ABOUT US

What is a ditch kit? Also known as an abandon ship bag, The term “ditch kit” is a relatively new term in the aviation and marine industry used to describe a survival kit.

Ditch kits have been around in one form or another for thousands of years. Modern day Ditch kits typically contain life saving gear such as food and water rations, first aid kits, navigation tools like compasses and GPS, signaling devices like flares and smoke, communication equipment like VHF radios and satellite phones and of course satellite locator beacons also known as EPIRB’s. 

There is no one size fits all solution to maritime survival. The farther you travel offshore, the more gear you will need in the event that disaster strikes. Your cruising profile is used to determine the type of gear you will need onboard your vessel or packed into your raft in the event of an emergency at sea.

Ever since man has taken to the high seas,  he has recognized the need for certain basic essentials in the event that his vessel was consumed by harsh sea conditions.

Ancient mariners knew the dangers of travel upon the high seas. They were no strangers to ditch kits but we’re pretty sure that they called them something else. They would have been very basic, emergency water and some type of food ration, a knife, and something to make fire with.

Global Survival Systems is a maritime safety and survival outfitter.

In 2011, Miami, Florida based Global Survival Systems developed an ultra comprehensive maritime safety and survival solution, The Ditch Kit®.  

The Ditch Kit® is a unique line of custom-built multi purpose ocean survival kits. While its foundation is anchored in safety and survival, The Ditch Kit® also features communication, navigation, medical, convenience and repair components. It can be modified and tailored to meet the needs of all private and commercial mariners including law enforcement and military agencies. Our ditch kits are many years in the making with technical advice and input from the U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Navy, local marine patrol, and professional captains.

“Your safety and survival is our mission. Every time one of our ditch kits goes out the door, I know that someone just dramatically improved their chances of being rescued in the event of an emergency" Captain Dan Cohen

The Ditch Kit® features only the finest survival gear produced by industry leading safety and survival manufacturers.
It is organized in a systematic and efficient manner to facilitate rescue in an emergency situation. All too often, the media covers a story concerning a rescue or disaster at sea. Headlines of unprepared vessels and crew are enough to realize the absolute necessity for The Ditch Kit®.

Global Survival Systems was established in 2011 by Captain Dan Cohen.

A lifelong survival enthusiast and Miami Beach native, Cohen is a U.S. Coast Guard licensed Captain, PADI Dive Master and Rescue Diver.
In addition, Captain Cohen has an ISAF certification in offshore personal survival received at the U.S. Naval Academy.

With more than 30 years of extensive coastal and offshore cruising, Captain Dan recognized that there was a void in the maritime industry for a comprehensive survival kit. Most of the kits at the time were ditch bags lacking critical gear and tossed together in a manner that was not easy to deploy in an emergency. This prompted Cohen to develop an integrated, carefully organized and easy to deploy safety and survival solution, The Ditch Kit®. As a further commitment to our customer’s safety, we offer the only FREE lifetime product expiration notification service on the planet.

“Disaster never announces itself,” says Captain Dan Cohen, “we design and build every ditch kit as though a life depends on it because someday yours might.”