I have to wear What?

What's the number one rule on a ship? Safety First!

When at sea, the guidelines for keeping safe can be very different from those on land, and aren't always as intuitive as one might expect. Here are some tips and tricks about what to do and what NOT to do to stay safe at sea.

My first tip for you: The Three Rules of Ship-safe Style

Rule #1

Hard Hats Rule

Hailey Farah is keeping it safe and stylish!

On the ocean, safety is in style! A hard hat may not be your preferred fashion accessory, but on this boat they are a necessity. Stickers, markers, and other means of modifying a hard hat turn this piece of safety gear into a fashion statement.


Rule #2

Steel toed boots will be your new favorite shoes.

They're sturdy, they have good grip on the deck, and they keep your feet dry. When you spend your day maneuvering around heavy equipment on a swaying vessel or pouring muddy water through sieves on a windy deck, those qualities are really all you need in a shoe. 

Rule #3

If it can't get wet, don't bring it on deck!

From an accidental spray down with a rogue water hose to finding yourself elbow deep in hundreds of pounds of mud, it is guaranteed that if you're working on deck you will get wet {and likely very muddy}. Period. It is best to keep this in mind every single day when you get dressed.

Your clothes may get destroyed, but Science thanks you for your sacrifice. Expect to go home with far fewer items than you arrived with, and you won't be disappointed when you lose a few shirts to mud stains and holes that mysteriously appear.


The Dos and Don'ts of safety at sea:

DO wear a work vest [life jacket] if you will be anywhere near the edge, especially if the lifelines are down. Didn't bring your own life jacket? There is no shortage of work vests to borrow on the Life Jacket Wall.

DON'T be embarrassed, embrace the hard hat / life jacket / steel-toed boot combo. Everyone is doing it!

Bin Qi Gan sorts samples from the EBS on the back deck.

DO tie everything down. When the ship rolls, you don't want your things to roll off the table, or onto someone's foot. On this ship, you will find rolling chairs with the wheels removed and a colorful assortment of lines, bungees, and ratchet straps used to hold everything in place.

DON'T put your coffee mug on the Formaldehyde table! This should be self explanatory, but the table is so enticing for coffee mug holders, that we have had to write warning signs on it...twice.

Formaldehyde table for preserving samples on deck, foreboding messages courtesy of Craig and Cassie.

DO braid your hair. If you have long hair, it will blow in your face and get tangled in your hardhat. Bring your A-Game for hair braiding and you will save yourself lots of hair being ripped out by snagging on things.

Astrid Leitner sports gorgeous braids by Kirstin Meyer

Thank you for reading, I hope these tips will help you stay safe next time you find yourself braving the open sea in the name of Science!


Written By: Cassandra Turner, University of Hawaii at Manoa