Ralph Diaz wrote: >...I was first in the group and paddled up to the low bridge and could see that the water was running through and under it too high for clearance and I paddled back a hundred feet or so to tell the others... >Again, I want to repeat that this was a calm day, calm water, September air and water temperatures which are both quite pleasant here. >My point is that there is no such thing as completely safe conditions on the water. Your situation and conditions can change in the blink of an eye. What a horror story Ralph! I'm glad you were strong enough to pull yourself and the boat all the way out of that situation. However, I would hardly think to call those "conditions" completely safe in the first place. Any time you've got a strong current (you said the water was "rushing under the bridge"), you've got potential trouble. Whether it be the threat of being separated from your kayak if you happen to flip and swim or, as in your case, there are obstacles. A PFD is essential in those conditions! What I would "tend" to call a completely safe condition is a currentless bay, in WARM water, with a group of safety conscious paddlers. Although, I still wouldn't want to call it "completely" safe I guess. Here in sunny Thailand, if you've survived the drive to the beach, you've already cheated death! Does anyone on this list have any horror stories about paddling in truly calm conditions, in warm water, with no current? I'm not trying to be a wise guy here, I really would like to hear them. Cheers, Dave Williams paddler_at_loxinfo.co.th http://paddleasia.com Phuket, Thailand *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************Received on Fri Aug 06 1999 - 07:15:38 PDT
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