What Is Most Likely To Cause Someone To Fall Overboard?

What is most likely to cause someone to fall overboard?

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What is most likely to cause someone to fall overboard?

What is the most likely reason why someone may fall overboard a boat?

• When you balance the weight of those on the boat and your gear
• When you are fishing 
• When you are standing up in your boat
• When you are sitting on the pedestal chair
• None of the above

Answer: When you are standing up in a boat.

The most likely cause for someone to fall overboard is the change in the weight distribution on the boat.

When you are balancing the weight of those on the boat and the gear, you are stabilizing your boat which reduces the risk of someone falling over.

Similarly, when you are sitting down on the pedestal or while fishing, you are not experiencing a change in the weight distribution on the boat, so the risk of falling overboard is low.

However, when you stand up, you are directly causing a weight shift on the boat that may lead to the person losing balance.

Cause of Fatalities

Drowning is the most common cause of fatalities in small boats after a fall overboard or capsizing resulting in 85% of the total population who drown while boating and not wearing a lifejacket.

According to the U.S. Coast Guard, most of the fatalities caused by the capsizing of boats or falling overboard are because the person was not wearing a lifejacket.

Lifejacket

One of the best ways you can protect yourself from the possibly deadly consequences of a boating accident is to wear your lifejacket.

When you have a lifejacket on, you will increase your chances of survival when dealing with emergencies or unexpected events onboard a small boat.

Capsizing 

Capsizing is when a boat is overturned or is swamped with water.

Typically, canoes and sailboats are prone to capsizing due to their very nature.

There are many reasons why a small boat may potentially capsize, such as:

• Impact with a wave 
• Due to a sharp turn
• Due to carrying too much weight 
• Due to the uneven weight distribution on the boat
• Bad weather 

Falling Overboard

If someone falls overboard, what should you do?

Should a passenger or someone fall overboard, you should take the following measures:

• Stop your boat
• Throw a lifebuoy or lifejacket to the person
• Make sure someone keeps the person insight
• Position your boat to make contact with the person
• Throw a buoyant heaving line 
• Pull the overboard person to your boat 

Prevention Tips

What can you do to prevent a catastrophic emergency when boating?

If you are on a small boat, you should make sure that you stay centered in your boat.

By doing so, you are able to maintain your boat’s weight and ensure you do not create an uneven weight distribution leading to a possible emergency.

The next thing you should do is to ensure you do not take corners at high speed.

If you are going to turn or need to maneuver at a sharp angle, make sure you maintain a low and reasonable speed.

Also, at all times, make sure you are looking out for other boats around you.

If you are distracted, you may not realize that you are headed straight towards another boat.

Head-on collisions can be deadly and potentially lead to severe injuries.

Takeaways 

What is the primary reason why someone may fall overboard a boat?

Let’s look at a summary of our findings.

What is most likely to cause someone to fall overboard?:

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