RE: [Paddlewise] saved by WETSUIT !!!

A PFD is your back-up buoyancy should you remain in the water for any length
of time. A human body is mostly water so weighs little when in the water.
Add a human's fat content (more for Mark) which has inherent buoyancy and
only a small amount of redundant buoyancy is needed to support a body in the
water. Around 30 pounds or a little more is reasonably sufficient in jumbly
water. 

Any PFD is better than no PFD; a PFD that provides adequate buoyancy in
steep sea states is even better (usually has inflatable buoyancy
compartments); a PFD that keeps the swimmer's head facing above-water if
unconsciousness ensues is best.

As equally important or correspondingly beneficial where there is more
chance of getting wet in cold water, a base layer of insulation and an
overlayer of raingear is better than just a shirt and shorts; a Farmer
John/Jane with paddling jacket or drysuit with a base layer reasonably
insulative enough is still better; a full-on survival suit probably best.
There's an overlap of buoyancy depending upon the combination worn. 

Performance athlete's face some tough (as do recreational sea kayakers on a
hot day on cold water) choices and as such had best to err on the side of
caution when approaching rough water, anticipating the possibility of
encountering rough water, or making for a long crossing or attempting
passages where gap winds could play havock. This sadly has not been the case
where performance paddlers end up in the water. There is always a lack of
prudence evident and a failure, one presumes, to anticipate the consequences
of a capsize. For routine training sessions, a chase boat should be
mandatory, or at least well considered. Where this is not practical, perhaps
routes should be revised. Perhaps a land-based activity is more appropriate
for those who can't comprehend cold-water dynamics. Where individuals or
groups of paddlers train in colder, jobbly waters with wind, such as surf
ski paddlers who do indeed challenge big water routinely, high-skill/superb
reboarding skills are a real necessity. 

There really is no good, better, best when it comes to cold water survival.
There are choices, adherences to safety norms, and compromises in gear
selection where performance requirements dictate certain practicalities. The
authorities recognize the importance of personal floatation devices, it may
overstate them in some cases, but the recognition is for both active boaters
(us) and inactive boaters (power boaters). Chuck understands the importance
of PFD's but feels there should be more awareness and official recognition
for cold water immersion protection. This is fair enough.

I doubt there will ever be regulations regarding immersion protection. There
might be a push in the next few years toward the mandatory wearing of PFD's
given the number of boating fatalities and the high cost associated with
these losses. Enforcement officers would certainly have an easier time as
they would instantly be able to see the PFD being worn or not (infraction)
as opposed to the time-consuming checking over of the vessel.  

I know first hand what it is like to suffer the loss of nerve conduction,
fine motor skills and the loss of appendage muscle contraction. The less
protection and the less buoyancy you have works quickly against you and in
real wind and waves it can be difficult to hang on to your boat as well as
difficult to facilitate corrective stroke action to avoid head and facial
water threats to breathing. A savvy paddler knows survival ultimately
equates to timely removal from the cold water environment, rather than
finding ways to increase thermal protection and retaining body heat.

I can't answer the question(s) raised lately. What is less safe? I can ask a
question: death from cold water immersion is a real possibility so are you
more safe wearing a PFD or immersion apparel? I'll take the PFD with good
buoyancy that minimizes my immersion and keeps my airway less susceptible
both during the initial cold shock period as well as later if self-rescue is
delayed and waves start to overwhelm during the fatigue phase;
correspondingly, reasonable immersion protection and head/hand protection
should allow functionality for timely self-rescue, help lessen cold-shock,
and mitigate against cascading failure during difficulties and delayed
rescue (by whatever means) from the cold water. 

Doug Lloyd

On Tue, Feb 15, 2011 at 8:56 AM, skimmer <skimmer_at_enter.net> wrote:

> He was in the water somewhat beyond his 1-10-1 time limit
>

Despite calling for help almost immediately and the dive team arriving at a
launch spot a mile away it took over 2 hours to get him out of the water.
This guy would have been a dead duck if he hadn't been wearing a wet suit (I
presume "farmer john").

So... my question for people who claim that a PFD is the "best" way to
survive in cold water... do they think that wearing a drysuit or a FJ in
addition to a PFD is actually less safe?

Craig Jungers
Moses Lake, WA
www.nwkayaking.net
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