A small boat goes over faster than most people expect. One big wave, the wake of a passing ship, or weight that was never balanced properly, and you are in the water within seconds. What you do in the next two minutes matters more than anything else that day.
Take one deep breath and count people. Do not swim away from the boat while you search. Call names, look around the hull, and check underneath it, because someone can end up trapped in the air pocket and need pulling out.
Life jackets come before anything else. If yours is on, help whoever is not wearing one. With children, keep everyone holding the same line or the same side of the hull so nobody drifts off alone.
This is the mistake that kills most people. The beach looks close, so someone decides to swim it. A hull floats and shows up against the water; a head does not. Even when the shore looks near, current and swell push you somewhere else entirely.
A capsized boat usually keeps floating, and it gives you something to hold and something rescuers can see. Stay with it, and keep the whole group with it.
If the boat has settled on its side, try climbing on top. Getting your body out of the water keeps you warmer and gives you a view of what is coming and where help might appear. Do not stand. Sit or lie flat and spread your weight.
Before you climb, make sure the hull is not shifting with every move and that no wire or propeller is waiting under your foot. If it feels like it is going down further, get back in the water and hold the line instead.
Gulf water is warm in summer, but the body loses heat over hours, and winter is a different situation entirely. Press against the others and keep as much of yourself out of the water as you can.
If your phone is in a waterproof pouch, press the SOS button in the B7R app. Treat it as one tool in your plan, not as proof that somebody is already on the way.
A whistle, a torch, or anything reflective works better than shouting. Shouting drains you and the swell swallows the sound; a whistle carries much further.
Do not try to right the boat alone in the water. Wait for help or another boat. If the decision is yours, kill the engine first, close the fuel, and clear anything heavy that could fall on you. Often the safer move is to tow the hull to shore upside down rather than risk a second capsize.
Once you are back, go through what happened. Was the weight spread evenly? Were you close to a wake? Was the sea bigger than forecast? Those questions change how you plan the next trip.
Most capsizes start with a small decision made before launch: too much weight, or heading out on a day the sea was already building. The B7R app gives you sea state, tides for Shuaiba and Shuwaikh ports, a fish guide, a catch log and navigation tools, and it is free on Google Play: download the app.