Vessel Hoisting in Heavy Seas – Hoist to the Water for Rescue Swimmer (RS) to Board Vessel 

Initial Assessment and Decision Making 

When conducting a rescue from a vessel in heavy seas, aircrews must first evaluate vessel characteristics, environmental conditions, and the nature of the distress to determine the most effective course of action. This initial assessment includes deciding whether to hoist directly to the vessel or to the water nearby. When considering a direct hoist to a vessel in heavy seas, an assessment of its stability is paramount. Indicators of instability, suggesting a potential for capsize, include list, low freeboard, deck edge immersion, down-flooding, prolonged roll periods, and delayed roll reversals. If any of these characteristics are present, the RS should be deployed to the water, and the crew should consider abandoning the ship in an orderly manner versus scrambling overboard as it capsizes.  Moreover, for smaller vessels in heavy seas, hoisting the RS to the water for subsequent boarding may be the safer and more practical approach. 

Considerations for Hoisting to the Water Near a Vessel in Seas and Surf 

If hoisting the RS to the water to board a small vessel in heavy seas, consider vessel motion and the potential for capsize. For dead-in-water (DIW) vessels driven by heavy winds, deploying the RS downwind can be advantageous, as the wind will push the vessel toward the swimmer. Having the boat crew toss a floating line overboard can improve the RS’s ability to intercept and remain with a fast-drifting boat. If the vessel is in the surf and stability is questionable, deploy the RS to a location that minimizes the risk of the boat rolling over onto the swimmer. For example, instead of deploying the swimmer directly in the path of a vessel drifting beam to the wind and seas, deploy them just out of the path so they can approach the bow or stern from an angle. 

Survivor Considerations Before Water Entry 

Before any survivor enters the water, an assessment is vital. Consider the survivor’s survival gear (e.g., survival suit, personal flotation device), the chosen disembarkation point, and most importantly, the crew’s confidence in efficiently recovering both the RS and the survivor in the prevailing conditions. 

Although it may seem like common sense, it is important to emphasize to individuals on the boat that just one survivor should enter the water and only when directed by the RS. When there are multiple individuals on a floundering, but still stable, vessel, there have been instances where several panicked survivors jump in the water as the RS nears the boat, increasing the complexity of a heavy seas rescue for the aircrew.

That said, in surf, there is a high probability that survivors will be forced into the water by a capsizing boat. Here is video of a recent Coast Guard rescue of a mariner on a boat that was knocked over by a large wave. The crew did an excellent job deploying the RS to a position that was not in the path of the rolling vessel. Fortunately, the survivor was tossed clear of the boat and their PFD prevented them from drowning.

Surf Rescue Example: Capsized vessel at the mouth of the Columbia River