I am stuck in a tiny vessel. Oxygen supply is running low.
What could we do to minimize oxygen usage?
Maximise your survival: kill the others. Be quick at it. Don’t want to use up too much oxygen doing the deed. Quick and humane. Also, if there are more than one, the still living will get upset with your actions and try and stop you adding them to the dead group.
I think your strategy is most likely to significantly increase the survival time. I have several questions and concerns. 1) we have no real weapons on board, how should I do it quickly? 2) i am in the vessel with some family members, I think these might not be the best options, what’s the most ethical way to choose who to kill, how low should the supply be before we kill the first one?
- You haven’t studied the secret ninja death touch?
- Start with the ones you don’t like. Start as soon as possible to maximise your survival.
Spoken like a true sailor!
I’d probably ask myself first if there is any chance at all that the vessel is found in any time in the near future. I mean the titanic is substantially bigger and was found like 70 years after it sunk.
Sleep
Also, if there are other people trapped with you its better to consider drawing straws sooner rather than later.
easier to sleep when it’s so dark
If I found myself in a tiny underwater vessel, three kilometers underwater with only 12 hours of a 96-hour oxygen supply left and no electronics, this is what I would do:
First, I’d work to stay calm. Panic increases the breathing rate and therefore the consumption of oxygen. By focusing on my breath and slowing it down, I could maximize the use of the remaining oxygen. I would limit any physical activity to conserve energy and oxygen, and I would utilize any shallow, slow breathing techniques I know, like those from meditation or yoga. The aim would be to slow my heart rate and reduce the amount of oxygen my body needs.
To signal for help, I would utilize any available mechanical or manual noise-making device, striking it in a pattern to create an international distress signal - SOS in Morse code (…—…). Sound travels well in water and could be picked up by sonar systems in the vicinity.
If the vessel was equipped with a buoy or marker that can be released to the surface, I’d deploy it. This buoy might be detected visually or by radar.
Lastly, if any emergency external pyrotechnic devices were present, I would consider using them.
Remembering that survival is the ultimate goal, I would make every effort to conserve oxygen while sending out as many signals as I could, hoping that rescuers would reach me in time.
I somehow have the impression that there weren’t many thoughts wasted on safety (systems) :(
Control your respiratory rate (and your mind, panic increases respiration) while you figure out how to get help, and then keep practicing it while you wait for help or do what is necessary to free yourself. No unnecessary movement. Your O2 is your life and is being used up by you merely existing, so use as little of it as you can while still managing to do what you must to restore access to it.
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Lie down and try to relax
