Hey G-K do what you will but…
Wearing a PFD has naught to do with being a poor swimmer. I happen to be a very strong swimmer but my policy is to wear a PFD when I can. I apologize for not being able to communicate my point clearly and so will try again:
The best safety tool is our own common sense and good judgment. My policy is to wear a PFD when on the water. On the day in question, I started out trying to wear mine. I did all the time honored things which I had done over many years to protect from heat but found after less than an hour wearing the PFD I was getting dizzy and feeling as though I might pass out. I don’t naturally handle heat well and after removing the PFD felt steady. The point is, that notwithstanding our regular safety policies, the best approach is to assess each situation based on its own merits and respond accordingly. A policy of just not wearing a PFD because you are a good swimmer totally misses the lessons of centuries of going on water. There can be no doubt that many drownings in water activities could have been prevented by the wearing of PFD’s. I understand that a lot of acts of bravado are really just a way that people deal with fear, when actually the best approach is to deal with probability. As for me:
I fear each time I go to the water.
I fear an environment in which I cannot naturally survive.
Ifear the unknown road ahead.
I fear the accident that might overtake me.
I fear lack of common sense preparation.
I fear the reckless acts of others that endanger me.
I fear not having the skill and knowledge to keep myself away from peril.
I fear sudden changes in conditions that cannot be compensated for.
Mostly, I fear not having the judgment learn from the errors of the past and not respond accordingly.
PLEASE, WEAR A PFD UNLESS COMMON SENSE DICTATES OTHERWISE!
Pagayeur
You are wasting your time.
Watch urine output
If you are not peeing, time to drink more. Darker urine means you need to drink more. I paddled in Okinawa last June in 99 deg 99% humidity after coming from Reno where the air temps were maxing out in the 70s and in the 60s on Tahoe where I paddled. Almost bonked during a 20 mile crossing. I made it a point to drink every 15 minutes whether thirsty or not. Once I acclimated a bit I could go longer without water.
I drink lots of water when I get home
in the evening. When my body is dehydrated my first sign is that my legs will cramp. I can check this by stretching my legs out forcefully. Worst cases will result in toes crossing and cramping. This problem is solved by sipping water in small amounts. Many think that being dehydrated can be solved by dringing a lot of water at one time.
I always observe the color of urine which has only be effected by to much orange juice(vitamin C).
I have pressed the limits of my body for years scuba diving and I listen and look for warning signs. Some people do not understand and look for these. Rembering that I am alone most of the time I do not and can not rely on assistance.
Thanks for mentioning this valuable issue.
Richard
You are acclimated
You are used to a warm climate and, even within that, apparently a lot more heat tolerant than I am. There is also the issue of the ozone levels that often go with that weather - in some parts of the country the levels are enough to sap a lot of energy out of anyone with a history of asthma.
I understand your point
maybe I didn’t explain myself well.
On the Chattahoochee River here in Atlanta we have 2 dams. The river here is part of the National Park Service who requires a PFD to be worn for the first two miles below each dam.
I (mandatory) wear my PFD but I noticed the my body temp rises drastically and I dunk my hat in the water several time during these 2 miles and even pour water on my body and the PFD.
I have absolutely no fear of water. I respect it and never fight it. I let the water do what it does and deal with the situation in the best possible manner.
I don’t understand what goes through a persons mind who is not a good or comfortable swimmer when they go in the water but I know they become more calm when I exit my kayak and I’m in the water with them helping them. I realize that this puts me at risk but that’s the chance I’m always willing to take and my choice.
I know I have rattled some with my issues of not wearing a PFD but I do not consider my water skills normal. I swim and scuba dive all of the time. Kayaking…the PFD is bulky and gets in my way especially during a rescue.
Your remark about the rope attached is debateable because we know a rope in the water can be as much a liability as an asset which is why I didn’t mention it. I do know that if my PFD is in the bow of my kayak and I upset and exit the kayak the PFD is hard to get out because even after the kayak is turned over the PFD is trapped forward of the foot pegs and can’t easity be reached or extracted.
The whole issue with PFDs has good and bad points the same as seat belts. I have taken offense to those who believe that everyone on the water should wear one. This argument only applies to the logical. Most deaths related to recreational kayaking come from the stupidity of those would not read or listen to logic. Arguments have gone to the extreme and some have nothing to do with a kayaker wearing or not wearing a PFD.
It is good advice to wear a PFD but it is still a matter of choice.
probabilities
I agree when you write: It is good advice to wear a PFD but it is still a matter of choice. PFD’s are not mandatory in most places, so are a matter of choice. But when you imply that the question of whether wearing PFD’s or not, is equally debatable, you are dead wrong. We’ve monitored drownings for many years and always ask the question, “if this paddler had been wearing a PFD would they be alive today” and by an overwhelming majority the answer has been, yes. So, its not an equal debate. The odds are on your side when wearing a PFD. We cannot predict the future in any endeavor but understanding the probabilities is the next best thing. PFD’s don’t necessarily come into play when worn by a strong swimmer in good conditions. They are for when someone like you is injured and cannot save themselves or gets caught up in a bad situation and needs the extra floatation. PFD’s can keep your core temp up if caught in hypothermic conditions or can be a rescue harness. BTW, I’m a cert’d scuba diver and it’s beyond me how a diver can ignore safety devices in other sports such a paddling. Do you ignore probabilities when diving?
Different people have different…
heat tolerances.
My wife and I are completely the opposite when it comes to the heat.
We were both brought up in the same area up north. We both are just a year apart in age and we both are fit and in good shape.
She hates the heat and loves the cold, and if it wasn’t for her constant throwing water over her head, she could not paddle on a 90 degree day.
I love the heat and can paddle all day in 100 degree weather as long as my fluid intake and electrolight intake is proper, and I never have to dump water over me to cool down.
I thrive on riding a 100 miles on a bike on a hot day, where she wouldn’t even think of getting on the bike.
I wonder if it might possibly be the heart rate that controls the heat tolerance. My resting one is in the mid forties and hers is usually in the mid sixties.
I would be curious to know what yous is, and I am
guessing that it is low.
cheers,
JackL
If I "feared the water"
I had as many fears as you have I wouldn’t be paddling.
I have never yet left the shore when I feared the water, and when that day comes, I’ll get rid of all my boats.
On the PFD issue, it is your right to want to wear it at all times, but to join the group that belittles the rest of us for wearing it only when we think it is necessary is wrong.
You and many others that expouse the wearing of PFD’s every time we get on the water can only see in one direction.
In accordance with your PFD attitude, every time we go swimming at a beach, river or lake, we should be wearing a PFD.
I agree one hundred percent that a PFD should be worn, under certain circumstances, and I wear mine when I think it is necessary, but to wear it when I am in two or three feet of water or where I know I can make it to shore with a swim if I capsize would be absolutely stupid on my part.
Cheers,
JackL
Diving beyond the limits
I started diving in 1963 at the age of 15 in Bonita Springs,Fl. I first took a YMCA class but they wouldn't give me my certification until I turned 16. (I lied about my age to get in the class) In 1963 I purchased a Nemrod Snark III 2 hose 3 stage regulator and a 71.2 galv tank from Sears & Roebuck.
In 1963 I made my first open water dive alone in the Gulf of Mexico finaly reaching a depth of 140 ft several months later. I still dive alone, day and night. I consistently dive between the 140 and 230 ft range and made a 275 ft dive staying at that depth for 14 minutes ( totally lost my hearing for 7 weeks but kept diving). When I go diving I never wear a BCD unless I'm diving where there are strong currents. I never wore a diving horse collar in my life and never had any flotation device when I started diving. I've dropped many weight belts in the ocean because I ran out of air and had to swim to shore ( 71.2 cuft tanks were steel with negative buoyancy - full or empty). I purchased my 1st BCD in 1996. When diving the first two dives each day with an 80 cuft tank in less than 100 ft I never do a decompression stop and I follow my slowest bubble to the surface. I always make two dives each time I go diving and as soon as I can change tanks I'm back in the water. I dive to 150 in about 30 seconds by swimming down head first. I can clear my ears as fast as I can swim down. I follow my slowest bubble when surfacing which is around 75 ft/min. I have sucked more tanks dry below 100 ft than most divers have used. When I get in the boat my tanks usually don't have enough pressure to blow the water off the dust cap. As long as there is any pressure in the tank...fill stations will re-fill a tank. I still have some 2 hose regulators that I use on special occasions. I also do not have a safe 2nd on any of my regulators. I have never used NITROX. I still use a weight belt with Beauchat plastic coated weights. I never dive without a knife on my right shin.
BTW in 1964 (age 16) I spent 52 hours in the decompression chamber at St. Petersburg, Fl. On my 5th consecutive dive to 85 - 90 ft I ripped the supply hose off my two hose regulator, made an emergency ascent and got the bends. The USCG flew me to St. Pete.(1st heliocopter ride) The Dr"s said I was the youngest child who ever had a case of the bends much less one this severe and lived. They kept me in the hospital and Dr's from all over came to see me. The told me I would never dive again. 3 weeks later I was back in the water.
Don't even go the safety route with me on diving. Befors I started kayaking I was making 400-600 dives a year. And yes I am a certified PADI instructor, my card # is 866, which should tell you something. I believe the USN will also back my diving ability. I have made too many recovery dives for Police Depts and Highway Patrol I dive using the original USN dive tables. I don't use a dive computer and have broke more depth gages than you have probably seen.
Sometimes I still teach individuals how to dive after they become certified and when I do, I put them through the old ways test (HELL). By the time I am finished with them I will be able to rip their mask off underwater and shut their air off at 90 ft and they go to the surface safely.
If you want to learn to dive...take a course.
When you want to become a dam good no Bullshit diver...call me.
WOW I got a little carried away responding but safety has gone overboard on diving also. I do not dive around new divers so all is well. This response is my way of diving, its my life and not open for debate.
no, he’s super human
he can paddle a 12-foot rec. SOT something like 5 mph for days on end, even though it’s way beyond anything any other human can do. at 59, THE GEORGIA PEACH should be in china next year. my advice is to not compare yourself to such a superior paddler. he can do things that mortals can’t.
The heat is no problem…
for those that can take it of course. I don’t care for it much either, but like today, a heat index of 114+ will not come close to keeping me off the river. I’m planning a 17 mile trek tomorrow starting at 6am and the temp should reach the same as today. I wear my hat, glasses, sunscreen and drink lots of water. Yes, the PFD is on.
Here in the midwest…it gets TOASTY. In the winter? FREEZING. You learn to adapt to all of it. I also work out IN it so I guess I’m just used to it. If not…I would…MOVE.
But I’ll take a 65 degree fall morning every time.
Acclimation is the key in heat. In my
20’s , 30’s , and 40’s, I worked and played in the heat.Running several miles on a 95/95 day was not an issue. Now I have become a 98% air conditioned aging guy who has to be careful in the heat.