People can get lost at sea if:
- their small boat cannot handle big waves
- their boat gets a leak in it
- their boat breaks down mechanically
- their boat hits a reef
- ocean floating garbage, especially plastics or fish netting, fouls the propeller
- a fisherman on board fouls the propeller
- a rouge wave overturns the boat
- a huge storm overturns the boat
- a whale jumps out of the water in an act called breaching so they can see above the water, and lands accidentally on the boat (recently happened to a yacht)
- the crew got lost, couldn't read charts
- another bigger ship runs into a smaller boat and either doesn't notice or flees the scene
- the captain forces passengers overboard
- the passengers fall overboard
- they might have dropped their compass in the ocean
and so, there is noway to get back to the dock.
