Can you swim

[CroakHunter]

i can swim in ideal conditions. Don't wear pfd While fishing. We aren't in a body of water over 90 acres and we are the only boat out there ever. Don't have to worry about much. Use the 25hp motor and our top speed is less than 20mph for no more than a 4 minute boat ride. If I fished bigger bodies of water I'd consider it when using the outboard. But it would probably be one of those things that I would use for about 3 fishing trips then get stuffed in a compartment somewhere

[RPreeb]

If I expected my canoe to sink to the bottom when swamped, I'd have a very different opinion about this, but it's buoyant even when full of water.  When I'm prowling the shoreline, never more than 200 feet from shore, I simply don't worry about it.  If I was in a bass boat ripping across a big lake at 60 mph, then I'd be wearing some sort of dependable flotation.  I respect water and I acknowledge that it's not **** sapien's natural habitat, but I don't fear it.  

 

*Gotta love the auto censor!  It cut out the scientific name for man.  

[Catt]

FYI ?

 

75% of boating fatalities occur after a fall overboard, capsize or swamping of a boat. When the man overboard is not wearing a lifejacket or PFD the ability to stay afloat & to hang on to the hull is greatly reduced.

[WRB]

I am (or was*) a very agile person and still managed to fall overboard while operating the trolling motor during the cold water periods. What I quickly learned is how difficult it is to swim with warm clothing and shoes on and a good swimmer. Shoes reduce your swimming ability greatly and should removed first. Clothing gets water logged making you very heavy and snag things trying to get back into your boat. Without a partner helping you it's very difficult even using the engine trim up buttom and cavitation plate, you need something to help pull yourself into the boat with. I keep a dock tie down rope attached to the back cleat and in reach of the splash well for this purpose.

Everyone should practice getting into thier boats after falling overboard in warm water with a partner to help, it's a humbling and good learning experience.

PFD can save your life.

Tom

* age, cold weather and spinal fusion tends to change your agility.

[the reel ess]

Yes, I'm a good swimmer. But I have hit my head on bottom before and needed to be pulled out. I do know that you don't want to be swimming wearing full clothes and shoes or boots. 

[snake95]

Great post and thread.

 

I am a former lifeguard, competitive kayaker, and triathlete.  I always wear my onyx pfd when on the water, regardless of the circumstances.

 

Modern pfds are so light and comfortable that even in the hot Georgia summer they are comfortable.

 

I used to teach adults to swim (private lessons) when I was a teenager and teaching kids and guarding.

 

There is absolutely no shame in taking some classes, and the financial cost is very low compared to what we spend for fishing gear and of course the potential risks.  I think you will find many people will actually admire you for taking them.

 

 

[DINK WHISPERER]

The more I think about it the more I want to do the classes. I really like those PFDs with the strobe light and GPS module as well. I use a BPS one right now. Great info on here so far. 

[gim]

I learned how to swim many many years ago when I was on a competitive swim team.  Also, growing up in the Land of 10,000 Lakes its just a good skill to have.  I'm not going to swim competitively again, but I still do it on occasion because I enjoy it and its good exercise.  I try to wear my PFD regularly, especially when the water is cold in the spring and fall and the boat is moving with the main outboard.  I take it off when I fish.

[Catt]

Hypothermia can occur when you are exposed to cold air, water, wind, or rain. Your body temperature can drop to a low level at temperatures of 50°F(10°C) or higher in wet and windy weather, or if you are in 60°F (16°C) to70°F (21°C) water.

[DINK WHISPERER]

@Catt wish I had your survival skills buddy!

[Hez]

6 hours ago, RPreeb said:

 

*Gotta love the auto censor!  It cut out the scientific name for man.  

It's not auto...

[RPreeb]

43 minutes ago, Hez said:

It's not auto...

Yeah, it is.  It turned that word to stars (****) immediately when I hit the "Submit" button.

[soflabasser]

Lots of good responses so far. One thing that has not been mentioned is to prevent falling in the water in the first place. Prevention is very important so it would be a good idea to drive safely when bass fishing in your boat. Do not go if the weather is ruff, cancel your fishing trip for a day the weather is better. Do not go without a life jacket and always bring enough life jackets for everyone on board. Do not drive excessively fast in your bass boat since you never know if a big wave hits your boat or you hit something in the bottom. Have a marine radio on the boat. Invest money in a personal locator beacons( for example a EPIRB) since it can help the responders find you easier if needed.

[WRB]

The definition of hypothermia is when your core body temperature drops below 95 degrees F.

Tom

[DINK WHISPERER]

2 hours ago, WRB said:

The definition of hypothermia is when your core body temperature drops below 95 degrees F.

Tom

I read that hypothermia can occur in as little as 70° water. I didn't know it was that easy! 

[Ratherbfishing]

I think it's better to not know how to swim but take all the necessary precautions (secure, well fitting lifejacket, kill switch, safe boating, paying heed to the weather, etc) than to know how to swim and be reckless in your boating/fishing practices.

 

I can swim but I look like a giant egg beater thrashing through the water.  I'm sure I expend twice as much energy as someone who knows how to swim well.

[WRB]

Panic is your worst enemy, if you are in the water and can't swim it's hard to relax and over come fear of drowning. Learn to swim so you don't panic. PFD's save lives, wear them instead of storing them.

Tom

[Chance_Taker4]

I do what I think is swimming but other people around me say its not.  I guess when you get down to it I can a little in trunks. But probably not a chance fully clothed.  I wear my PFD when the outboard is on but once the trolling motor is down and I am fishing the PFD comes off.

[J Francho]

Grew up with a swimming pool and a cottage on the lake.  Swimming has been second nature for as long as I can remember.  That said, I did a cold water immersion training demonstration for a kayak class, and I simply could not tread 45° water for more than a few minutes.  I've performed a cold water rescue in real life, and my fishing buddy said the same.  He was wearing a PFD, and I believe things would have gone south much quicker if not.

[RPreeb]

16 hours ago, DINK WHISPERER said:

I read that hypothermia can occur in as little as 70° water. I didn't know it was that easy! 

It all depends on how long you are exposed.  I've known scuba divers who wore a full length 3 mil wetsuit in 80+ degree water to keep from getting chilled (being noticeably chilled or shivering is the first step toward hypothermia).  I rarely wore a wet suit, even a shorty, in tropical waters.  I've been in 63° water in the Sea of Cortez in just a 3 mil shorty, and it's a shock when you first go down through the thermocline, but I had no problems on a couple of 30 minute dives.  On most of my dives, I just wore a t-shirt to keep my BCD (buoyancy compensator) from chafing.

[soflabasser]

 You still need to know how to swim even if you have a personal floatation device, have a personal location beacon,marine radio, and other things that save your life in the event you fall in.It would be best to get trained by someone who is certified swimming instructor ( and make sure to get references from this person and contact them) or at very least find a friend who is a very good freediver with at least a decade of real life experience freediving in the ocean and have them teach you how to swim. Knowing how to ''swim'' in a little pool means absolutely nothing if your are forced to swim in a lake or ocean because of boat problems. As for staying calm, that is easier said than done and I am sure very few people that post online have ever been in a situation where they had to truly swim well to save their lives. I have been there, done that, and what saved me is staying calm at all times and relying on my training to take me back safety to the shore or boat. All fishermen need to know how to swim, no matter how strong or how brave someone thinks they are. There is no excuse to not know how to swim well and learning to swim well is like anything in life, the more you practice the better you get at it. Always have respect for the water and do not underestimate the water!

[haggard]

On 1/6/2018 at 10:08 PM, BuzzHudson19c said:

Yep. Some of my earliest memories are swimming at the lake. If I'm out fishing and it's warm enough, I like to pull the kayak on shore and take a quick dip.

Also I know it's not recommended, but I never wear a PFD, so it helps to be a good swimmer.

I assumed the OP was asking about wearing a PDF while boating, not while swimming for recreation.  If I was swimming shallow and at the shoreline I wouldn't wear the PFD. I think the risks are far less when swimming for recreation than they are while boating. In the yak or boat and not swimming? PFD 100%. It's the accidental swim that I fear. Swimming for recreation in far out water? Not sure what I'd do because I'm not likely to do that.

[Sokyfishing]

I'm hardly a world class swimmer, but I can keep myself alive if the need should arise. You might be able to find a swimming class for adults. I definitely recommend that you and your family learn to swim.

[Columbia Craw]

If you've ever had to pull a corpse out of the water it will give you a new appreciation for the value of a PFD worn properly.

[The Maestro]

I can't swim but I always wear an inflatable pfd from the moment I leave the dock.  I fish alone most of the time and it's my one and only life line if I go in.  I'll only take it off during lunch breaks or in super shallow water.  Lots of good points have already been mentioned about cold water, wind, clothes, getting tangled in weeds, being miles away from land etc... One thing that really stuck with me is I slipped off a dock once into about 2 fow and my feet sunk into the muck bottom past my ankles and it felt like I was completely cemented in.  I had to use my arms to push off the dock to get myself out.  I don't care how good you can swim if this happens and the water's over your head and there's nobody to pull you out and nothing to grab onto you would be really screwed really fast. 

 

I really think a large percentage of people who drown know how to swim they just overestimate their ability.  Falling into a lake is not the same as a leisurely swim in a heated pool.