RYA Sea Survival Course

[Sandy]

I spent a very informative day on 29/10/2022 doing the RYA Sea Survival Course. A fun morning in the classroom going over safety stuff; still not convinced that LED flares are any more useful than a chocolate teapot. Followed by an afternoon in the swimming pool in full kit swimming and getting into liferafts - Even in a nice warm swimming pool it is not easy to do.

Some interesting figures were shown taken from the Water Incident Database (WAID) that caused me to dive a little further into the data as a result I have decided not to go walking or swimming in the sea as they account for 47 out of the 81 deaths on the coast and 25 of 37 deaths in lochs/lakes or loughs!

Looks like it is safer to be on a boat and will recommend the course to anybody who plays on the water.

 

[Praxinoscope]

Did my RYA Sea Survival Course about 20 years ago, and like Sandy found it informative and worth doing, especially the work in the pool with the life-raft.
Fortunately haven’t had to put any of it to actual use at sea, but at least have some idea of what to do and the problems involved.

 

[boomerangben]

I’ve not done the RYA one but do a wet dinghy drill every three years through work. Quite frankly no amount of reading books or watching videos can prepare you for being in water and using a life raft.

 

[Bobc]

Best sailing course I've ever done. Great fun and the only real chance you get to play with a raft. As you say, they're not easy to get into.

 

[WoodyP]

When I did mine we got to let off flares, which I had never done before or since, and made up a jury rig.
A friend was saved by having flares to hand when his fishing boat sank off Brixham. Local boats as well as people on shore saw the flares and he was out of the water in ten minutes.

 

[wizard]

Difficult is not the word for getting in the raft without the teamwork!
My first thought at the time was what it would be like in a rough sea.

 

[mjcoon]

Difficult is not the word for getting in the raft without the teamwork!
My first thought at the time was what it would be like in a rough sea.

And/or having been sailing solo?

 

[WoodyP]

I believe that the RNLI have a wave pool. I wonder why they don't do training courses, which I am sure that they could profitably monetize.

 

[st599]

There was a sailing school that used trainers from the RN sea survival school - truly great course, but they used an environmental pool with waves and at about 10C.

After the 3rd in pool part, couldn't really use fingers.

 

[Sandy]

I believe that the RNLI have a wave pool. I wonder why they don't do training courses, which I am sure that they could profitably monetize.

Friends who are RNLI crew say it is a 'challenging' training day. Waves, dark thunder and lightning (very, very frightening).

 

[ylop]

still not convinced that LED flares are any more useful than a chocolate teapot

on a liferaft a chocolate teapot could be useful sustenance.

 

[jamie N]

I've not done the RYA course, but have done the full offshore one a number of times.
Getting into the liferaft would be nigh on impossible without having a little bit of knowledge and training I reckon, albeit we were in a survival suit and wearing lifejackets, in an environmental tank with wind and waves, but the basics apply!
I'd recommend anyone using a boat to at least check out a video like this one perhaps?

 

[PhillM]

Did mine last year. Agreed about the difficulties involved. Step in or you may never get in. Well that’s how it seemed to me. As for single handed, I do carry one. But I do T expect it to “save” me.

 

[Juan Twothree]

I believe that the RNLI have a wave pool. I wonder why they don't do training courses, which I am sure that they could profitably monetize.

The pool is in use most of the time, although they do hire it out to other organisations.

My last course at Poole was a few years ago, but we were told at the beginning that the cost of running our course that week, including the costs of feeding and accommodating us at the college, were more than covered by the outside organisations (including, from memory, the Royal Marines) who were also using the facilities that week.

 

[WoodyP]

As I said, it could be monetised by a commercially aware organisation.

 

[Juan Twothree]

As I said, it could be monetised by a commercially aware organisation.

Their first priority is getting their own lifeboat crews trained. Any other commercial considerations are secondary, as indeed they should be.

Bear in mind that the pool isn't just used to practice climbing into a liferaft.

They also have various inshore lifeboats there, which they capsize using an overhead crane, then train the crews to right and reboard.

Very useful training, but I must admit that being in a swimming pool under a lifeboat, in total darkness and being bounced around by very realistic waves, freaked me out somewhat.

 

[wingcommander]

Did mine around 9 years ago as part of a 5 week zero to hero RYA dazed kipper. Was in a swimming pool in Southampton somewhere. What surprised me the most was the fact the liferaft can invert on deployment, so each inturn had to up end it in fully inflated life jacket, climb aboard then help other crew get in . Quite challenging for the smaller lightweight students and can only imagine how difficult it would be in any form of seaway.

 

[srm]

Part of my job, many years ago, included running MN/STCW Sea Survival Courses. We only had use of an indoor pool but even so most students found it useful.
I would suggest that anyone who gets the chance to take a course does so. The best bit is the pool drill and hopefully is as close as you will ever need to get to a liferaft.

 

[AntarcticPilot]

Did mine around 9 years ago as part of a 5 week zero to hero RYA dazed kipper. Was in a swimming pool in Southampton somewhere. What surprised me the most was the fact the liferaft can invert on deployment, so each inturn had to up end it in fully inflated life jacket, climb aboard then help other crew get in . Quite challenging for the smaller lightweight students and can only imagine how difficult it would be in any form of seaway.

On our Sea Survival course, my very small and petite late wife was chosen as the first to right the inverted liferaft. I think the principle was that if she could do it, anyone could - and she could, though I think she was as surprised as anyone! But as others have said, doing it in a calm swimming pool is not going to be the same as even a benign day at sea.

 

[Buck Turgidson]

Used to get pushed off a boat into the Moray Firth on an annual basis. 14 crew in an MS10 all trying not to be the first to throw up as the instructors strove to make things as uncomfortable as possible by speeding past in the launch Then Helo winch back to base for a tot of rum and a debrief. Happy days.