PayPal safe?

Yes!.....sounds super scammy to me too!! I've even heard a lot of scammers use that "I'm in the military" line and try to do a Western Union deal.

What I would do is.....have him send a personal check or cashier's check in the mail, take it to your bank and let it sit there for about 5 days to make sure it clears. He knows where you are, he knows your bank. There's really not much of a risk on his part. There's definitely no rush here.....he's at sea, right? LOL