A group of castaways clings to the remains of a shattered ship, their raft tossed on immense, cresting waves beneath a sky ablaze with the light of sunrise. One figure wears a turban and another has a full beard, details that mark out individual identities among the group. The waves rise in green and blue arcs, their foam catching the golden and orange glow that fills the sky and reflects across the water's surface.

In the left foreground, a wave surges forward, its translucent crest tinged with yellow light, while to the right, the sea is calmer, the water gleaming with streaks of sunlight. The sky dominates the upper half of the canvas, swirling with clouds in fiery reds, oranges, and yellows, as the sun breaks through after the storm. Brushwork is fluid and energetic, with sweeping strokes that capture the movement of water and the shifting atmosphere.

The composition places the fragile raft and its occupants low in the frame, emphasizing the vastness and power of the surrounding sea and sky. The far left edge of the painting is shrouded in deep shadow, with hints of green and blue blending into the darkness. To the right of the raft, a faint silhouette of a distant wave rises, its crest illuminated by the yellow sunlight.

The lower right corner of the canvas is almost entirely dark, with only subtle reflections of green and gold on the water's surface. The paint is applied more thinly in the sky, allowing soft transitions between the orange and yellow hues of the clouds. Fine, white lines of foam trace along the tops of several waves, emphasizing their motion and energy. Warm tones dominate the painting, softening the menace of the sea and making the chance of survival seem real.

The artist achieves a sense of the ocean's magnitude by flooding the large canvas with intense color and dramatic light.