[nolanpro]

Excellent read. Just a few more pointers from personal experience. When over water, "pencil" your body, feet first, at the very last second. Molecules of atmosphere, which are your friend at 120mph, are not so much when they are of water.

Also the author didn't mention my favorite survivor Juliane Koepcke. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juliane_Koepcke

[ParrotyError]

I've never been on the offshore survival course where they teach you how to jump off an oil platform into the sea and survive, but allegedly they tell you to cover your mouth firmly with the palm of your hand and pinch your nostrils closed tight between your thumb and fingers. Apparently when you hit the cold water your natural reaction is to breath in. Also, you must prevent water being forced up your nostrils and damaging your brain etc.

[srvlsct]

This is what the Marine's teach when they abandon ship http://www.survivalscout.com/guides/terrain/ocean/abandoning...

Basically cross your arms, legs and look forward

[siphor]

I tried this on a ~60ft cliff jump and punched myself in the eye. Also got the wind knocked out of me

[anigbrowl]

I'll stick with drugs thanks, sounds much safer

[scythe]

Maybe use your elbow? It's not a perfect cover, but it's impossible to hit yourself.

[MaxfordAndSons]

I can't help but think this would get your shoulder dislocated or lats torn.

[ufmace]

I have been. You do get to practice that jump off of a moderately high diving board, I forget exactly how high it is. But it's legs together, feet pointed down, one arm with the hand over your face pinching your nose and the other held tight to your stomach. Nobody mentioned doing anything special on entering the water, besides the obvious of swimming to the surface after you stop.

[__derek__]

Not so different than avalanche survival, then. If you can't avoid going under, protect your available air when you do.

[rosser]

The thing that kills most people who are "simply" buried in an avalanche (and not pulped as they're carried through the tries or into a rock) is actually the CO₂ concentration in the snow around their nose and mouth building up over time.

I have a piece of avalanche survival kit made for skiers/snowboarders called the "AvaLung" in my off-piste bag. It draws air in from around the face, and vents your exhalations out behind you. People have survived being buried an hour or more wearing one of those.

[evincarofautumn]

I’ve also seen cliff divers saying to clench your buttocks as tightly as you can; apparently it helps keep your legs rigid so you don’t knee yourself in the face, and may reduce the likelihood of internal injury from impact to the perineal area.

[Neliquat]

Or a forceful enema.

[goldesel]

I immediately thought of her too. She tells her story in Werner Herzog's "Wings of Hope": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rlJVIcCPIl8

[strictnein]

Another key thing is to open your legs soon after entering the water to slow your decent. Don't stay in that pencil position or you're likely to go deeper than you really want to.