80% of fatal paddling incidents share one detail: the paddler wasn't wearing a life vest.

[bryanhansel@mstdn.social]

80% of fatal paddling incidents share one detail: the paddler wasn't wearing a life vest. Coast Guard accident data reveals what's killing paddlers and what you can do about it.

Why Paddlers Die: Life Vest Use and the Boating Accident Data

Coast Guard accident data shows 80% of fatal paddlesport incidents involved paddlers not wearing a life vest — and that's just the start.

PaddlingLight.com (www.paddlinglight.com)

[zenheathen@beige.party]

@bryanhansel I will never forget, watching from a distance as two clearly inexperienced canoeists drifted slowly out in the lake bickering, each accusing the other of being the problem... as they faced each other in the canoe. They were, of course, sitting on their life jackets.

[swimsy@mstdn.social]

@bryanhansel

Here in the PNW cold water shock is a thing and can incapacitate you instantly

Cold Shock | Gasping, Hyperventilation & Sudden Drowning Explained

Cold shock triggers loss of breathing control the moment cold water hits your skin. It's a leading cause of sudden drowning. Learn how to protect yourself.

cold water safety (www.coldwatersafety.org)

[iris@neuromatch.social]

@bryanhansel story: my dad got a ticket for not wearing a life vest once, and showed up to traffic court for it. The judge was reading off "didn't wear a seatbelt", "speeding", "ran a red light" type charges for everyone else and got to "didn't wear a life vest" and started cracking up. He dismissed the ticket. But my dad always wears a life vest now (on boats, that is).