HEY! OVER HERE!

Knowing These 10 Distress Calls Might Save Your Life

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While we sincerely hope that you never find yourself in a situation where you might need to cry for help, it is essential to know how to do it properly. This knowledge is not only just for oneself but also to recognize a distress signal coming from others. Scroll down to learn the meaning of ten signals, from the world-famous S.O.S. to more specific ways to call for help.

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We will start with the most universally recognized distress signal, typically transmitted via Morse code in a sequence of three dots, followed by three dashes, and then followed by another three dots (· · · − − − · · ·).

Many people believe that S.O.S. stands for "Save Our Souls" or "Save Our Ship", but in reality, these letters don’t stand for anything. The reason for this combination of letters lies in the fact that it is easily recognizable, it can be repeated continually and no other command uses it.

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Another easily recognizable distress signal, thanks in no small part to movies and television, is Mayday. The term was invented in 1923 when England and France needed to agree on a good distress signal that could be easily understood by everyone.

S.O.S. was already in use, but that signal could not be adopted because the letter 'S' was hard to distinguish over the telephone, especially in a chaotic emergency situation. Enter May-day, which is the phonetic equivalent of "M'aidez", the French for "Help me."

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Pan-Pan calls (pronounced "pahn-pahn") are used for urgent situations that are not life-threatening. When someone aboard a boat, ship, aircraft, or other vehicle uses this signal, they are conveying that they need help and that the situation is urgent, but for the time being, does not pose an immediate danger to anyone's life or to the vessel itself.

Radioing "pan-pan" informs potential rescuers that an urgent problem exists, whereas "mayday" calls indicate that all other activities should be dropped to immediately begin a rescue. To declare pan-pan correctly, the caller repeats it three times: "Pan-pan, pan-pan, pan-pan."

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Not all alert calls are emitted by the person or vessel in need of rescue. Sécurité (often repeated three times, "Sécurité, sécurité, sécurité") is a procedure term used in the maritime radio service that warns the crew that the following message contains important safety information.

This warning is commonly used by coast radio stations before the broadcast of navigational warnings and meteorological information.

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Yet another example of an alert signal that is not emitted by the vessel in distress, is the Mayday Relay. This call is issued by a third party on behalf of another vessel or aircraft that is unable to do so.

Mayday Relays are typically issued to the Coast Guard or any other authority with jurisdiction over the area, to notify them of the situation taking place.

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In radio terminology, "Break, Break, Break" is the expression used when interrupting in the middle of a non-distress communication because you have an emergency.

This expression serves as a way of saying, "Sorry to interrupt your conversation but there is an emergency going on and I need your help".

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The communication Mayday Relay Relay is used when relaying a Mayday message to a second vessel or station if the initial relay has not been successful and needs to be re-transmitted.

Sometimes, the distances that need to be reached are too far, or weather conditions complicate the relay. In these situations, a Mayday Relay Relay may be used by a vessel requesting assistance for a third party in distress.

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While the use of flags as a means of communication on ships was more common back in the day, when radio communications were not available, some major flag signals still need to be known by those responsible for sailing a vessel.

The most urgent code for help is the "N" flag arranged over the "C" flag, which is used to communicate the International Code Signal of distress.

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A signal that was used before S.O.S. was adopted universally, CQD originated from the signal CQ, which expressed "seeking you," or "all stations." The signal CQ was commonly used among wireless operators as a time-saving means of addressing all stations with a single signal.

The ability of CQ to convey distress was eventually diminished by frequent use. Therefore, in 1904, Guglielmo Marconi's wireless company announced the distress signal CQD would be used, signifying "Seeking you. Distress!".

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An ancient device like a signaling mirror has saved innumerable lives and continues to be an invaluable resource in emergencies all over the world.

To use a signaling mirror, hold it in your hand and slowly bring the mirror up to your eye while making sure that the reflective surface is not obscured by your hat or fingers. Then, tilt the mirror up toward the sun, until you see a small bead of light. Once you've found the bead of light, move it toward your intended target (be it a plane or searcher), and keep the bead of light in view as you do this. Move the mirror in such a way that the target understands that you are voluntarily trying to contact them.

Don't swallow that!

Drink coffee every day? Here's something you need to know!

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There's a common misconception about coffee and tea that many people still believe. It has long been said that these delicious infusions cause dehydration. Luckily for all coffee lovers, this is a myth!

It turns out that the caffeine present in coffee and tea is indeed a diuretic, which causes you to go to the bathroom more often. However, you'd need to consume large amounts —far more than most people typically drink— to become dehydrated.

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Fortunately, our stomachs can't tell time; what matters is eating healthy and trying to finish meals at least 2-3 hours before going to bed, regardless of your bedtime.

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