What conflicts does the seafarer experience?

In "The Seafarer," the sailor experiences a great many conflicts.
Many of these conflicts arise from his struggles with nature, as well as his loneliness in being away from those he loves:

That man does not know, to whom things happen most pleasantly on land, how I, wretched and sorrowful, on the ice-cold sea
wandered in winter on the paths of an exile, bereft of beloved kinsmen, hung about with icicles; hail flies in showers.

The narrator compares his experience of life to that of someone who spends all his or her time on land. He points out that the sea provides trials that most people would not understand. He describes the cold of winter on the ocean, and his sadness is evident in the phrase "wretched and sorrowful." He describes the brutality of nature in icicles that hang on the ship, as well as showers of hail that pummel the sailors.
He also speaks to his lack of society as a sailor. He describes the "paths of an exile"—"exile" usually refers to one that has been forcibly removed from society. In this case, however, the reader can assume that the seafarer's solitary existence is his own choice. He misses "the laughter of men." He suffers not only from separation from society at large but also in being "bereft of beloved kinsmen"—he is unable to see his family.
This poem describes the hardships and conflicts that the seafarer faces with nature and loneliness, but later it also reflects his joy living on the sea and the adventures such a life presents.