Dry Bag
Your dive boat breaks down on a trip to the island of Cozumel, Mexico. You are out at sea and cannot see any land. The boat is dead in the water, there’s a short in the boat’s communication system, and cell phones aren’t getting any coverage. In short, nothing is working. You start to drift and the seas begin to get rougher. The wind picks up. The sky turns dark, the waves get bigger, and the dive boat is still dead in the water. Large swells begin hitting the craft and the boat begins to take on water. The stern begins to tip and you don’t know how much longer you are going to be able to stay on the boat before it sinks. You know you have your buoyancy compensator device to keep you afloat and you have a wet suit. You know the other divers have this gear as well. You all have compasses on your dive gauges, so you could swim if you had to. It looks like the crew has been bailing out the water at the back of the boat and the boat is stable, but you are still dead in the water. What do you do next?
This is not a situation any of us want to be in. This actually happened and the boat ended up sinking and thousands of dollars worth of dive gear was lost to the sea, but luckily everyone made it back to shore. The boat was close enough to shore that the crew and divers could swim in.
Think about being out on your own boat, either in the lake or ocean. What gear and supplies should you have in your maritime survival kit? It is now time to think amphibious and use your survival skills and knowledge of the sea to put together your maritime survival kit.
This kit has everything you need for a maritime environment with all the components of survival covered—water, food, fire, shelter, and security. Equally important are the backup items that build redundancy into the kit. When it comes to preparing for the worst, one is none and two is a good place to start. The maritime kit starts with a strong, durable waterproof bag and individually waterproofed pieces of gear that include fire starters, cooking kit, food, water, signaling devices, repair kits, food gathering devices, and more.
This is gear that has been tested by the experts and put through the ringer for performance and reliability.
When choosing a pack for an aquatic environment, the SealLine Pro Pack is the most durable and waterproof option. This pack is used by the military when they operate in and around the water. This pack will keep your gear dry, secure, and easy to access.
Dry Bag
Field Repair Kit
Make sure you take extra steps to waterproof your gear. Place the smaller items in this kit in plastic food storage bags. Place the gear in the bags, remove the air from the bags, and then place the bags into a trash bag. Gooseneck the trash bag with a rubber band. After you remove the air from the trash bag, place it in a waterproof compression sack and cinch it down tight. Place the compression sack in your pack. The SealLine Pro Pack will be able to hold all of the recommended items for the maritime survival kit.
A reliable knife, multitool, duct tape, and Breath of Life Emergency Escape Mask should be part of your maritime survival kit. Another item that you should have in this kit is something to repair your kit, such as the Gear Aid Explorer Field Repair Kit. This is a small kit that allows you to fix or modify items in the maritime kit while you’re out in the field.
As you would probably expect, stormproof matches and WetFire Tinder Cubes are essential parts of the maritime kit. These will help you get a fire started and keep it burning. Another option for getting a fire started is the Aurora Fire Starter, which has been approved by the Navy Diver Challenge in addition to being recommended by the authors. This fire starter has been put to the test in every climate and place, but especially in and around an aquatic environment. This starter creates sparks to light your kindling and get a fire going in addition to having hardened steel on the back of the device that will allow you to sharpen your knife.
Cooking Gear
Aurora Fire Starter
For food gathering you will want to have two standard fishing kits. Fishing kits consist of fishing line, bobbers, lead weights, and hooks. For each kit, you should have two rolls of fishing line, at least three bobbers, at least five lead weights, and ten hooks in varying sizes. Remember, redundancy is a must, especially when it comes to making sure you have enough to eat.
Emmrod Pack-Rod Pole and Survival Fishing Kit
Include an Emmrod Pack-Rod casting fishing pole, which is a small, compact fishing pole that breaks down and easily fits in your pack.
Consider that you might need to cook while on your boat, craft, and/or land when you run into it. A stove kit that includes a fuel source, pots, and pans in addition to the stove is a good option. If you are concerned about weight, select a kit with a limited amount of pots and pans.
The Titan Fork and Spoon are made of titanium so they are ultra light and super strong. They will not break on you and can be used repeatedly.
Compass, Radio, Mirror, and Whistle
Include a good compass in your maritime survival kit, but also include at least one other backup, such as a wrist compass, Silva Ranger compass, or global compass.
A signal mirror, survival whistle, hand-crank radio, and headlamp are all items you’ll want to pack in your maritime survival kit. When packing, store the headlamp and the radio each in its own waterproof container. As discussed earlier, a waterproof container is simply a ziplock bag or two with your kit inside. Make sure the air is out and the bag is sealed. For electronic gear, we like to use multiple ziplock bags to make sure it remains dry. When you need your electronic items, headlamp, or radio take them out of your bag, remove them from their individual waterproof containers, use them, then re-waterproof them again and stow them away in your waterproof bag. Don’t leave them out in the open where they can get wet or fall overboard. Use the gear you need and when done, stow it away and keep it secure.
Remember, a flash from your signal mirror can be seen for miles and miles on the water, so pack one or two in your kit.
Have an emergency beacon in your kit as well. This beacon has been discussed earlier in the book. We recommend sacrificing a few luxuries or meals eaten at a restaurant to save up and get one of these. This is a mission-essential piece of gear if you know you are going to be out at sea.
Have multiple options for securing safe drinking water. Bags, bladders, tarps, poncho, raincoat, water bottles, pots, and pans can all be used to capture rainwater, which can be consumed without any filter. If you do collect water you want to be able to store it. A bladder, water bottles, plastic bags, and food storage bags can be used to capture and store water. If all of your gear is individually waterproofed in your large dry bag, you could potentially remove it and use your dry bag as a large water-capturing device. This could be an option on a beach, land, or while at sea if you get a lot of rain. If you hit land or an island, you should also have a water filter that can filter out pathogens. You can’t filter out salt in water, so don’t try to use your filter while out at sea.
Another option is to include a handheld desalination unit. These units are very costly, but it could mean the difference between life and death if saltwater is your only option for water and is definitely a consideration when you are putting together your maritime survival kit.
MSR SweetWater Filter and Water Bottle
Sleeping Bag, Pad, and Poncho
Be aware of the type of temperature and environment you might encounter and pack the necessary shelter, including:
Bathing wipes can help with personal hygiene and make you feel as if you took a shower when you are not near one. They can also take off the salt and grime from being out at sea.
You will encounter flies and other bugs while out at sea. If you are trying to get a good night of sleep a bug head net will be handy, even out in the open ocean. Also include insect repellant such as Ben’s 100 Max Spray Pump, which has the maximum amount of DEET in the formula.
Make sure you have an ample supply of food and water that can last for days. Put what you can fit in your pack, especially water. Load as much water as possible. As a minimum, include five packs of freeze-dried food, five emergency 1,200-calorie food bars, and ten emergency drinking water packs.
Include bear spray in your kit in case you have to ward off marauders and/or incapacitate an unruly member of your party. Hit the target hard with the spray and get it under control. If you need to repel someone trying to board your ship, blast him with as much spray as possible. A monkey fist can be used as a weapon in close quarters, or you can also use it for what it is truly designed for: a weight at the end of a line that you throw. In a maritime environment, you can attach your monkey fist to the end of 550 paracord to throw it to another craft or a pier to link up with a friendly party or help anchor you to a fixed structure or land.
Use your flare gun to signal for help or you could use it as a weapon in case someone is trying to get on your craft.
Add the Marine 200 Medical Kit, which includes an emergency medical guide, as well as the SAS Survival Handbook and the Sea Survival Handbook to your maritime survival kit. The Marine 200 Medical Kit will help with first aid, while the SAS Survival Handbook is a great survival resource for any situation. The Sea Survival Handbook is another valuable tool to have in your kit because it specifically addresses being stranded at sea.
If you don’t know how to swim, take a swim course from the American Red Cross or SwimAmerica. These courses are offered all around the United States. Don’t be ashamed if you don’t know how to swim as an adult—swallow your pride and take a class or learn from a swim coach. Learn from a certified coach so you can learn the proper techniques from the start. In any of these courses you will learn basic survival techniques including how to: relax, slow your breathing, preserve your energy, float, and even rescue yourself. If you make the claim of being a survivalist or someone who is prepared, you need to be confident in an aquatic environment. Learning how to swim and knowing some basic water survival skills could save your life.
Prepare for the worst at sea. If you know you are going to be on a ship, seagoing vessel, or even on what you think is a routine boat dive trip, bring your maritime survival kit with you. If you pack what is recommended in this kit, you should be able to sustain yourself almost indefinitely if you get lost at sea. If you end up hitting land, you will be ready to set up camp and continue to survive until help arrives.