" would be reluctant to follow the advice of someone who is not there, or trained in S&R."

If you're about to be toast - you'll probably take guidance from a Girl Scout if it will get you out of hot water :-)

I guess my final comment is this ... I've had my own share of very close calls. Some in the mountains, some under the oceans. In those moments when I was pretty close to being in "the wrong place at the wrong time" I remember doing some heavy duty praying. I remember being scared, praying hard, and trying to survive - all at the same time. It's not pleasant. The primal forces of fear and "survival instinct" tend to take over. It's hard to control them. You find yourself breathing very hard, and things are happening in slow motion. Or so it seems.

Does prayer help in that situation? I can't give any simple rational explanation for what it does. But it was important to me - so I did it, and I'm glad I did. We're finite human beings. you can't see all the anwers from this side of life.

good luck,
Pete2