Early last Spring, the news headlines were dominated by the loss of a boat at sea holding 2 NFL players and their 2 friends.  After 40 hours in the water only one man, former College football player William Bleakley, was found.  His tale of what happened is both sad and harrowing.  The event that began the disaster was a wave that capsized the boat, leaving all four men in the water.  That one of them survived was in and of itself a miracle.  But what is it that this one man did that helped him survive where others perished?  It was his adherence to a few simple rules that helped him survive.  These steps and tips in and of themselves will not guarantee your survival in the event of a boat capsizing but it will greatly increase your chances.

The first step in boat safety is education.  Before any prolonged boating trip for both large inland trips and those out to sea it is greatly recommended (if not dictated by the State) that the boat captain has completed a boat safety course.  Moreso than this article, a boat safety course can help prevent the possibility of tragedy and can help prepare and individual in the event that a tragedy does happen.

While running a boat out to sea, common sense and proper boat usage can be helpful tools in the prevention of accidents.  Driving a boat with a clear and vigilant approach can help make for a steady and safe ride.  If at all possible, designating a look out can help foresee any conditions that could eventually lead to a disaster.

Once you are faced with the events immediately following a boat capsizing the preeminent rule is to always stay with the boat.  The moment a person attempts to leave the boat for a swim to safety, the chances that person will be successfully rescued drops drastically.  If it is a small enough boat and the situations are suitable, righting the boat to its correct position is ideal.  This is however quite a difficult and often impossible task.  Staying with the boat provides you with a number of helpful resources that can make the difference between life or death.  Firstly, boats are far easily more visible by rescue aircraft and parties than are individuals floating in the water.   Second, a boat provides you with additional floatation opportunities.  If you are a conscientious boater than you will be wearing your floatation device at the time of incident.  But if you are not, the boat will still provide you with a way to stay afloat without exerting all of your energy.  Additionally, body heat is lost very rapidly when a person is immersed in water.  Being with the boat will provide you with an opportunity to climb up and remove all or parts of your person from the water thereby keeping your body temperature at a sustainable level.  Keeping your clothing on and covering your head if possible are also steps that  can help your body temperature stay high.

More often than not, capsizing happen quickly and without warning.  In these situations most of the materials inside of the boat are lost.  However, once the situation has leveled out it might be a good idea to take stock of any floating items in or around the boat that are close and immediately available.  If it is possible to retain any flares or signaling mirrors these can help greatly in the event that you become aware of nearby rescue parties.

Lastly and perhaps most importantly is the simple and logical step of keeping your head together.  Making sure you do not panic is an important step.  Having a clear head allows you to take stock of the situation and make all the correct moves in your survival skill set.  Additionally, not panicking can preserve precious energy and will allow you to survive for a longer time than would be possible if you were exerting energy in a state of panic.