How to cope if you fall off a ship

IF you are unfortunate enough to end up in the ocean, it is better to be in warm waters – as Kay Longstaff was – because survival time is linked to the water’s temperature.

Sea survival expert Mike Tipton, a professor of human and applied physiology from Portsmouth University’s extreme environments laboratory, said: ‘The general timings are about one hour in 5C (41F), two in 10C (50F), six in 15C (59F), but as soon as you get up into the high 20sC, which the Adriatic was at, then you are looking at maybe 25 hours.’

Being a woman also helps your chances of survival. ‘They have a higher level of subcutaneous body fat and are able to float, so that helps as well because then you don’t suffer from the physical exhaustion of having to swim for ten hours,’ he said.

But there is still a physical struggle to stay afloat and, to increase the chances of survival, the water also needs to be fairly calm. On top of that there is the psychological challenge of not knowing if they will be rescued.

Professor Tipton also said it is better to keep your clothes on rather than try to turn them into a life-jacket, as people of a certain generation may remember from school swimming lessons.

He said: ‘It’s probably best to keep your clothing on and that will retain some air and help you float. Clothing does tend to impede you if you try to swim but it’s quite beneficial if you stay still.’