Re: [Paddlewise] wearing PFDs in hot weather

I don't wear my PFD in the bath.  I seldom wear my PFD in the pool.  I may or
may not wear my PFD at the local pond.  I always wear my PFD in cold water or
cold air or rough water.  It is a risk based continuum, in which I balance
comfort against safety.

If one were to take all paddling fatalities in the last few years, subtract
those that involved alcohol, collisions with motorized craft, cold water, cold
air, moving water, rough water or surf, I expect that you would come up with a
very short list.  Then take this list and shorten it further by eliminating
those who would not have survived despite wearing a PFD.  The resulting list
would be so short, in fact, that for a skilled paddler the difference in risk
between paddling in benign conditions with PFD handy rather actually in use
would be trivial.

The problem with my approach is that it does not cover the majority of paddlers
who are neither skilled  nor knowledgeable and thus may not be able to make a
sound risk assessment.  To keep them reasonably safe while they develop as
paddlers, it is very useful to get them into the habit of always wearing a PFD.
This is done formally by promoting an "Always wear your PFD" rule during
instruction and trips, and also informally by simply being seen to be wearing a
PFD while paddling in public.

Perhaps a skilled paddler would not significantly benefit from wearing a PFD in
benign conditions, but by doing so and setting an example, unskilled paddlers
who would benefit from wearing a PFD at all times will be encouraged to do so.
Thus I find myself in the seemingly odd position of usually wearing my PFD when
in public, but not wearing it when in benign conditions in the middle of
nowhere.

Cheers,
Richard Culpeper
NEW ADDRESS
culpeper_at_tbaytel.net
www.tbaytel.net/culpeper


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