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NextTrillion t1_iy92xcj wrote

Reply to comment by DisplacedPersons12 in Photo shows 3 stowaways who were rescued from oil tanker's rudder after likely 11-day ordeal by grungegoth

It would suck for a brief few moments of despair.

You may try to stay afloat for as long as you can, and yeah, you’ll probably be panicking and get gassed really quick, depending on the turbulence of the water. But from my brief moments a day or a week out in the Hecate Strait, or the Drake Passage, the water can be relentless during the best of weather.

So I’d wager, you’d stay alive for another 10 minutes, if conditions allow. After that, pure bliss as you drift off to the other side and become fish food.

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Mundane-Ad-3142 t1_iy9t7n6 wrote

Not sure why you're being downvoted. I can't find anything inaccurate in your post.

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NextTrillion t1_iy9xtxx wrote

Probably coz I made the boneheaded move of spelling Strait like Straight. D’oh!

Also, it’s pretty much a fact that in a lot of waters, the temperature is cold enough to shut down your muscles after 10 minutes. You’d be lucky (or unlucky) to stay alive longer than 11 minutes total.

Even if in the highly unlikely event someone noticed you in the water, after the propulsion of the vessel tossed you around like a rag doll, it would still take ages to slow the ship down and send out a rib. So your chance of survival without a PFD is incredibly limited. It’s a super deadly environment that these guys were in.

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