Do you know that a man who jumps into water from the workboat or ship which he is employed on, to rescue another person, is not insured in case he gets injured or dies, if he and his crew is not trained to operate in-water rescue and is not provided with proper mean of recovery? A benefit payment is totally under the mercy of the insurance company.

Do you know that in-water rescue is not considered an issue in most safety and survival courses on offer? It is a taboo to talk about this matter. What is taught on the courses today is how you dress in immersion suit, how to select and put on lifejacket, how to right a liferaft and what is in the liferaft to enable you to survive. On some courses they show you the life-ring, but on very few of them you have any discussion how you can use it. Who knows the reason for the original design of the life-ring?

This is the case although it is in the human nature to jump into the water to help a person in need, specially when it is a family member, friend, colleague or someone you feel responsible for.

The fact that an in-water rescue is a natural reaction which is not accepted in education and training as an option, has in many cases resulted in death of either the casualty or both the casualty and the rescuer. This is happening many times every year still now in the 21 century, despite the fact that there is know-how and experience available and equipment to operate safe in-water rescue from most vessels in most situations at sea and in harbours.

What is the point in jumping into the water to rescue another person, if there is not a secure way back on board for you, you do not have a mean to secure the person in and you are not linked to the vessel? What is the point if you can not expect to get backup from anyone on board? Think of the worst weather and sea conditions you have experienced? Do you know what you can expect from a man overboard in panic?

Because an in-water rescue is not considered as an important issue to be taught on obligatory marine safety and survival courses, a vital parts are left out and hardly discussed. These vital parts are:
1) The psychological and physiological effect on MOB situations.
2) The selection of mean of rescue based on the psychological and physiological facts one can expect to face.
3) The rescue method needed to make maximum use of the psychological and physiological factors.
4) The factors creating possible danger to the rescuers and the man overboard.
5) The cost to the vessel operator and search and rescue operators and the loss of the families involved.

All the factors which I have briefly mentioned here and find in most cases ignored are a common sense items which are easy to understand for most seafarers. By pointing them out and make the man overboard safety and rescue become a primary issue and obligation on board every vessel, this issues will assist to make the seafarers and specially the operators and officers at sea, understand why they need special mean of man overboard rescue and which mean suit their type of boat or ship. Every professional seafarer should be required to be a professional man overboard rescuer, either as deck MOB rescuer or when fit and willing as in-water MOB rescuer.