Two weeks ago, four tubers got stuck on the Puntledge River.
Only the toddler was wearing a life-jacket.
Last week, another rescue was performed on the Puntledge, when a man found himself stranded on a rock below Stotan Falls. Again, no life-jacket.
These could serve as warnings to anyone who’s thinking about getting out on the water this summer. Fortunately, these were all warnings with happy endings.
Inevitably, eventually, an article will be written about a situation with a more dire result.
For whatever reason, few people outside of young children make use of a personal flotation device when they head out for an afternoon of fun on our local waters, no matter their swimming skill level. For many people, when heading out on a boat, they’re even less likely to don a life-jacket. They seem to somehow think the boat is a little piece of land they are taking with them, and it will keep them safe. Of course, it’s not always so.
So why do so many people skip the life-jacket? Do they overestimate their ability to swim? Underestimate the river and the chance of something unexpected happening? Not want to cover up the new bikini, or maybe those six-pack abs they’ve worked so hard for in the off-season? Is it just uncool?
Of course, it’s even more uncool to die. Especially in a totally preventable tragedy.
Consider this before you make that decision to forgo the life-jacket: it doesn’t matter how well you can swim if you get dumped in the water (off your boat, or your tube, it doesn’t matter) and hit your head on a rock, or on debris, or a log and are knocked unconscious. Then, the only thing keeping you afloat, or not, is your life-jacket. It’s the difference between life and death.
It’s great to think safety first with your child. Not so great if that child becomes an orphan.
Getting out on the water is a lot of fun during the summer, and we certainly don’t aim to dissuade anyone. However, consider safety before you wade in. We don’t want to have to report a tragedy.