When faced with an emergency, the operator or crew of a vessel needs to have easy and organized access to emergency resources and equipment. The concept of the "ditch bag" has evolved to provide one resource that can be "grabbed" should the operator and crew need safety resources, even if they need to "ditch" or abandon their vessel.
Assembling a ditch bag may be dependent on the type of boating and emergency circumstances the operator and vessel are likely to face; however, being overly prepared generally will produce a better outcome.
For our purposes, we must qualify the applicability of the advice below to a recreational boater, which we define as a boater who navigates primarily in coastal waters but may venture up to 60 NM offshore. We will assume that our vessel is a 30 foot center console and is equipped with the USCG required safety equipment for the vessel size, and additionally is equipped with a DSC capable marine VHF radio and a chartplotter.
The objective of the ditch bag is primarily to provide for safety and signaling equipment in the scenario where the vessel has to be abandoned and passengers will be in the water. The goal from there is for individuals to be rescued as quickly as possible.
At a minimum, the ditch bag should contain the following:
Aerial Flares Aerial Flares are waterproof and launch a highly visible aerial flare 400-500 feet in the air. The flare is visible in day and night from a range of up to 10 miles; however, they are impacted by many factors that may limit their visibility and effectiveness. For this reason, we do not recommend aerial flares as the primary distress calling mechanism, but they are very effective at closer range and to augment the search and rescue effort once underway. We recommend two ditch bag options for aerial flares. Orion Safety Products Skyblazer II Red Aerial Signal Kit Orion Safety 584 Alert Basic 4 12 ga Launcher
Handheld Flares Handheld Flares are waterproof and provide a highly visible handheld signal visible in day or night. They are used to signal your position to search and rescue resources. Orion Safety 865, Locator Marine Hand-Held Red Flare
Whistle and Signaling Mirror The audible sound of a whistle can travel over half a mile over water and aid search and rescue effort in poor visibility conditions. A signaling mirror can reflect sunlight and communicate your position to search and rescue resources. Orion Whistle and Mirror Kit
Floating Rope with Carabiners A floating and visible rope provides a mechanism to keep survivors together and to attach safety equipment or other resources. Although competent mariners will be knowledgeable in the use of knots, carabiners reduce the risk of mistakes and ensure reliable connections are made under stress. There are a number of watersports ropes that are ideal for this purpose. Floating Rope with Carabiners
Knife An easy to open knife with a blunted tip is ideal for cutting away debris or tangled lines as needed. We prefer serrated edge knives that can be opened with one hand. Spyderco Knife
Flashlight/Distress Light A waterproof flashlight can be used as distress light and can be used for its conventional purposes in a nighttime scenario. A personal distress light can be attached to lifejackets and provide visibility to search and rescue resources. Streamlight 68244 LED Flashlight ACRC-Stobe 3947 Personal Distress Light Orion Safety 506 Light Sticks
First Aid Kit Although not a critical search and rescue item, injuries occur in stressful situations and, even in water, cuts and fractures may need to be wrapped and stabilized. Adventure Medical .7 Compact First Aid Kit
Satellite Rescue Beacon (EPIRB/PLB) A satellite rescue beacon dramatically increases the probability search and rescue resources will locate you and similarly decreases the amount of time individuals will be in the water and exposed to life threatening dangers like hypothermia. There is no other ditch bag or rescue device with such an effective cost/benefit relationship. we highly recommend the ACR PLB 425. It floats, can be regularly tested, and operates on both 406 Mhz, for satellite communication and 121.5 Mhz for near range search and rescue localization. ACR ResQLink PLB 425
For the operator of recreational vessel, there may be additional considerations in assembling a ditch bag.
Leaving the ditch bag on the vessel may not be ideal if it contains electronic equipment. We prefer to take these items with us when leaving the vessel and prefer a bag that travels easily. Additionally, having the safety equipment available when not on the boat makes testing and keeping current against expiration dates easier.
As a knowledgeable operator, you may find it useful to bring a ditch bag while a passenger on other boats where you may want to ensure you have the proper equipment in case of an emergency. Be aware, it may be foreboding and a bit insulting to show up as an invited guest with a ditch bag!
It is useful to store other important items such as cell phone, passports, car keys, wallet, etc. in the ditch bag as a way to organize important items in the small confines of a recreational vessel and these items will likely be needed once the emergency has been resolved.
5.11 makes a number a number tactical bags that are appropriate to ditch bag applications. Zippers and tactical compartments, ensure safety equipment is organized and safeguarded, while other areas of the bags can be dedicated for items that may not be permanently stored in the ditch bag such as car keys.
When an emergency situation presents itself, the operator can immediately "sling" the pack and have it at the ready as the situation develops. The pack can be worn with a life jacket.
The Rush Moab 6 holds all our ditch bag items with extra room for personal items, keys, wallet, phone and even a couple of shirts.
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