Donning Life-Saving Appliances and Water Survival Skills — Maritime Crew (deck/engine)

Objective. Students will correctly don an approved lifejacket and immersion suit within the STCW-required time limit, enter water safely from height, and demonstrate HELP and huddle positions in a controlled aquatic environment.

Why This Lesson Matters

If a vessel sinks or catches fire, the difference between survival and death is often measured in seconds and body heat. STCW Basic Training requires every seafarer to demonstrate, not just describe, how to don life-saving appliances and stay alive in the water. This lab translates that requirement into hands-on practice you will repeat until it is automatic.

Life-Saving Appliances: What You Will Use

Type I Lifejacket (offshore life preserver): This is the SOLAS-approved inflatable or inherently buoyant vest required on commercial vessels. It is designed to turn an unconscious person face-up in the water. Before donning, check that the jacket is the right size, all straps are untangled, the whistle is attached, and there are no visible tears or missing buckles.

Immersion Suit (Survival Suit): A USCG-approved immersion suit — sometimes called a "gumby suit" — is a full-body insulated suit that dramatically slows heat loss in cold water. Cold-water immersion can incapacitate a person in minutes; an immersion suit buys critical time for rescue. STCW requires that a trained seafarer be able to don an immersion suit, including closing the zipper and checking the face seal, in under two minutes. This seems generous until you try it under stress in the dark.

Donning a Type I Lifejacket: Correct Sequence

1. Hold the jacket with the label facing you and the straps hanging down.

2. Slip it over your head so the collar rests behind your neck.

3. Thread the body strap around your waist and buckle it snugly — tight enough that two fingers fit under the strap.

4. Cross the crotch strap (if present) between your legs and clip it to the front — this strap prevents the jacket from riding up and inverting you in the water.

5. Tighten all adjusters. Shake the jacket; it should not shift.

6. Confirm the whistle is accessible and the light (if fitted) is armed.

Common errors: loose body strap, missing crotch strap, jacket donned backwards. Your instructor will use the STCW donning checklist to record each of your three attempts.

Donning an Immersion Suit: Correct Sequence

1. Lay the suit flat and unzip it fully.

2. Sit down and insert your feet first, pulling the suit up to your waist.

3. Insert your arms. Keep your fingers inside the suit until the suit is fully on.

4. Pull the hood over your head so it seals around your face.

5. Zip the suit from the bottom to the top in one smooth motion, then fold and seal the protective flap over the zipper.

6. Pinch the face seal and blow air into the suit slightly to test the seal — this shows the gasket is seated.

7. Check that you can move your hands and feet adequately.

Practice this sequence until you can complete it in under two minutes even when fatigued.

Entering the Water Safely from Height

On a real vessel, you may have to jump from a deck that is one meter or more above the water. The correct technique is the feet-first entry with one hand holding the lifejacket collar and the other arm clamping the jacket against the body. This keeps the jacket from striking your face on impact. Keep your feet together and legs slightly bent. Do not dive headfirst — debris or shallow water can cause a fatal head or neck injury.

After entering, if you find yourself face-down, tuck your chin, press your arms down alongside your body, and kick until you roll face-up. STCW requires this recovery within five seconds.

HELP and Huddle: Conserving Body Heat

HELP — Heat Escape Lessening Posture: Cross your arms tightly over your chest, draw your knees up toward your chest, and keep your legs together. This position reduces heat loss from the groin, armpits, and chest — areas where blood vessels are close to the skin. HELP is for solo survivors.

Huddle: When three or more survivors are together, form a circle with sides of chests touching, arms linked, and legs intertwined. This traps warmer water between bodies and provides mutual support. The huddle is superior to HELP for groups.

Never remove your lifejacket in cold water. Swimmers who remove their jacket to "swim to shore" lose the thermal barrier and buoyancy simultaneously, greatly increasing the risk of drowning or hypothermia before they reach safety.

Signaling to Rescuers

While floating, conserve energy by sculling gently rather than thrashing. To signal a rescuer: raise one arm straight up and wave in a large arc, and blow your whistle in three short blasts (the international distress signal). Continue at intervals rather than exhausting yourself.

Safety Rules for This Lab

A qualified lifeguard is on duty throughout the pool session. Follow their instructions immediately and without question.
A rescue reaching pole and throw bag are stationed at poolside before any student enters the water.
Do not enter the water until the instructor gives the signal.
If you feel dizzy, cramped, or in difficulty, raise one arm and call out — do not wait.
Immersion suits must be inspected by the instructor before each pool use to confirm integrity.
Students with undisclosed medical conditions that affect swimming must notify the instructor before the session begins.

What Passing Looks Like

You pass this lab when the instructor's STCW donning checklist shows the lifejacket correctly secured and the immersion suit fully donned with zipper closed and face seal tested within two minutes — on at least one recorded attempt. You also pass the pool circuit by completing the jump, self-righting, HELP, huddle, tread-water, and signaling tasks without lifeguard intervention. Failed elements require a remedial practice and retest before you advance.

Key terms9

STCWStandards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers — the IMO convention that sets minimum training and competency standards for merchant mariners worldwide, administered in the US by the Coast Guard.

Immersion SuitA USCG-approved insulated, waterproof full-body suit designed to slow heat loss and maintain buoyancy when a seafarer is immersed in cold water; must be donnable in under two minutes per STCW.

Type I LifejacketAn offshore life preserver designed to turn an unconscious wearer face-up in open water; required on SOLAS-regulated commercial vessels.

HELP (Heat Escape Lessening Posture)A solo survival position in which the survivor crosses arms over the chest and draws knees toward the chest to reduce heat loss from high-loss body areas.

Huddle PositionA group survival posture in which three or more survivors press the sides of their chests together in a circle, link arms, and intertwine legs to reduce collective heat loss.

Face SealThe neoprene or rubber gasket around the hood opening of an immersion suit that, when properly seated, limits cold-water ingress to the head area.

HypothermiaA dangerous drop in core body temperature caused by exposure to cold water or air; a leading cause of death in maritime emergencies even when survivors remain afloat.

Feet-First EntryThe approved method of jumping into water from height in a lifejacket — one hand holds the collar, the other arm clamps the jacket, feet together — preventing facial injury and jacket displacement.

SOLASSafety of Life at Sea — the main IMO treaty establishing minimum safety standards for merchant ships, including equipment requirements for lifejackets and survival craft.

In class: Dry-land donning drills: each student dons a Type I lifejacket and a Coast Guard-approved immersion suit three times with instructor feedback, aiming to achieve full donning with zipper sealed and face seal tested in under two minutes for the immersion suit; instructor uses a standardized STCW donning checklist to record each attempt. · Pool or controlled waterfront session: students jump feet-first from a minimum one-meter platform in a lifejacket, right themselves if face-down within five seconds, assume HELP (Heat Escape Lessening Posture) for two minutes, then form a huddle group of three or more and maintain for two minutes; instructor and a lifeguard observe and record. · Swim and tread-water circuit in lifejacket: students tread water for at least one minute unaided, then demonstrate how to signal to rescuers using arm motion and whistle while remaining afloat; debrief focuses on energy conservation strategy and the danger of removing the lifejacket in cold water.
Materials: SOLAS-approved Type I lifejackets (one per student), USCG-approved immersion suits sized for class, stopwatches, STCW donning checklist forms, indoor pool or controlled waterfront area, lifeguard on duty, rescue reaching pole and throw bag at poolside, personal whistles.
Check: STCW donning checklist: lifejacket donned correctly and securely — pass; immersion suit fully donned with zipper closed and face seal checked within two minutes — pass. Pool circuit: student completes all three water tasks without lifeguard intervention — pass. Any failed element requires a remedial practice session and retest before the student advances to Lesson 3.

Practice check8

Answer each question, then check it. Nothing is recorded; this is your own practice.