Looking for help on ocean temps

[DragonClaw]

Hi, I'm a writer and I'm writing a part of a story that involves being adrift in the ocean.

They were survivors from a military ship sinking.
I've written that the waters were cold, I'm thinking 40-55F.

Somehow two of them manage to float on debris. Imagine it took months to do, but they found a tropical island.

I don't know what month or time frame this was (plot is set near present time), but I'm looking for advice on how this could be possible (maybe even paths they might have taken). Thanks in advance!

If I need to change a few things, I can do that.

 

[Steve_C]

For boats operating in cooler water there are survival suits.

For a month they need to get out of the water no matter what. Maybe some large piece of debri. LIke large insulated box. Maybe able to get on a life boat.

They need some source of food be it catching fish or provisions.

They need to get out of the sun. Perhaps a tarp etc.

They need a source of fresh water.

 

[DragonClaw]

Steve, I have pretty much the survival component nailed, they very quickly get rescued by dolphins and find large debris they can get dry on.

They aren't in the navy, they're actually in dress uniforms of a paramilitary force.

I'm looking for info on how they could end up on a tropical island after being in such cold waters.

 

[ThatDogDontHunt]

Steve, I have pretty much the survival component nailed, they very quickly get rescued by dolphins and find large debris they can get dry on.

They aren't in the navy, they're actually in dress uniforms of a paramilitary force.

I'm looking for info on how they could end up on a tropical island after being in such cold waters.

Maybe check into info on icebergs. They start in cold water and drift to warmer (not warm) water. It takes them 2 to 3 years...

Iceberg migration - Canada.ca

 

[DragonClaw]

Maybe check into info on icebergs. They start in cold water and drift to warmer (not warm) water. It takes them 2 to 3 years...

Iceberg migration - Canada.ca

Was looking for something in the 3-6 (up to 9 month range)

 

[diversteve]

If you sink the ship in the middle of the Pacific or the East Coast of Australia - it's cold but there's a warm current that doubles back on itself and cuts through remote areas between Asia and Australia b4 rounding Africa.
Lots of uninhabited small islands to choose from - just south of the word "CURRENT". Also some highly populated ones if you want to throw in a little excitemet - oil tankers and container ships take miles to stop. We've dodged them in the Gulf Stream on a dive boat - they're huge and slightly intimidating. Probably see more on the route from the China ports to the western US though - although there must be China/Australia traffic also.The Gulf Stream runs the wrong way for your story - starts in the Carib and ends in the North Atlantic.

 

[DragonClaw]

If you sink the ship in the middle of the Pacific - it's cold but there's a warm current that doubles back on itself and cuts through remote areas between Asia and Australia b4 rounding Africa.
Lots of uninhabited small islands to choose from.
View attachment 522569

This looks perfect. Thank you very much.

 

[DragonClaw]

If you sink the ship in the middle of the Pacific or the East Coast of Australia - it's cold but there's a warm current that doubles back on itself and cuts through remote areas between Asia and Australia b4 rounding Africa.
Lots of uninhabited small islands to choose from - just south of the word "CURRENT". Also some highly populated ones if you want to throw in a little excitemet - oil tankers and container ships take miles to stop. We've dodged them in the Gulf Stream on a dive boat - they're huge and slightly intimidating. Probably see more on the route from the China ports to the western US though - although there must be China/Australia traffic also.The Gulf Stream runs the wrong way for your story - starts in the Carib and ends in the North Atlantic.
View attachment 522569

I see your edit. I'm not sure what excitment they will run into. One of them has retrograde amnesia. They're also a police-ish kind of force in a world where everyone has magic. So, that's gonna be fun. They end up getting separated near islands by a storm, though. One makes his way back to his people (kinda) because the island was inhabited, the other became local superstition and people thought the island was haunted (his attempts at rescue, ironically) and stays out there for a bit. Maybe he'll be found by book 2.

Would Orcas be a threat (if they're taking the Pacific path? Are they out there?)I like orcas.

I wonder what they'll come across. How often they almost get rescued.