Mayday Recovery

Healthy young dude doesn't mean shit. My friend died in high school of a heart attack. He was the CA state cross country champion that same year. He was in better shape than most people will ever be.

Do you even carry one on your kayak? That is required by law. It's easier to wear it than store it. If you show up at a hook up and don't wear it most of us will tell to put it on or you are not welcome to fish with us.

How heavy is your wet suit? 3 mil won't keep you warm very long in 50 degree water. If you have a problem with your boat and it sinks, which happens from time to time, how long do you think you have in a 3 mil suit? Do you wear a top and bottom? One piece? Farmer john with paddle top? Only a full suit or two piece will help you stay warm for any period of time. If you are in a FJ and paddle top I wish you luck surviving in the water very long. Pfd will at least help you float when you get weak and want to go to sleep. Even if you are close to shore and think you ca swim in do you take into consideration wind current and wave action. I bet not.

Be safe, Rob

 Who scoffed? I was never being rude.  I admitted I was new. People gave examples of what could happen and I was learning good reasons why it should be worn i never considered and you're going to throw in stuff like moron and clueless. I simply said I never considered it, it didnt seem that necesary, but would wear it if I went out far.


Rob. 7mm. No I don't carry one. Yet. I didnt even know it was the law. Never seen a diver with one and a couple people told me i wasnt required. Good advice and examples like that are better for convincing someone that being a dick.

Wilderness MEDIC... never seen anyone hit their head? Wading out to launch, slip and hit your head on a rock. Get clipped by a PB and hit it, or flip and bang it on the way into the drink. Without a PDF, what's to keep you from going face down and taking life's last drink ??

I've never been one to get down on someone NOT wearing a PFD, as long as they are aware of the tradeoffs in wearing or not wearing one.  Hitting my head and blacking out is way down on my list of tradeoffs.  I mean, what if someone wore a helmet, and didn't wear a PFD?

Situational awareness.

-Allen

Hypothetical: suppose there was a certification needed for kayaking out on the ocean. Hold on now, I'm not proposing that there be enforcement or regulation. I'm just suggesting a roadmap, for those who want to be prepared...

1) paddle your kayak in calm water, say in a lake or pool, and fall, flop, and roll out of it. With PFD. Figure out a good way to right your boat, then do it many times until it's absolutely not in question. Play with some other ways too.Then practice helping someone else out, helping them get on their boat, towing them, seeing if you can paddle with them on your boat.

2) Beg, borrow, or buy the minimum requisite equipment for paddling our waters. I would call the minimum a Farmer John suit or better, fleece top, paddling jacket, PFD, and marine radio.

3) Make your first excursions on the ocean deliberately. Calm conditions, friends along with you who know your experience level, and with the option to get back to the landing quickly if conditions change.

If you've done all that, good. You haven't mastered anything. You are now ready to begin.

Preaching to the choir, I know. But we can promote a standard, right?

Being one of the group "experts" in falling out of kayaks and recovering I am an avid believer in the PFD. It has held my head upright as my waders were filling up with water once and kept me afloat till help arrived. It also acts as a place to rest as you regain your composure when you hit real cold water.

And yes I agree with folks about slowly making your way into ocean kayaking and learn. Thank goodness for all the good teachers on this site. You all taught me well and I passed that knowledge on to my daughter who someday will join y'all when she finally gets her own kayak. She loves it, especially crabbing.

Over 200 of NCALs best and most experienced kayak anglers at GS8 and everyone wore a PFD, everyone was dressed for immersion and most had VHF radios. I never rag on people for not having the proper skills or equipment but neither would I fish with them. The reason is that it shows poor judgement and the most important piece of safety equipment you have is not a PFD, it is your brain. Poor judgement can put others in harms way not just yourself and not just first responders. At HMB yesterday, a boater put himself in a dangerous situation to rescue the kayaker. We have seen incidents where a rescuer ended up in the water and now 2 people need help. Everyone makes their choices about equipment, where to fish and when to fish. The ocean is unforgiving. Be safe and remember, it's only rockfish.

Hopefully everybody gets an opportunity to learn from their mistakes. I have learned many lessons from this club.

Who scoffed?

Scoff - one definition is "dismiss"...  You seemed dismissive of multiple members' clear and direct advisory to wear your PFD.

I used "clueless" in referring to the original subject of this thread - people who go out on the ocean not knowing local waters or boating etiquette. 

I will now use "defensive"...

I like the way Rob said it best - if you show up at a hookup in this club and don't want to wear your PFD you'll probably be told you're not welcome on the trip.

Just trying to help you out and keep the club from looking like amatures who don't heed the most basic safety advice.

Good advice and examples like that are better for convincing someone that being a dick.

No doubt.

Let's chill with the mob mentality, fellas. Everyone assumed WM was out there floating around in a 3mm suit.

You can spend a long time in the water with a 7mm suit on and can probably reenter a kayak much easier than with a PFD.

If a friend from work wanted to go out with me and didn't have a PFD but had a 7mm wetsuit, was experienced in the water, and assured me they could reenter their boat without issue I'd have no problem with them tagging along with me.

I'd like to segue to something related ...

At the Kayak Fishing Festival we had a couple sessions offered, one on safety, the other on paddle strokes.  Neither was well attended.  I think we may have even cancelled one due to NO attendance.

If we profess ourselves to be a safety conscious community and lead by example ... well, put up or shut up!  Continuing education and practice is where it is at.

-Allen

Yes, (Tote's?) safety demo was cancelled. But that was just bad timing. It was lunch time, and the hot dogs were just coming off the grill.

Wilderness Medic;

Please learn from the advice given here and realize that were all here to help folks ease into this sport safely.  Not everyone has the best tact, but rest assured that even those "pointed" post have good intentions behind them. If post are disrespectful or over the top rude, you can bet your PFD that Polepole and the other mods are watching to be sure we are respectful.

So, you have hit a land mine of a Hot issue here and try not to take it personally. Many including myself have very strong feelings about wearing a PFD and you became a lightening rod .

The good news is, it's all here now for those to think deeper about the choice to wear a PFD or not , and thanks for that.

Believe  me,  I've been on the heated side of debates on this site,  it can be intense .   This is all good and Congrats on your new Outback and fish with ya soon,

With a PFD of course.   

I never rag on people for not having the proper skills or equipment but neither would I fish with them. The reason is that it shows poor judgement and the most important piece of safety equipment you have is not a PFD, it is your brain. Poor judgement can put others in harms way not just yourself and not just first responders. At HMB yesterday, a boater put himself in a dangerous situation to rescue the kayaker. We have seen incidents where a rescuer ended up in the water and now 2 people need help.

+1 This!

I've been out on the salt 6 or 7 times now, but before I ever considered doing so, I researched--99% of which was from this site--everything I could about safety. I poured over post after post and waited patiently until I could afford/buy all of the recommended gear. Not until I felt I had collected everything I reasonably could did I go out. If you're a nb to the sport, fresh or saltwater, and you gear up as so many much more experienced folks on this site repeatedly advise, you're in for a bit of an investment, but it doesn't have to be too bad $$wise. If you choose not to gear up completely in the beginning, at least go in for a PFD. That's just paddling 101.

PFDs are mandatory to have on board; smart people wear them.

http://www.dbw.ca.gov/Boaterinfo/LifeJacketinfo.aspx

Wilderness Medic;

Please learn from the advice given here and realize that were all here to help folks ease into this sport safely.  Not everyone has the best tact, but rest assured that even those "pointed" post have good intentions behind them. If post are disrespectful or over the top rude, you can bet your PFD that Polepole and the other mods are watching to be sure we are respectful.

So, you have hit a land mine of a Hot issue here and try not to take it personally. Many including myself have very strong feelings about wearing a PFD and you became a lightening rod .

The good news is, it's all here now for those to think deeper about the choice to wear a PFD or not , and thanks for that.

Believe  me,  I've been on the heated side of debates on this site,  it can be intense .   This is all good and Congrats on your new Outback and fish with ya soon,

With a PFD of course.   

Understood. I'm over it.