Re: [Paddlewise] Swim for it?

I found the discussion about swimming to shore with or without a PFD to be
rather amusing.  One argument suggested that since hypothermia limits survival
time in the water, consideration should be made regarding discarding a PFD in
order to be able to swim faster and reduce the amount of time in the water.
Obviously, if a swimmer can't swim that far in the limited time before
hypothermia sets in, the paddler would be better advised to come up with a
alternate survival plan.    But I think the significance of wearing or not
wearing a PFD pales in light of the fact that most of us are poor swimmers and
do not know how far or fast we can swim.

Making a judgment to swim based on an inflated assessment of your swimming
skills could be a big mistake.  Maybe because I used to be a lifeguard in my
younger days I now find it difficult to accept the fact that I can no longer
swim very far.  From time to time I get inspired to get into better shape and
recover my swimming skills.  So I go to the gym and swim in a pool.  And each
time I'm shocked to discover that I can only swim a few laps before I must
stop to catch my breath.  And this is in a pool with heated water!

I like to think that I have enough technical skills that I should be able to
stay in my boat, or get back into my boat, and therefore I should never need
to swim to safety.  I frequently practice a variety of rolls.  And several
times a year I practice reentry skills with my paddling partners.  Sometimes
we even practice in rough water.   Yet I must admit, swimming could be a
survival skill that I might need.  And since I believe having strong skills is
as important as having dependable equipment, I would strongly encourage
paddlers to maintain their swimming skills.  As a bare minimum, paddlers
should find out how far they can swim in the water conditions they paddle in.
Any we should learn this by doing it rather than by merely reading or talking
about it.

Ask yourself, when was the last time you swam a quarter mile?   A quarter mile
does not look like a long distance when you are sitting in your boat, but it
can seem like infinity when you are in cold water and are out of breath.

I want to thank the contributors to this forum for inspiring me.  I had other
plans this morning, but now I will be heading to the gym for another pool
session.  This will be the first of several pool sessions because I won't be
able to regain my swimming skills in a day, or a week.   Realistically, I'm
looking at a long term commitment here.

Soon to be humbled again,

Patrick Martin
Moorpark, CA
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