How to Survive If Your Boat Capsizes

My family and I have been to Caladesi Island State Park in Florida twice in the last two years. This has become a favorite spot for us to unwind after a busy week of having fun at our favorite Florida amusement parks.

Located on Florida's gorgeous Gulf Coast, there is really only one way to get to Caladesi Island, and that is by boat. While most people who vacation in Florida travel to get there via plane or vehicle, many don't sail their own boat to this desolate island paradise, except for the locals.

There is a Charter boat available on nearby Honeymoon Island and for under $10 per person you can climb aboard and experience a scenic trip across the Gulf of Mexico to this quiet little getaway island and enjoy a ride that is full of great scenery and and natural Florida wildlife. You will also hear a brief but informative history of the island told first hand by the Captain of the boat.

Last April, my husband, children and my parents and I, all decided to make our annual trip to Caladesi Island. When we arrived at the Honeymoon Island boat dock area, right away there were several people lined up to take the boat ride over. Some members in my party suggested that we wait and do something else, I stood firmly on the fact that we were going to go no matter how long the wait, and that everyone needed some rest and relaxation.

After a two hour wait at the boarding dock, out in the 90 degree sun, it was finally our turn to get on the boat. We packed on the little pontoon style boat like sardines, but despite all of the annoying screaming children around us and the sun burned people who couldn't stop complaining, it was a decent ride over.

When we arrived on the island, it was beautiful but very busy, there were over 100 people on the beach, and this is typically unusual for this semi private beach. In the back of my mind the thought did cross that how was all of these people going to get back on the boat. Hopefully no one decided to leave at one time. Although there was a ticket stub with your estimated return time on it, when we boarded back on the boat to go to Honeymoon, there were obviously other people on the boat that were not there when we came over. Seemingly, the Captain didn't check or pay much attention to boat capacity.

We piled on. Everyone was hot, tired and scorched from the hot Florida sun, we tried to ignore the sand underneath our feet in our flip flops and enjoy a glimpse of the Florida Sunset before we arrived on shore. There were dolphins following along beside us and the views were spectacular!

The Captain did his usual spiel of safety as we were approaching Honeymoon's shore; "Be sure to wait until the boat comes to a complete stop and file off single handedly, keep your hands and feet inside the boat until we are docked."

Within in a matter of seconds, we went from going 35 miles per hour to the Captain putting the engine in neutral to kill the speed, well obviously the combination of his inexperience and the heavy weight load of the boat in the front was not going to produce a good result! Anyone who has ever been around boats and the water will tell you this!

The front end of the boat suddenly began to go under, and quicker than I could speak, water started coming up onto the boat and totally immersed my feet. (Mind you, I was sitting in the middle of the boat, the passengers in the front were thigh deep in ocean water already!) My first instinct was to tell my children not to panic, everyone ran to the back of the boat and somehow this caused the boat to rebalance itself out. This could have been a tragic event that happened on such a beautiful day.

Not only could that boat have went down and sank in a matter of just a few short minutes, we were not close enough to shore to be able to swim back that easily. Also it crossed my mind that there were sharks in this water also. My father can not swim so I knew he would be a goner and my kids although they could swim, I wasn't sure how they could stay afloat in deep cold ocean water. Many thoughts ran through my mind in a matter of nano seconds. It is true what they say about your life flashing in front of you in a matter of seconds, it did for me and unknowingly fear takes over and your body goes into fight or flight mode.

Here are a few tips that I have learned as to what to do if the boat you are on begins to capsize or sink.

Don't Panic! Your first reaction will most likely be to panic and freak out. Most people will run to the higher section of the boat and not try to jump off. While if you feel the boat may be able to be saved or it is a slow leak, defiantly move to the higher unsubmersed section of the boat. If the boat is getting ready to go under, if you think you have time, be sure to grab as many life preservers as you can, while they will save your life, what most don't understand while they are in panic mode is when the boat goes down and it can down fast, it will be taking the life preservers with it, you will not be able to retrieve them at that point.

If you feel the boat is getting ready to go under, don't stay anywhere near it, jump off in another direction, If your foot happened to get stuck or you are too close, it will pull you down with it, the suction of the water towards the ends will be to forceful for you to pull away.

The most important thing to note is too never grab a hold of anyone around you, including your children, hopefully they know how to swim if not, tell them to relax and to start moving their arms and legs to stay above water. NEVER GRAB A HOLD OF ANOTHER PERSON IN THE WATER! This will cause this person to drown you very quickly. Especially if they are in a dazed panic mode, you can go down in a matter of seconds! You will not be able to help anyone if you drown.

After the boat submerses, chances are there will be no corners of the boat to hang on to, if you are lucky and in only 20 feet of water, the tip of the boat may still be sticking out, this will be great to rest on to take a break, but discourage many from leaning on it, it could still sink or worse yet, as I said above it could form a pocket and suck you and others down with it.

Try to avoid scrambling for your purse or other personal belongings. At this point this is a life or death situation, nothing matters but saving your own breath. Try hard not to overwork yourself unless you feel the shore line is within a close distance. Conserving your air intake is essential in survival.

Even though you may feel that the shoreline is close, remember when you are at sea, objects seem closer than what they really are, if it only looks like shore is 500 yards away it could still be miles, are you physically capable of swimming that far?

Keeping the passengers somewhat together is essential in a boating accident, this will assure everyone is in one place when help arrives. Keep them all talking if you can, this will prevent any hypothermia from setting in. Also, it will keep their minds off of the accident, try singing a song or have them say their names and where they are from.

The last thing the Captain should have done was call for help, the marine patrol should respond immediately, especially if it is an emergency.

Talk and try to calm others down. Don't over extend your breath or energy, but while you are all waiting, try to talk to the other passengers and keep them calmed down and tell them to relax as much as possible, slipping into panic mode will increase their risk of drowning, by increasing vital organ functioning and leading to exhaustion sooner.

I hope that a situation like this never happens to anyone, but it is nice to be prepared in case of emergency. This is something to keep in the back of your head at all times whether sailing the Gulf of Mexico or little Elk Lake, you will save lives if you just follow some simple safety steps.