Immediate Action for Person Overboard (MOB)
Falling overboard into 46°F water is an immediate, life-threatening emergency. Because cold water causes rapid-onset gasp reflexes, cold shock, and muscle incapacitation, a person in the water can lose the ability to swim or hold onto a rescue line within 10 minutes.
If someone falls overboard, the captain and crew must act with extreme speed and precision.
The 7-Step Recovery Protocol
1. Alert the Vessel
Shout “MAN OVERBOARD!” immediately to alert the captain and all passengers.
2. Don Safety Gear
If they are not already wearing them, all crew members remaining on board must immediately put on their life jackets to protect themselves during the rescue maneuvers.
3. Maintain Continuous Visual Contact
Assign a dedicated lookout whose only job is to point at the victim in the water and keep their eyes on them continuously. In rough chop, rain, or low light, a head in the water is incredibly easy to lose sight of.
- Action: Never take your eyes off the victim, even for a second.
4. Deploy Immediate Flotation
Throw a life jacket, Type IV throwable ring, or seat cushion toward the victim immediately.
- The Visual Marker: Even if the victim cannot reach the floating object, having additional bright objects in the water makes the victim’s location much easier for the captain and search helicopter pilots to spot.
5. Execute a Careful Tactical Approach
The captain must maneuver the vessel to approach the victim safely:
- Approach Downwind/Downcurrent: Approach the victim from downwind or downstream. This allows you to maintain steering control and prevents the boat from drifting sideways over the top of the victim.
- The Final Reach: Bring the vessel to a complete stop next to the victim. Use an oar, paddle, boat hook, or a weighted throw-line to establish physical contact and pull the person to the side of the hull.
- NEVER jump into the water to assist the victim unless it is a absolute last resort. A rescuer in the water quickly becomes a second cold-water victim, compounding the emergency.
6. Shut Down Engines Prior to Recovery
Outboard and sterndrive propellers can cause catastrophic injuries.
- Action: Before pulling the victim out of the water and onto the stern or swim platform, shut off all engines completely. Never rely on simply putting the engine in neutral—a slipping gear or passenger bumping the throttle can spin the prop.
7. Gentle Extraction and Medical Care
Pull the victim on board carefully:
- Horizontal Extraction: Keep the victim as horizontal as possible during extraction. Cold water immersion affects the circulatory system, and pulling a severely cold person vertically can cause a sudden, fatal drop in blood pressure (circum-rescue collapse).
- First Aid: Immediately begin treating the victim for immersion hypothermia (see the Hypothermia Treatment Guide).