What To Look For
Any boating adventure, whether a trip to the Arctic or an outing to the town dock for an Eskimo Pie, offers the potential for injury to occur far away from the first-aid and medical resources available on land. For this reason, a well-stocked first-aid kit is an essential marine accessory. What should be in it? No list can be complete, but consider these additions to the basic store-bought first-aid kit.
SHEARS
Watersports injuries are common, and it can be difficult to remove a wakeboard or water ski from a hurt rider. Thick, rubber and composite bindings are best cut away with a pair of heavy-duty shears, such as the Leatherman Raptors shown. A knife might work but risks further injury more than shears do.
GLUE
I’ve closed wounds from knife cuts and shark bites (just a nip, luckily) using cyanoacrylate glue. Use it when you’re located hours away from the hospital. Pinch the wound together and apply. Other techniques are preferable when closer to shore.
ANTIHISTAMINE
Taking an antihistamine such as diphenhydramine (Benadryl) or a nonsedating one such as loratadine (Claritin) will help with itching and swelling due to bites and stings from insects, fish and jellyfish. Acetaminophen or ibuprofen reduces pain. Urinating on a jellyfish sting is a waste of time and might cause more pain.
CUTTING PLIERS
An embedded fishing hook can be removed by pushing the barb through the skin, cutting off the barb, then backing out the hook. Larger, deeply embedded hooks, or hooks embedded in the eye, eyelid or tangled in ligaments, should not be removed this way.
CLOTH DIAPERS
Packaged gauze pads are antiseptic but small. Diapers, kept packaged, are soft, absorbent and cleaner than your T-shirt. Use them to apply direct pressure to a wound and to make a dressing. Wash the area and apply antiseptic first.
DUCT TAPE
Yeah, I know. But use it to make a dressing with the diapers or your T-shirt, stabilize a bone break with a splint or your boat hook, or also make an arm sling. Small bandages made with duct tape will adhere better to wet skin and stay on in a wet environment. Put it on, wait 30 minutes, and use it to pull out splinters and fish spines too.
LUMBER
Sure, you can use a boat hook, paddle or driftwood to make a splint. But consider purchasing some light boards or plastic trim from the lumberyard or home center. Pre-cut a couple of 2-footers, 1-footers and 6-inchers. They’ll stow flat inside a locker, cabin or console.
SPECIAL NEEDS
It’s up to you to be prepared for the special needs of your crew. It would be terrible to not have an EpiPen aboard, for instance, if an allergic crewmember should get stung. A catheter and insulin are other examples. You might not have to purchase these as much as insist that those who might need them show up equipped before you head out.