2 American Navy Seals are declared deceased today after one fell into the Gulf of Aden and the second one jumped in in an attempt to rescue.
I live in a landlocked country. Never really experienced oceans or the water.
The 2 seals fell during the night time. Pitch black. But couldn’t they just yell and the other members could immediately shine a flashlight on them? I know I am missing something here.
Why are chances of surviving very slim when you fall into the ocean? I would assume you can still swim. Is the main cause of death that you will be drifted away by the ocean waves and cannot be located?
Would chances of survival significantly increase if you fell into the ocean during daytime? Surely even with the naked eye you can still see the victim before they are carried off by ocean waves?
Thank you.
In: Planetary Science
There are many factors at play here.
But the biggest ones are likely the time of day and what the weather conditions are like.
Falling in during night time makes things a lot more dangerous since it is really difficult to see someone when it’s pitch black.
Also, combine this with rough seas and strong winds, then a person can get swept away or pulled under in a few seconds. If it’s windy and rough weather it can also be very hard to hear someone even if they are yelling.
Now, since these were SEALs, some of the most well trained soldiers there are, who fell in it’s likely that the weather was very rough, since otherwise they likely would have had no issues because of their training.
Another factor is the amount of weight they were carrying. Clothes and equipment severely limit your ability to swim.
The place where they fell in is also important. My understanding is that the fell in right next to the ship they were boarding. Being in the water right next to big ships is EXTREMELY dangerous as the ship will be floating around and might crush you if you end up under it.
If the ship is moving this becomes even more dangerous.
So these are all important factors.
If you fall in during daytime in calm water without big ships nearby, then your chances of survival are drastically improved.
Falling into water isn’t inherently dangerous, but the factors surrounding the fall can make it so.
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