Would you survive a fall from a cruise ship?

Thanks to railings surrounding the passenger decks, it is very difficult to fall from a cruise ship – but people do. Last week a man tumbled from Carnival Valor into the waters between New Orleans and Mexico and spent 15 hours in the sea before – miraculously – being found alive by the US Coast Guard.

Others are not so lucky. In October, Turkish jewellery tycoon Dilek Ertek fell to her death from Norwegian Spirit during a Polynesian voyage.

So what are your chances of survival if you go overboard? Much depends on how far you fall and the temperature of the sea. If you tumble from a great height, you risk breaking a limb and swallowing water – which can make you more susceptible to drowning – and upon plummeting into chilly seas something called cold shock response triggers an abrupt fall in skin temperature.

According to Prof Mike Tipton, who co-wrote Essentials of Sea Survival, 60 per cent of deaths in cold seas occur just minutes after entering the water. So even if you are spotted going overboard, by the time the cruise ship turns around to retrieve you it will be too late.

A further 20 per cent succumb to hypothermia, which can set in after just 30 minutes, and the final 20 per cent die as they are being rescued – something attributed to victims suddenly relaxing.

The temperature of the sea is key to survival – you stand a better chance if you fall into the Caribbean rather than the Baltic. As a rule of thumb, in waters of around 5C, victims have 60 minutes on average before hypothermia takes hold; at 10C this doubles to two hours; at 15C it extends to six.

“When the waters are above 25C, there is a saying that the problem goes from cold to shark,” said Tipton. However, shark attacks in such circumstances are still extremely rare.

“One of the biggest issues of survival is knowing what is going to happen to you,” he stressed. “Remember that the cold shock response is normal and diminishes after a couple of minutes. Don’t thrash about as that uses heat and energy; try to stay still and float.”

As the cold moves through the body, victims become more physically incapacitated and may be unable to hold on to flotation devices or use their hands. Tipton advises preparing yourself before this happens by wedging or tying a flotation device to your body or swimming to a better position – but only using your legs, as stretching your arms further cools the body.

Those with nothing to clutch are advised to curl into a foetal position to conserve body heat, using one leg to insulate the other. And keep your clothes on – they will help you float.

Pray for calm seas – not only are they easier to survive, but they greatly increase your chances of being spotted by rescue teams.

Unless you need to swim only a short distance, it is better to float until someone finds you. Women have an advantage over men because they generally have higher levels of body fat, which makes them more buoyant. Because of this, they are less likely to suffer from exhaustion from swimming or treading water for hours.

Finally, try to keep your spirits up. “Don’t give in,” advises Tipton. “After all, in waters of 15C, you may have six hours, which is quite a long survival prospect. Just remember not to relax, even when you are being rescued.”