SURVIVAL AT SEA 



In addition to this stored energy, food may be gleaned from the 

 inexhaustible sea. For, desolate though it may seem, the sea is far 

 richer in various types of food than an equal amount of land. Small 

 fish will usually gather in the shadow of life craft. These should 

 first be caught for bait. Or, clumps of seaweed will usually yield 

 small crabs and shrimp. In using a dip net to catch bait, hold it 

 under the water and scoop upward. If a fishing kit is not available, 

 hooks can be improvised from insignia pins, pencil clips, shoe nails, 

 fish or bird bones, pocket knives, or pieces of wood. Line may be 

 obtained from shoe laces, shroud lines, or thread from clothing. A 

 fishing line with a breaking strength of over 100 pounds can be made 

 by utilizing a yard length of canvas ravelings. The canvas should 

 be dry, as wet canvas is quite difficult to unravel. With 8 or 10 

 strands held between the thumb and forefinger of each hand, twist 

 the strands clockwise, while passing the right hand around the left 

 in a counter-clockwise movement. This will form a section of the 

 fishing cord. When approximately 18 inches of cord have been 

 completed, cut off the strands at two-inch intervals, feeding in a 

 new strand each time an end is reached. Continue this process 

 until about 50 feet of cord is complete. 



Various sizes of cord may be made in this manner. A line of 

 two strands will have a breaking strength of approximately 20 

 pounds. 



A spear may be made by lashing a knife to an oar. As light is 

 known to attract fish at night, shine the flashlight on the water. 

 Or, use the signaling mirror to reflect moonlight on the water. 

 While actually fishing, do not make the line fast to the life craft or 

 person, as large or dangerous fish can pull one overboard or upset 

 a raft. Captured fish and/or bright objects should not be left 

 dangling over the side for similar reasons. 



Water fowl have been a source of food for many survivors. 

 Several have reported them as having a musty odor and fishy flavor. 

 All sea birds are edible and nourishing, however. They are appar- 

 ently drawn to rafts and boats out of curiosity, by the small fish 

 attracted by the life craft, but mostly because they afford a place 

 to perch. Some survival reports mention the tendency of sea birds 

 to roost on the life craft during the early morning and late 

 evening hours. 



If activity in the life craft is restricted, sea birds apparently 

 have little fear of man and will land on or near more frequently. 

 After they have landed, wait until the wings are folded before 

 trying to grab them. If they tend to shy away, they may be caught 

 in the following manner: Make one end of a line fast to the craft. 

 Tie a simple overhand knot in the bight of the line. Place some bait 

 within the knot loop and pull the bitter end of the line when the 

 bird is standing within the loop. Sea birds can also be caught by 

 trolling a baited fishhook or baited toggle of metal or wood. In 

 many cases, the ease with which they have frequently been caught 

 has resulted in their being a more dependable source of food than fish. 



In addition to food, birds can be very useful to survivors in 

 other ways. A streamer or fly can be made with the feathers. They 

 may be skinned (cutting down the back) and a cap, ear muffs, scarf, 

 or shoe lining fashioned from the downy breast feathers. Fishing 

 spinners can be made from the long bill plates, and even the bones 

 can be utilized for making fishhooks and skewers. 



INDICATIONS OF LAND 



A lookout should carefully watch for signs of land. Fixed 

 cumulus clouds in an otherwise clear sky, or in a sky where the other 

 clouds are moving, usually indicates land beyond the horizon. This 

 type of cloud will form over high or mountainous land. Smaller 

 clouds may hang, a little to the lee side, of atolls and small islands. 

 On the under side of these, "lagoon glare" may often be seen. This 

 greenish tint is caused by the reflection of sunlight from the shal- 

 low water of a lagoon, or of coral reefs. Actually, the reflection 

 of light from any surface such as shallow water, sand, snow, or ice 

 may be reflected in the sky or on clouds and is an indication of land. 



The flight line of birds is another good indication of land. 

 During the day, they are in search of food and their direction of 

 flight is meaningless. However, as most sea birds roost ashore, 

 their evening and morning flights to and from their roosts are an 

 excellent indication. 



During times of restricted visibility, there are still other indi- 

 cations one should keep in mind. These are the odors and sounds 

 of the shore. The odor of burning wood is known to carry a great 

 distance. Mud flats and the musty smell of mangrove swamps may 



be similarly noticed. Normally, the sound of surf is heard long 

 before it can be seen. Continued bird cries from one direction may 

 indicate their roosting place. 



Long before Captain Cook visited the Pacific Islands, Polynesian 

 navigators found their way home by watching wave forms or a 

 certain joining of the waves. 



Consecutive swells travel parallel to each other, with the pre- 

 vailing wind, until they reach an island and then bend around it. 

 These swells, their distortion, and the resulting refraction, form the 

 wave patterns utilized as a navigational aid. (Figure 1). 



Figure 1 



Suppose a survivor notices a wave pattern similar to that shown 

 in quadrant III. That is, with the reflected waves coming back 

 against the main swell. Land will then be in the general direction 

 from which the reflected waves are coming. Consequently, one 

 should head in this general direction, keeping a lookout for the 

 choppy interference lines that form about 90° apart with the island 

 at the apex. When this line is seen change course to sail parallel 

 to it in order to reach the island. 



On the other hand, if a wave pattern similar to that shown in 

 quadrant I is noticed, land is in the direction from which the waves 

 are coming. Similarly, as in quadrant III, a survivor should sail in 

 this general direction, keeping a lookout for the choppy line previ- 

 ously mentioned and follow it to land. 



Quadrants II and IV are most difficult to recognize. About 

 the only way one can detect these two sections is that the swells 

 will not be perpendicular to the direction of the prevailing wind. 

 This condition is noticeable, however. When it is detected, sail 

 approximately parallel to the swell until the choppy intersection 

 lines are seen and then follow them to land. 



Navigation has been a well-developed art in Micronesia since 

 early times, with this type of wave pattern navigation forming a 

 major part. 



RESCUE TIPS 



--i-tT, M-- 



Weather on the quarter; survivors on the lee bow 



Figure 2 



21 



