> Here goes a question for all paddlers in this list. > Have any of you ever been in a situation where you would have perished > without a PFD? No, not yet. But it is possible. I can not swim 5 miles without rest or fins. I can swim 1 mile fairly easily in virtually any condition. In the event of no rescuing service, with a PFD (or for that matter a pool noodle) and compass, I can survive situations that I could not hope to survive without. And this particularly kayaking incident, at this particular location, is *exactly* that kind of situation. Now, like you mentioned, had he been unconcious, survival, even with PFD, would be unlikely; but I doubt that was the case. Most probably, he capsized, was unable to get back on with the wave action, lost his grip on the boat, and drowned while trying to chase his boat being blown away from him at high speed. > Just to clarify my point, I am not saying that PFD's should not be used. > PFD's are very valuable to help rescuing victims, and it is a good idea > to wear them all the time. But I refuse to believe that the lack of a PFD > is the cause of any fatality, specially in regards to type III's. Question: What PFD would you recommend then for warm water use? Richard Walker Houston, TX *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************Received on Tue Oct 06 1998 - 15:24:20 PDT
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