BrianK wrote:

If you consider the distance of any deck from the sea, it's rather like
an inexperienced person performing a high dive. If they don't manage to
break the surface tension of the sea, it's like making a high dive into
solid concrete. Something is going to get broken. Add to this shock if
the water is very cold and it is a rare case indeed that there is
survival. If injury from the fall doesn't render the individual unable
to swim effectively, the shock of cold water can cause the mouth to
involuntarily open for some. Drowning is another possibility. If the
fall is not fatal, but results in a broken arm or leg that's not good.
Efforts to swim can signal sharks as they are attuned to the swim
patterns of the injured.

One thing I noticed on a couple of people who were pulled out of the
water; each of them had a collapsed lung. I assume, this is from the
impact of hitting the water. They are lucky they lived.

Becca