One unique aspect of drift ice is that the victim may have trouble relating their exact location to rescuers.

• A. Can always tell rescuers exactly where they are
• B. Has trouble relating their exact location to rescuers
• C. Is able to move to the shore unaided
• D. Urges rescuers to approach from a single direction

Answer: (B)

In drift ice, the surface you’re on is constantly moving with currents and winds, and there are few fixed landmarks to anchor your sense of where you are. That makes it easy for someone adrift to misjudge distance and direction or to lose track of their exact position relative to shore or rescue assets. Because of this shifting environment, the victim often cannot relay an exact location reliably to rescuers, which is why the statement that they have trouble relating their exact location to rescuers is the best description.

Think of it this way: a moving floe becomes your temporary home, but it doesn’t stay put long enough for a fixed reference point to develop. In real rescues, rescuers compensate by relying on external reference points, communications, GPS, or coordinated approaches rather than depending on the victim’s precise verbal location. The other ideas—being able to tell their exact location, moving unaided to shore, or directing rescuers to approach from one direction—assume conditions that aren’t guaranteed in drift ice scenarios.