Someone falling overboard is one of the most serious emergencies on any boat. Cold water, currents, a moving boat and a spinning propeller all make it dangerous, and the first few seconds matter most. Most skippers never face it, which is exactly why it's worth knowing the steps before you need them.
This article covers what to do the moment someone goes in, how to keep sight of them, how to bring the boat back safely, how to get them aboard, and how to reduce the chances of it happening at all. It's general guidance, and a hands-on boating safety course is the best way to learn and practice it.
Prevention comes first
The best man-overboard procedure is the one you never need:
- Wear a life jacket. A person in the water wearing a life jacket is far easier to find and far more likely to survive. Many drownings happen within reach of safety, to people who weren't wearing one.
- Use an engine cut-off switch. The lanyard clips to the driver. If they're thrown from the helm, the engine stops. In the United States, operators of many smaller boats are required to use one when it's fitted.
- Hold on. "One hand for yourself, one for the boat" is the old rule when moving around a moving boat.
- Slow down in rough water, and warn passengers before turns or waves.
- Keep people seated and away from the edges at speed, including the bow.
The first seconds
The moment someone goes over, do these things at once, or assign them if you have crew:
- Shout "Man overboard!" and the side: "Man overboard, port side!" Everyone on board needs to know.
- Throw something that floats toward the person right away, ideally a throwable flotation device like a ring buoy or cushion. It helps them stay afloat and marks the spot.
- Assign a spotter to watch the person and point at them continuously, without looking away, until they're back aboard. A head in the water disappears in waves within seconds and is very hard to find again.
- Mark the position. Most GPS chartplotters have a MOB button that saves the exact location. Press it.
- Get the propeller away from them. If the person is near the stern, shift to neutral, or turn the stern away from them so the propeller swings clear.
Turning back
On a small power boat, the usual response is to slow down and turn back toward the person immediately, keeping them in sight the whole time. Turn toward the side they fell from, which helps swing the stern and propeller away from them.
Larger boats and sailboats use specific maneuvers designed to bring the boat back along its own track, such as the Williamson turn, which is useful at night or in poor visibility when the person can't be seen. These are worth learning in a hands-on course for the boat you operate.
The approach
How you approach the person matters as much as how quickly you get there:
- Approach slowly. The boat should be moving very slowly as it reaches the person. A boat is heavy and hard, and running into someone in the water can injure them badly.
- Approach into the wind or current. Coming in heading into whichever is stronger gives you more control and keeps the boat from being pushed down onto the person. Some instructors teach approaching so the boat drifts gently toward the person instead, with the engine in neutral, which keeps the propeller still. Learn the method recommended for your type of boat.
- Keep them on the helm side if you can, so you can see them as you come alongside.
- Shift to neutral before you reach them. Never approach a person in the water with the propeller turning. Once they're alongside, shut the engine off if it's safe to do so.
Getting them back aboard
Getting someone back into the boat can be harder than reaching them, especially if they're tired, cold, injured or heavy with wet clothes.
- Get a line to them, or a life jacket if they're not wearing one, and bring them alongside.
- Use a swim ladder or swim platform if the boat has one, with the engine off. Never bring a person aboard near a running propeller.
- Don't let rescuers go in unless they're trained and properly equipped. Many people drown trying to save someone else.
- Treat for cold. Once aboard, get the person into dry clothes or blankets and out of the wind. Cold water exposure can cause serious problems even after rescue, so get medical help if they've been in cold water or show signs of hypothermia.
- Call for help if you can't recover the person, if they're injured, or if you lose sight of them. Use VHF channel 16 or call emergency services. In the United States, the Coast Guard can be reached on channel 16.
Cold water
Cold water is dangerous long before hypothermia sets in. A sudden plunge into cold water causes a gasp reflex and rapid breathing in the first minute, which can lead to inhaling water. Within minutes, cold muscles lose strength, making swimming and gripping a line difficult. That's why life jackets matter so much, and why the response needs to be fast.
Practice it
Man-overboard drills are worth practicing, ideally with an object like a cushion or a fender tied to a bucket, on a calm day. Throw it over without warning, and run through the whole sequence: shout, throw, point, mark, turn and approach. Make sure everyone who regularly comes aboard knows how to stop the engine, use the radio, and steer the boat back, in case it's the skipper who goes over.
Practicing in The Boat Docker
The Boat Docker's Man Overboard scenario puts a swimmer in open water. You can click the water to send the swimmer swimming somewhere new, then maneuver the boat to reach them. Reaching the swimmer earns 40 points, plus up to 20 for a gentle, controlled approach and up to 20 for reaching them without hitting anything on the way. Approaching too fast and striking the swimmer costs 40 points, the heaviest fault in the simulator.
It's a good way to practice slow, controlled approaches with wind and current pushing the boat around. The Fishing scenario uses the same kind of approach, but the target is a fish, so there's no strike penalty. It's a gentler way to build the skill first. See the Dock Configurations training page for every scenario.