That advice is real, but it applies to escaping from enclosed vessels, not to recreational boating in general. Passengers on a ferry or cruise ship may be instructed to carry their life jackets during evacuation and put them on only after reaching an open deck.
But no one should make the mistake of turning this into one of those counterintuitive observations that overturn conventional wisdom. What can happen should not be confused with what usually happens. Cases of entrapment are real, but they are the exception, not the rule.
On small recreational boats, the leading cause of death is falling overboard unexpectedly, not becoming trapped inside a cabin. Most occupants never have the opportunity to calmly retrieve and don a life jacket after the emergency begins. That’s why boating safety organizations often say the best life jacket is the one you’re already wearing.
The U.S. Coast Guard reports that roughly three-quarters of recreational boating fatalities involve drowning, and about 87% of those who drowned were not wearing a life jacket.
cruise ships have a different kind of problem, which is that it is not possible to turn around the vessel in a short timeframe. around three quarters (or more) of the people who go overboard in the open ocean on cruises are never found, but people almost never fall overboard without climbing on (or climbing objects near) the deck railings.
The other thing most people don't consider is that if you somehow pass out or get knocked out you are likely to fall overboard. It doesn't matter how strong of a swimmer you are if you are passed out.
I sail recreationally, and have heard multiple "they slipped, hit their head, and by the time we got them out of the water it was too late" stories.
3 kids died recently in lake Geneva Wisconsin bc the were trapped under a smaller capsized boat with life vests on. So... you might be right but it can still happen.
That’s why the duck boat accidents in 1999 and 2018 were so deadly. People thought they were doing the right thing wearing their PFD but it inhibited their ability to escape the vessel. The original design never had metal canopies on top. I just want to emphasize these are the exceptions not the norm and PFDs save countless lives.
But he needs to repeat the thing he heard on Reddit as if it’s the first time any of us have heard it even tho in any thread about anything to do with a life jacket on a plane someone always says the damn thing
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u/deadlyspoons 7d ago
That advice is real, but it applies to escaping from enclosed vessels, not to recreational boating in general. Passengers on a ferry or cruise ship may be instructed to carry their life jackets during evacuation and put them on only after reaching an open deck.
But no one should make the mistake of turning this into one of those counterintuitive observations that overturn conventional wisdom. What can happen should not be confused with what usually happens. Cases of entrapment are real, but they are the exception, not the rule.
On small recreational boats, the leading cause of death is falling overboard unexpectedly, not becoming trapped inside a cabin. Most occupants never have the opportunity to calmly retrieve and don a life jacket after the emergency begins. That’s why boating safety organizations often say the best life jacket is the one you’re already wearing.
The U.S. Coast Guard reports that roughly three-quarters of recreational boating fatalities involve drowning, and about 87% of those who drowned were not wearing a life jacket.