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Editor: Rod Sullivan
Profession: Maritime Attorney

Category: Safety at Sea

Don't Drink Seawater!!!

Two teenagers, Josh Long (17) and Troy Driscoll (15) from North Charleston South Carolina launched their 14 foot SunFish sailboat for a short shark fishing trip and ended up adrift for six days before they were found by a passing commercial fishing boat off Cape Fear, 100 miles away. The boys had brought one paddle and no food or water along with them.

The Washington Post, New York Daily News, BBC and other news services reported that the boys drank seawater to quench their thirst. The news services got it wrong, and they may have passed on some dangerous misinformation to people. Hydration is more important than food when one is stranded at sea, however neither of the boys actually drank seawater. One of the boys gargled with seawater to keep his throat moistened, but he never swallowed it. The other caught jellyfish in his hat and ate the jelly portion, which apparently tasted awful but contained fresh water which helped keep him alive. The fluids from both freshwater fish and saltwater fish contain very little salt.

Most people who are stranded at sea who give in to the temptation to drink seawater go mad and then die within a few hours. The reason seawater will kill you is that it contains over three times the amount of salt your kidneys can expel and therefore the excess salt stays in your blood. Your red blood cells begin to rupture, making your blood thicker and creating a sludge which your heart doesn't pump well.

During the six days, the boys kept their spirits up by praying together and singing religious songs. They said they weren't afraid because they knew the were going to heaven if they died.