If you have to abandon ship, and enter a...

🔍 Key Concepts

• Search and Rescue (SAR) priorities – how rescuers plan searches and where they start looking • Behavior of EPIRBs (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons) and other distress signals near a sinking vessel • Survival craft best practices from SOLAS / USCG guidance, especially about staying together and being findable

💭 Think About

• Ask yourself: where are rescuers most likely to begin searching after a MAYDAY is sent from a sinking vessel? • Consider which option makes you the easiest and fastest to locate by SAR units, given currents, wind, and visibility. • Think about the risks of moving away from the sinking position versus the benefits. In which case are you more likely to drift into an area where nobody is expecting you?

✅ Before You Answer

• Verify which choice keeps you closest to your last known position that was or could be reported in a distress call. • Check which option aligns with standard advice: maximize visibility and predictability of your position, not necessarily getting to land on your own. • Confirm which answer avoids unnecessary maneuvering or long transits in a liferaft, where exposure, capsizing, or losing contact with other survivors is more likely.

If you have to abandon ship, and enter a liferaft, what should be your main course of action?

Head for the closest land

Head for the closest sea lanes

Get a majority opinion

Remain in the vicinity of the sinking vessel

🔍 Key Concepts

💭 Think About

✅ Before You Answer