First aid at sea – Norwegian and European emergency guidance for boaters

Rapid first aid at sea – do this first

The priority order follows ERC 2025. For an unresponsive person, early alerting and early CPR are what save lives – do not wait.

1. Make the scene safe. Your own safety first. Stop the boat (neutral/autopilot), mind the propeller, sea state and any fire or gas hazard.
2. Check for a response. Speak loudly and gently shake the shoulders.
3. No response: shout for help and call the emergency number immediately – put the phone on speaker.
4. Send someone for an AED if one is available on board or in the harbour.
5. Open the airway (head tilt, chin lift) and look, listen and feel for normal breathing for up to 10 seconds.
6. Not breathing normally or unsure: start CPR immediately.
7. Control massive bleeding in parallel with firm direct pressure if there are several of you.
8. Distress at sea: send a VHF DSC distress alert / Mayday on channel 16 in parallel if more than one person is aboard.

Sources: ERC Guidelines 2025, Helsenorge, Norwegian Resuscitation Council. Last checked: June 2026.

When to call 113/112, use VHF or send a Mayday

For non-urgent medical advice at sea, Radio Medico can be reached via the coast radio / Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (tel +47 5168 3601). For immediate danger to life, breathing or consciousness: call 112/113, or send VHF DSC/Mayday.

How to send a DSC distress alert

On a VHF with DSC: lift the red cover and hold the distress button until it transmits. The DSC alert sends your MMSI, and normally also position and time if the radio has a valid GPS position available (built-in GPS or position via NMEA from a chartplotter). The radio then switches to channel 16, where you follow up with a Mayday: “Mayday, mayday, mayday – this is [vessel name and call sign], position …, we have …, number of persons …, we require …”. If the radio has no GPS position, state your position by voice on channel 16.

Sources: Joint Rescue Coordination Centre / Coast radio. Last checked: June 2026.

CPR for cardiac arrest and drowning

1. Confirm cardiac arrest: no response and not breathing normally. A pulse check is not required for laypeople.
2. Call the emergency number (speaker) and send someone for an AED.
3. Place your hands in the centre of the chest, arms straight, and compress 5–6 cm at 100–120/min.
4. After 30 compressions: give 2 rescue breaths if you can and are willing. Continue 30:2.
5. Turn the AED on as soon as it arrives and follow the voice prompts.
6. Swap the person doing compressions about every 2 minutes to keep quality high.

Every minute without CPR and defibrillation reduces survival significantly. Good CPR with early AED use is the most important thing you can do while waiting for rescue.

Sources: ERC Guidelines 2025, Norwegian Resuscitation Council, Helsenorge. Last checked: June 2026.

Choking and airway obstruction

1. If the person can cough: let them cough – it is the most effective way to clear the object.
2. Ineffective cough but conscious: lean them forward and give 5 firm back blows between the shoulder blades.
3. No effect: give 5 abdominal thrusts (Heimlich) – fist between navel and breastbone, pull inward and upward.
4. Alternate 5 back blows and 5 abdominal thrusts until the airway is clear or help arrives.
5. If the person becomes unconscious: lay them down, call the emergency number and start CPR.

Anyone who has had a choking episode treated with abdominal thrusts should be assessed by a doctor afterwards.

Sources: Helsenorge, ERC Guidelines 2025, Norwegian Resuscitation Council. Last checked: June 2026.

Drowning and near-drowning

1. Your own safety first. Reach, throw a line or lifebuoy, or use the boat – avoid jumping in if possible.
2. Get the person quickly and safely out of the water. Keep the body as horizontal as possible during recovery if they have been in cold water for a while.
3. Check response and normal breathing.
4. No/abnormal breathing: give 5 initial rescue breaths, then CPR 30:2.
5. Alert 112/113 and/or VHF DSC/Mayday for any serious event.
6. Keep the person warm – hypothermia often follows drowning.

Sources: ERC Guidelines 2025, Helsenorge. Last checked: June 2026.

Major bleeding and tourniquets

1. Direct pressure straight on the bleed with your hand and a dressing/cloth. Press hard and do not release.
2. Apply a pressure bandage and maintain the pressure. Lay the casualty down.
3. For life-threatening bleeding from an arm/leg not stopped by direct pressure, or for amputation: use a commercial (windlass) tourniquet.
4. Place it 5–7 cm above the wound, not over a joint. Tighten until the bleeding stops. Note the time. Do not loosen it.
5. Alert 112/113/VHF. Keep the casualty warm (risk of shock and cooling).

• An improvised tourniquet is a last resort, not a routine recommendation.
• Pressure points in the groin/armpit are no longer recommended.

Training is strongly recommended. Practise tourniquet use and bleeding control on a course.

Sources: ERC Guidelines 2025, Norwegian Resuscitation Council. Last checked: June 2026.

Burns on board

1. Stop the burning and remove from the heat source.
2. Cool with running, lukewarm/cool water (about 20 °C) for 20 minutes. Use lukewarm water on children.
3. Remove jewellery and clothing that is not stuck. Do not pull off burnt-on material.
4. Cover with a clean, non-fluffy dressing or a suitable burn product.
5. Keep the rest of the body warm to avoid cooling during the cooling of the burn.

• Do not use ice or ice-cold water.
• Do not apply fat, toothpaste or similar.
• Do not burst blisters.

Seek medical help for large/deep burns, burns to the face/airway/hands/genitals, or any burn on a child.

Sources: Helsenorge. Last checked: June 2026.

Hypothermia and cold-water immersion

1. Get the person out of the water/wind and into shelter. Handle gently – abrupt movements can trigger a dangerous heart rhythm.
2. Remove wet clothing if possible and wrap in dry, insulating material – including over the head, and insulate from the ground.
3. Rewarm gradually. Warm (non-alcoholic) drinks only for awake people who can swallow.
4. Keep the person horizontal in severe cooling.
5. If unconscious/not breathing normally: start CPR and alert 112/113/VHF.

• Do not massage the arms and legs.
• Do not give alcohol.
• Do not rewarm too fast with strong, local heat.

Sources: ERC Guidelines 2025, Helsenorge. Last checked: June 2026.

CO poisoning (carbon monoxide) on board

Carbon monoxide (CO) is an odourless, colourless gas from combustion – engine, heater, generator and cooker. Symptoms are headache, nausea, dizziness, confusion and loss of consciousness, and are easily mistaken for seasickness or a hangover.

1. Fresh air immediately – out on deck or open up.
2. Turn off the source if it is safe to do so.
3. Evacuate everyone from the affected space.
4. Call the emergency number if there are symptoms. If unconscious/not breathing normally: start CPR.
5. Do not enter a dangerous atmosphere without protection/fresh air.

Prevention: a CO alarm should be fitted near the cabin and living spaces, especially where there is a heater, engine or generator.

Sources: Helsenorge, poison information service. Last checked: June 2026.

Crush, winch and fall injuries

Winches, sheets and falls are typical maritime injuries. Crush injuries often cause internal damage even when the skin is intact.

• Stop the force: release the winch/sheet, secure the rig and boom.
• Bleeding: firm, direct pressure; pressure bandage.
• Fracture/deformity: support and immobilise in a comfortable position (e.g. a SAM splint). Do not straighten a deformity.
• Suspected internal injury: keep the casualty still and warm, watch for shock (pale, cold, clammy, fast pulse), alert early.

Sources: Helsenorge. Last checked: June 2026.

Head injury and concussion

1. Keep the head and neck as still as possible if the fall may have injured the neck.
2. Control any scalp bleeding with gentle pressure.
3. Observe consciousness and breathing closely for the first hours.
4. Unconscious with normal breathing: place in the recovery position (with neck control) and call the emergency number.
5. With any warning sign above: call the emergency number. After a head injury the person should not be left alone for the first 24 hours.

Sources: Helsenorge. Last checked: June 2026.

Chest pain and suspected heart attack

1. Call the emergency number early – do not wait for the pain to pass.
2. Let the person sit/recline at rest and avoid all exertion.
3. Loosen tight clothing and reassure them.
4. Aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid) may be relevant – give it only on the advice of the emergency services, and not with a known allergy or bleeding.
5. If unconscious/not breathing normally: start CPR and fetch an AED.

Sources: Helsenorge, ERC Guidelines 2025. Last checked: June 2026.

Stroke (FAST)

• Face: ask them to smile/show teeth – is the face uneven?
• Arms: ask them to raise both arms – does one drift down?
• Speech: ask them to say a simple sentence – slurred or unclear?
• Time: if any sign, call the emergency number immediately.

Other signs: sudden numbness on one side, vision disturbance, severe headache or loss of balance. Note when the symptoms started – it matters for treatment. Call even if the symptoms pass.

Sources: Helsenorge. Last checked: June 2026.

Anaphylaxis and severe allergic reaction

1. Suspect anaphylaxis with rapidly developing breathing difficulty, swelling, widespread rash or circulatory collapse after e.g. food, an insect sting or medicine.
2. If the person has their own adrenaline auto-injector: help them use it immediately in the outer thigh (can be given through thin clothing).
3. Call the emergency number and say it is suspected anaphylaxis. Follow their instructions – if they tell you to use an available auto-injector, do so.
4. Have the person lie flat with legs raised; with breathing difficulty the upper body may be raised a little. Do not let them stand up suddenly.
5. No improvement after 5–10 minutes and another injector is available: give a second dose as instructed. If unconscious/not breathing normally: start CPR.

Sources: Helsenorge, ERC Guidelines 2025. Last checked: June 2026.

Seizures (epilepsy)

1. Remove dangerous objects, cushion the head, and loosen tight clothing around the neck.
2. Do not restrain the person and do not put anything in the mouth.
3. Time the seizure.
4. When it stops: check breathing and place in the recovery position.
5. Call the emergency number for a seizure > 5 min, another seizure without waking, injury, a seizure in/near water, or a first known seizure.

Sources: Helsenorge. Last checked: June 2026.

Low blood sugar (diabetes)

1. Suspect low blood sugar with sudden confusion, shakiness, cold sweat or aggressive/“drunken” behaviour.
2. Awake and able to swallow: give fast sugar (e.g. juice, glucose, honey), repeat after 10–15 min if needed, then some slower food.
3. Unconscious: do not give food/drink. Place in the recovery position and call the emergency number.
4. No improvement or unclear cause: call the emergency number.

Sources: Helsenorge. Last checked: June 2026.

Eye injury and chemical splash

1. Rinse immediately with clean, lukewarm water or eye wash – hold the eye open and rinse from the nose side outward for at least 15–20 minutes.
2. Remove contact lenses if possible.
3. Contact the poison information service for chemicals, and a doctor for persistent problems.
4. Embedded foreign body or penetrating injury: do not rub, do not remove. Cover both eyes loosely (the eyes move together) and seek medical help.

Sources: Helsenorge, poison information service. Last checked: June 2026.

Electric shock and shore power

1. Make the scene safe: switch off shore power/main breaker/fuse, or pull the plug. Do not touch the person until the power is off.
2. Check response and normal breathing. If unconscious/not breathing normally: call the emergency number and start CPR (use an AED).
3. Cool any burns (entry and exit wounds) with water and cover them.
4. Even if the person seems unhurt: seek medical assessment – current through the body can cause heart rhythm problems afterwards.

Sources: Helsenorge. Last checked: June 2026.

Adder, weever, ticks and jellyfish

Adder (European viper) bite

• Stay calm and move as little as possible – activity spreads the venom faster. Let the casualty be carried rather than walk.
• Call the emergency number for severe symptoms such as vomiting, dizziness, fainting, breathing problems or rapidly increasing swelling.
• Contact the poison information service/doctor for assessment after any adder bite, with a low threshold for children, the elderly, pregnant women, reduced general condition, or bites to the head/neck.

• Do not cut the bite.
• Do not suck out venom.
• Do not apply a tourniquet.

Weever fish sting

The venom is broken down by heat. Immerse the area in hot water, about 40–45 °C, as hot as tolerated without scalding – check the temperature with an uninjured body part first (especially on children). Treatment often lasts 30–45 minutes, sometimes up to 90 minutes, or until the pain clearly eases. Remove any visible spine remnants, clean the wound, and contact the poison information service or a doctor for strong/persistent pain, signs of infection or reduced general condition.

Jellyfish sting

• Rinse off tentacles with seawater (not fresh water), without rubbing.
• Relieve pain with hot water about 40–45 °C until the pain eases – 10–20 minutes is often enough, but treatment can continue up to about 30 minutes. Watch for scalding.

Ticks and tick removal

• Remove ticks quickly. The risk of Lyme borreliosis rises markedly once a tick has been attached for more than 12–24 hours.
• Grip the tick close to the skin with tweezers/a tick remover and pull straight out.
• Watch for a spreading red ring/rash, fever and feeling unwell in the following weeks – see a doctor if symptomatic.
• TBE vaccination should be considered for people frequently bitten by ticks in known risk areas, especially along the coast of southern Norway. Assess against current advice from the public health authorities/a doctor. There is a vaccine against TBE, but none against borreliosis.

Sources: poison information service, Helsenorge, Norwegian Institute of Public Health. Last checked: June 2026.

First aid for children and infants

• Child CPR: 5 initial rescue breaths, then 30:2 (laypeople), rate 100–120/min, compress about 1/3 of the chest depth.
• Infant (under 1 year): two fingers on the chest; for choking use back blows + chest thrusts, not the Heimlich.
• Adrenaline auto-injector (the person’s own): help the child use their own injector as instructed by the emergency services; 150 µg for 15–30 kg, 300 µg over 30 kg.
• Burns/fever: children cool down more easily – use lukewarm water and keep the rest of the body warm.
• Have a low threshold for calling the emergency number – children can deteriorate quickly.

Sources: ERC Guidelines 2025, Norwegian Resuscitation Council, Helsenorge. Last checked: June 2026.

What a boat first aid kit should contain

A good maritime first aid kit covers bleeding, burns, cooling and wound care, and withstands damp and salt. Choose a level based on where you go and how far you are from help.

Distinguish between emergency action (what you do), equipment (what you carry) and prevention (what you plan). Equipment must be combined with training, practice and correct distress alerting.

Recommended equipment by boat type

Equipment alone does not make a boat safe, and it does not replace training. Combine knowledge, practice and alerting with equipment suited to your trip. Below are relevant product groups from Sikkerhet Om Bord.

Relevant equipment from Sikkerhet Om Bord

Remember: Equipment must be combined with training, practice and correct distress alerting. No product makes a boat safe on its own.

Sources

The content is checked against recognised professional sources. Sources checked: June 2026.

Frequently asked questions