I always write confirmation rather than conformation and suppliament rather than supplement. Plus I still struggle with punctuation and I have an English A'level
If something can be numbered, then it is fewer (for example, ships in the ocean). If it can't be numbered (such as water in the ocean) then it is less.
So there are fewer ships in the ocean than normal due to the bad weather, and there is less water in the sea as it is currently falling as rain in Gloucestershire.
S