The sill of my companionway is well below the level of the seats. I have to put in the first slider before I feel comfortable in a seaway.
I suspect that companionway has 3 boards, first to the level of the seats, second to the level of the cockpit sides. Get nervous, put in a board.
A plus to that design is that it all drains out the back. My cockpit drains through two holes of questionable adequacy - both blocked by cover plates and a cockpit grating. Another one of those things I've been meaning to address.