eli5 why are the chances of dying high when you fall into the ocean?

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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

15 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

Haven’t read the news so not sure about specifics. However, depending on height fallen from hitting the water can be as hard as hitting land. Water can be cold – hypothermia. Sharks attacking? Would have thought seals would be pretty good at swimming but if injured in the fall then not likely to survive if not found quickly. If at night, did they have any flotation devices handy, torches or flares?

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