Missing Florida teens: What to do if stranded at sea
Perry Cohen and Austin Stephanos went missing off the coast of Jupiter, Fla., on Friday after embarking on a routine fishing trip.
The 14-year olds are described as tried and true seamen by their families.
鈥淭hey know the waters. They鈥檝e been through rough water, they鈥檝e been through thin water. 鈥hose are salty dog kids, and they know what they鈥檙e doing out there,鈥� Perry鈥檚 stepfather .
The boys were last seen buying $110 worth of fuel at 1:30 p.m. and were reported missing about 5 p.m. Friday, . The waters off the Jupiter coast were likely rough because of thunderstorms, Nick Wiltgen, a meteorologist for The Weather Channel.
Both families say they will stop at nothing to find their children. It's been reported that formerfor their rescue. The family has asked only experienced boaters to help in the search.
鈥淲e whole heartedly believe they are out there and alive,鈥� Pamela Cohen, Perry鈥檚 mom, told . Austin鈥檚 mom, Carly Black, echoed Ms. Cohen and said she鈥檚 holding out hope that the boys are still alive.
Hundreds of family members, friends and classmates took part in for the two missing teens.聽
On Sunday, Perry and Austin鈥檚 boat was found capsized about 67 nautical miles off the coast near Daytona Beach, Fla., Coast Guard Petty Officer Stephen Lehmann . They were not on board.
, the boys had told others they planned on traveling to the Bahamas 鈥� a decision that their parents say they were not aware of and would not have approved. A Coast Guard spokesman said one life vest was found in the hull of the boat but the families did not know how many life vests were originally on board or whether the boys had been wearing them.
Coast Guard spokesman Petty Officer Mark Barney , 鈥淲e鈥檙e heavily concerned for their well-being and we鈥檙e doing every we can do to bring them back home.鈥�
聽"It鈥檚 one thing for the boys to be missing inside the vessel, and it鈥檚 another thing for them to be missing in open water. 鈥ow they鈥檙e in an even worse situation if they are to be in the water right now,鈥� he said.
But people can survive in the open ocean, at least for a short amount of time, if the water is warm enough. In 2013, that a woman survived 16 hours adrift off the coast of Honduras.
gives some tips for open ocean survival:
- STOP and think. STOP stands for 鈥渟top, think, observe, and plan.鈥�
- Float. If a flotation device is available, use it. If not, find a floating position that uses the least amount of energy
- Find water. If you have items that can be used to collect rainwater, use them. You can also find drinkable liquids in fish.
- Find food. Pull in any seaweed you find and look for edible fish, crabs, and shrimp.
- Travel and rest. Allow the current to take you where it must. Only paddle when the shore is visible.
- Rescue. Find someway to signal to others that you are there.聽
