Random Thought: Writing Conventions

I have been watching a tv programme where the characters crash a hot air balloon into the ocean off a tropical island.

You see the crash and then two of the characters wake up in the surf.

My random thought is is it just a writing convention to:

allow time to pass, you crash, swim about a bit, end up on the beach, fall asleep and then wake up the following morning.

Or

You fall unconscious in the ocean during the crash and then get swept onto the beach where you regain conciousness.

You see this happens all the time in this sort of shipwrecked stories. So if the plot is actually written according to the latter premise I remain unconvinced of the practicality of that survival technique.

Thinking logically if you fall unconscious in the ocean you would drown. I have no intention of testing the premise myself or of encouraging others to test it themselves. I would however be interested in any professional opinions.

Perhaps this falls into the same category as the convention where any plane punctured at cruising altitude sucks large objects through small holes. This theory was debunked on BBC 2's (US:Discovery Channel) 'Myth busters'.