Your boat goes down about forty miles offshore, and you make it into a six-person life raft, alone. Search and rescue knows the boat is missing, but not where you are.
You have a little water, some basic equipment, and roughly three days before the weather turns. Every hour brings a new decision, and the ocean is unforgiving of the wrong ones.
Each scenario is a real choice, in the order you’d face it. Pick what you think keeps you alive until rescue comes—and find out whether you’d have lasted the seventy-two hours.
Lost at Sea
1 of 10
Hour 1. You have six 500 mL bottles of water. It's 88°F, sunny, and you're already thirsty. What's your water strategy?
Drink small amounts regularly, starting now
Avoid drinking for the first 12 hours, then ration evenly
Drink your fill now to kill the thirst, then ration the rest
Drink only once your urine turns noticeably dark
2 of 10
Hour 3. There's almost no wind. Your GPS is gone, but you think land is about 40 miles west. Your raft has paddles. What do you do?
Paddle west now, while you still have the energy
Paddle only during the cooler night hours
Stay near your last known position
Paddle west for several hours, then reassess
3 of 10
Hour 8. You notice a slow leak in one section of the inflatable raft. It's still holding air but gradually getting softer over time. What's the right first response?
Fully inflate the compartment before doing anything else
Redistribute your weight and simply monitor it indefinitely
Locate the leak and patch it while conditions are calm
Deflate the section entirely to prevent a sudden burst
4 of 10
Hour 14. Clouds gather and rain looks possible. You have about 2 liters of fresh water left. What's your move?
Drink heavily now, since you'll probably refill soon
Wait until rain actually starts so you don't waste effort
Ready every clean surface and container to catch rain
Assume the rain will miss you and do nothing
5 of 10
Hour 20. You spot what looks like a ship near the horizon. You have three handheld flares and a signaling mirror. Visibility is good. What do you use first?
One flare
Two flares spaced a few minutes apart
The signaling mirror
Nothing until you're sure it's coming toward you
6 of 10
Hour 27. You're wet and shivering slightly. The air has dropped to 65°F. The seawater is 70°F. What's the best strategy?
Slip into the warmer 70°F water to raise your temperature
Stay in the raft and minimize movement
Strip off wet clothing so your skin dries faster in the air
Swim gently alongside the raft to generate heat
7 of 10
Hour 35. You haven't eaten since the accident. Your kit has 2,000 calories of food. You're hungry but functioning fine. What do you do?
Eat most of it now, while digestion is working normally
Eat small portions steadily to keep energy up
Eat a third now and split the rest across the next two days
Hold off on eating while your drinking water is very limited
8 of 10
Hour 44. A large wave flips the raft. You're in your life jacket and surface beside the overturned raft, exhausted. What do you prioritize?
Immediately try to right the raft
Get onto the overturned raft and recover first
Swim around it searching for the righting strap
Dive to check that your gear is still attached below
9 of 10
Hour 55. You spot an aircraft in the distance. You can't tell if it's part of the search. You have one flare, a mirror, and a whistle. What do you do?
Fire the flare right away
Wait until it clearly turns toward you, then fire the flare
Signal with the mirror, and fire the flare only if it approaches
Blow the whistle and save both the flare and mirror
10 of 10
Hour 68. You see land, maybe 5 to 8 miles off. You're exhausted and mildly dehydrated. The raft is drifting roughly parallel to shore. You have one paddle, about 500 mL of water, and no idea when rescue will come. What do you do?
Paddle straight for shore right away
Wait for sunset, drink, and start paddling in the cool
Stay with the raft and keep signaling
Paddle diagonally and let the current help carry you in
