Re: [Paddlewise] Maliqiaq and pfd's

>   What kind of message are you sending to beginning paddlers who watch the
>expert in the water without a pfd? They don't care that it's a small pond
>with people standing nearby to help. All they see is that this expert
paddler
>dosen't wear a pfd, so perhaps pfd's are only for beginners. And since they
>don't want to look like a beginner themselves, they won't wear one either!

    I assume, however, that all the other paddlers, Including some who were
spectating, were wearing their PFDs!
    Insofar as times when paddlers do not wear PFDs, this is so for
flatwater racing.  Participants in these sprints are exempt from wearing a
pfd during the competition (although some races may require that one be in
the boat).  Reason?  This is intense physical exertion.  Thermal properties
of a pfd could be sufficient to produce hyperthermia under such conditions.
Also, there is generally a chase boat in the vicinity for safety reasons.


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