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Photo courtesy of Wired2Fish.com
Terry lived on Guam for about ten years. During that time, she joined and participated in an Outrigger Canoe Racing team. She says they NEVER wore PFDs.
And also, that during races, some races involved: “change-out,” where some of the paddlers jumped out of the boat and were left behind, while replacement paddlers, who had been swimming and waiting for the boat, entered the boat from the water, and continued paddling.
Since sometimes these races take place miles offshore, the lack of PFDs, and the lack of paddlers drowning, is notable.
But these paddlers and swimmers were EXPECTING to jump into or leave the water, and they practiced it regularly. And the racing boats are accompanied by support boats, that are available to pick up paddlers if any accident happens.
Most people who drown are not expecting to enter the water. The Coast Guard even classifies them as “Unexpected Entry into the Water” events.
The historical record shows that 80 percent of all boat drowning victims were NOT WEARING a PFD. And some of the rest WERE wearing a PFD, but it wasn’t secured, zipped or tied onto them. They were wearing it loose, expecting to be able to zip it up if they ever fell into the water. For some reason, either they were knocked unconscious when they fell into the water, or the rush of the water was too powerful, and the life jacket slipped off of them. Dozens of times every year we read reports of boats and life jackets recovered separately while the people drowned.
Many Youtube videos show that “Unexpected” entry into the water usually involves some amount of violence, either the boat hits a rock or tree, or some other boat or skier hits them. You can NOT expect that you will be conscious if you unexpectedly enter the water. The expectation is that you will enter the water smoothly and safely. “Unexpected” almost always implies that there was violence of some kind.
And you can’t fall back on the excuse that you are a strong swimmer, and can expect to swim to safety if you unexpectedly enter the water. As we have been mentioning, that “unexpected” part implies that some violence accompanied the “falling into the water” part, and that very often indicates that you might not be conscious or capable of swimming when you enter the water.
Get a PFD. Make sure it fits and is comfortable, so you will wear it while paddling. Get one that will hold your head above water if you are unconscious. I’ve seen belt-like “flotation devices” or inflatable PFDs that automatically inflate if they contacted water that would hold a person upside down if they managed to fall into the water with them.
As a kayaker, when AREN’T you going to be in contact with the water? When I tried one, it inflated within 5 minutes of starting to paddle, and was just as uncomfortable as a regular PFD.
Seriously. Wear a PFD. Wear a PFD. Wear a Freaking PFD.
Stay safe out there.
See you On The Water.
Harmon Everett