Rule 5 — and a whale!
Mariners should all be familiar with Rule 5 in the COLREGS; its intent is to prevent collisions at sea, but it can also prove beneficial, and life saving, in other ways — as noted in this article by Melissa McKenzie.
Locating a person adrift at sea is no easy task. With only a head visible, it can be difficult to spot someone bobbing on the water’s surface in the vast Pacific Ocean. Even magnified by binoculars, a shadow the size of a pencil eraser is nearly impossible to find amidst the waves and solar glare.
In the case of three divers who went missing off Molokai, Jan. 18, 2016, their sighting by a boat crew could be credited to a sharp lookout and a little luck. Well, a combination of a sharp lookout, luck and a whale.
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