I just can't wrap my mind around why they would take off their life vests after that amount of time and just let the sea take them. While I can't imagine what living hell these poor guys went through out there, no way do I ever consider taking that vest off. Sad deal.
NFL boaters gave up hope after only 4 hrs?
- Thread starter Purebred Dawg
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JimHalpert.nafoom
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When I was in the Marine Corp we had a Marine fall off the ship during the night and no one knew until the next morning during roll call. They found this guy in the middle of the china sea three days later alive. He had no life jacket. He made a float out of his trouser. He made it three days and these guy could not hang on to a boat more then 4 hours. I think the survivor might have been delusional and is mistaking on the time. Surely they lasted longer then four hours.
I was about to post that article when I noticed they changed that line to read that two of the guys were together for 24 hours.
So, the first two let go of the boat and gave up after a couple of hours.
The third did so after about a day.
Schuyler was by himself for nearly a day. DAMN.
So, the first two let go of the boat and gave up after a couple of hours.
The third did so after about a day.
Schuyler was by himself for nearly a day. DAMN.
you almost have to blame it on the fact that hypothermia had set in. There is absolutely no predicting what a human will do when affected. It doesn't take much. And all the elements were present to develop a good case.
Having suffered a little bit of hypothermia symptoms, it's not easy to explain. You know that you are slipping away from "normal" but you have no idea that you may be irrational. One of the guys said he saw a light. Coulda been...migthta been Schuyler with the imagination.
It's all very sad. But there is no way to predict who will suffer from it first and how it will manifest itself.
Having suffered a little bit of hypothermia symptoms, it's not easy to explain. You know that you are slipping away from "normal" but you have no idea that you may be irrational. One of the guys said he saw a light. Coulda been...migthta been Schuyler with the imagination.
It's all very sad. But there is no way to predict who will suffer from it first and how it will manifest itself.
Much less try to hang on to a boat...capsized or not. I had some friends have something similar happen. Its been awhile so I dont recount all the details, but their boat capsized and they couldnt hang on to the boat. One of the stronger guys (none were in great shape) swam under the boat and found some rope. He tied them all up so they could float off and tied the rope around the motor and bow to try and keep them against the boat. After a day or so, at least one of them had drowned and kept floating away and sinking until the rope would hold them. Sharks started swimming around them, and the guy had to cut them loose. I think the ones that made it were found after 4 days. Crazy ****.
I agree that there's no telling what kinds of effects hypothermia will have on a person's mental state, but you've got to assume that these guys would be a little better conditioned to deal with these circumstances than the average person. The fact is, they've pushed their physical and mental limits through years of training in high school, college, and NFL camps, practices, and games and although it obviously doesn't prepare anyone for a situation like this, it does lead to a competitive mindset that one would assume would be beneficial when stranded at sea. That they gave up after only a few hours just doesn't make sense to me...
But even though they would definitely lose body heat faster, 65ish degree water isn't cold enough for severe hypothermia to set in in only 4 hours I don't think.
According to Boatsafe, in 60-70 degree water, exhaustion or unconciousness can begin to set in in 2-7 hours, but the expected survival time is 2-40 hours. Choppy seas would obviously make it more exhausting, but it doesn't sound like these guys were unconcious when they floated away.
Of course, I too have no sort of expertise in the matter.
According to Boatsafe, in 60-70 degree water, exhaustion or unconciousness can begin to set in in 2-7 hours, but the expected survival time is 2-40 hours. Choppy seas would obviously make it more exhausting, but it doesn't sound like these guys were unconcious when they floated away.
Of course, I too have no sort of expertise in the matter.
is that the survivor had been out there long enough to have lost all concept of time and even though he says they floated away after 4 hours it may have been much longer than that. It may also be possible that part of his story may be a hallucination.
I think a lot of you guys are severely underestimating the situation they were in. They were probably already in a weakened state to begin with, seeing this happened at the end of the day as they were pulling up anchor. They were no doubt already exhausted from a full day of fishing out on the water. They were probably starving and waiting to eat a big meal when they got back to shore. Then you get tossed into very cold water, and get repeatedly beaten to a pulp by 10 ft seas ramming you against the boat every 15 seconds. Then you start to realize that nobody knows exactly where you're fishing and that rescue is at best, days away, if it ever comes. And the kicker is nightfall. In the midst of all this panic, everything goes pitch black. There's no light. And you probably have concerns about sharks and ocean critters swimming around in the sea below you. And on top of that, you are freezing cold. That's enough to make even the mentally strong go bat-crazy very, very quickly. When doctors are saying it's a miracle the one guy lasted as long as he did, there's a reason for that. I think many of you guaranteeing that you'd never give up so easily would give up quicker than these guys did.
BFB
BFB
I totally agree with your assessment BFB, but I have a hard time understanding the taking off of the life vests. Period. You would have to find my lifeless body afloat somewhere out there if I couldn't hang on like Mr. Shuyler did.</p>
That's what I was thinking, it doesn't take a Magyver to figure out to use what you have in the boat to survive.(rope, water, food, etc..)
I just wonder how much training, if any these guys had on the water. It's not like you have to take a course when you buy a boat.
If you have the money, then just get it registered and put it in the water and go...
Horrible ending for those three men.
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I just wonder how much training, if any these guys had on the water. It's not like you have to take a course when you buy a boat.
If you have the money, then just get it registered and put it in the water and go...
Horrible ending for those three men.
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