.
• Your special skills and ability to apply them to cope with the hazards you face.
• Your will to live.
When you board a ship or aircraft, find out what survival equipment is on board, where it is stowed and what it contains. For instance, how many life preservers and lifeboats or rafts are on board? Where are they located? What type of survival equipment do they have? How much food, water and medicine do they contain? How many people are they designed to support? If you are responsible for other personnel on board, make sure you know where they are and they know where you are.
译文:
惊心动魄之海上求生
海上可能是最不易求生的环境。您的配给、装备和随机应变的能力决定了生存时间的长短，您必须善用各种资源，才能在海面上求生。地球表面约有 75 % 都是水，而其中有 70 % 是海洋，您有时候必须横越一望无际的水域，而搭乘飞机或船只可能会遭遇暴风雨、发生碰撞、起火或战争等灾难，而受困在海面上。
汪洋大海
在汪洋大海中求生您会面临海浪和强风，也可能会面临严寒或酷热。您必须尽早采取预防措施，以避免这些危害造成严重的后果。利用手边的资源保护自己免于恶劣天候和严寒、酷热以及湿气的威胁。但是抵御恶劣的气候只解决了一个基本的需求，您还需要取得饮水和食物。只要满足这三项基本需求，即可避免严重的生理或心理问题，但您还需要知道如何处理可能发生的健康问题。
预防措施
下列条件决定了您是否能在海面上求生：
• 您对于使用求生设备的知识和能力。
• 运用求生装备克服您所面临的危险的特殊技巧和能力。
• 求生的意志。
在您上船或登机后，立即找出船上有哪些救生设备和所在的位置，例如，船上或机上有多少救生衣和救生艇或救生筏？它们位于何处？其中有什么求生的装备？又有多少食物、饮水和药品？它们可以救援多少人？如果您负责照顾船上或机上的其它人，请确认彼此都了解对方所在的位置。