Quote:
Originally Posted by Bigwoodsman
I fish on the bank wearing a life jacket! I swim like a rock. Mine inflates once its wet. Had some close calls over the years! My PFD is called a HIT, and I wear my vest over top.
BW
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Good on you for wearing a PFD but you should really learn to swim. My Dad learned to swim in his mid 60's so it's never too late.
We had both our kids in the water literally from the time they were born, yet we always have them in life jackets when they're near the water. I don't think we let our oldest on a dock without his life jacket until he was 10 or 12. Its so sad to see all these kids dying every summer from something so preventable.
I was fishing on the north saskatchewan river one time with my son who was 5 at the time and two friends and one of their sons who also was 5. We hooked into a huge sturgeon and in the excitement we stopped paying attention to the boys, luckily my son started saying "Dad, Reilly is drowning!" I turned and looked and all that was sticking out of the murky water was the top of his head and his eyeballs. I dove in and grabbed him and brought him back to shore. If it wasn't for my son that boy would have never seen his 6th birthday I know for a fact. For whatever reason he didn't call for help, I'm not sure if it was panic or embarrassment or what it was, but for some reason he just silently went under.
Swimming lessons may not totally prevent the chance of drowning but they sure don't hurt. When it comes to rivers, the undertow can suck even the best swimmers under without a problem.
Play safe out there folks.