Statistics from the United States Coast Guard are both disturbing and encouraging. Recent reports show paddlesports deaths are up. At the same time, the percentage of paddlers wearing life jackets is also growing. To get to the bottom of the numbers, we tracked down the source of the statistics.
Mixed Results on Safe Paddling
Our first stop was Jim Emmons from the Water Sports Foundation. “Some people attribute a portion of the increase in paddler deaths to the impressive participation growth.” He points to the most recent Outdoor Foundation survey showing a 24.7 percent gain in paddlers in 2016. Emmons explains more anglers on the water will lead to more accidents.
The Coast Guard report breaks down the numbers. Of the 489 kayaker deaths between 2006 and 2015, 75 percent of victims were not wearing life jackets. Sadly, 45 percent of paddlers had less than 10 hours experience.
“The data shows as experience increases, chances of accident decrease,” Emmons points out. Not surprisingly, the majority of paddlesports deaths also occurred in rough weather.
What is surprising is the recent increase in safety awareness. According to a National Life Jacket Observation Study, more paddlers are safety conscious. From 1999 to 2017, a research firm conducted site surveys of paddlers. First, they found users were more likely to wear a life jacket if the water and weather conditions were risky. Lead researcher, Tom Mangione says, “Paddlers conduct a mental assessment of risk to determine whether to wear a life jacket.” The survey also found numbers were up in a dozen safety-related questions including 16.5 percent increase in users aware of state and federal life vest regulations.
The increase in paddlesports deaths and increase in safety awareness are connected. The Coast Guard responded to the rise in fatalities by awarding $813,000 to nonprofit programs promoting paddler safety, a 15 percent increase.
The money was poured into campaigns to put more people in PFDs. The results are encouraging. Emmons says, “The study’s highlighted results show a positive culture shift towards safer boating behavior as measured by attitudes, opinions and behaviors.”
Attitudes are Beginning to Change
Kayak anglers don’t need a course in statistics to know PFD attitudes are changing. Over the short and meteoric history of modern kayak fishing, we’ve seen more anglers wearing life jackets on the water and on social media.
In addition to the hard work by non-profits and government agencies, paddlers have been the biggest contributor to public safety. Chad Hoover, director of Kayak Bass Fishing, is emphatic about his support for the cause. “I was a hardcore life jacket advocate from the start,” Hoover says. His resolve was planted years before he took up kayak fishing. As a U.S. Navy Surface Search and Rescue Swimmer, Hoover says, “I did as much search and recovery as search and rescue.”
Seeing the sad consequences of unsafe behavior, and being surrounded by risk aversion, Hoover has been on a campaign for life jackets. He insists tournament anglers wear a PFD and refuses to post or promote photos of anglers without safety equipment. He laughs when he recalls one of his own gaffs. “I posted a photo of a bass so big I couldn’t see the angler wasn’t wearing a PFD.” In seconds, Hoover’s feed lit up with fans calling him out. “Make something taboo and people will police themselves,” he says.
Other big-name anglers like Kayak Fishing Show’s Jim Sammons and Hooked On Wild Water’s host Drew Gregory are banging the drum. Kayak Angler magazine and other publications have instituted a PFD only photo policy.
Expert Advice Leads to Safer Choices
Safety awareness starts in the kayak shop. One disturbing number from the government reports is more anglers are purchasing kayaks at big box retailers. Emmons explains the concern, “New paddlers may not get expert advice on safety before they leave the store.” Industry leaders are worried the new wave of box-store boats will further increase risk factors.
“For a life jacket to save your life, you have to wear it.”
Brian Vincent, manager at Appomattox River Company, admits the troubling increase in paddlesports deaths has his attention. “It has taken longer for anglers to catch on with PFDs, but it seems like they are finally getting on board.” Vincent looks at the life jacket as part of the kayak fishing kit, not just a safety item. He credits efforts to educate anglers for increasing safety awareness. “I tell everyone to stack the odds in their favor.”
Pushing Toward a Decrease in Paddlesports Deaths
Improved life jacket design has also contributed to angler compliance. Ryan Lightbody, product manager at Stohlquist, points to better fit and cooler looks as the biggest improvements to life jacket design. Recently, Stohlquist has released gender- and age-specific fishing vests. All the messaging will fall on deaf ears if a life jacket is ill-fitting or uncomfortable. Lightbody says, “For a life jacket to save your life, you have to wear it.”
This article was first published in the Summer 2019 issue of Kayak Angler Magazine. Subscribe to Kayak Angler Magazine’s print and digital editions, or browse the archives.
Your life jacket doesn’t work unless you wear it. | Feature photo: Courtesy of Stohlquist
It’s also about realistically accepting your own limits, regardless of the situation. I’ve turned 65 this year, and although I have a lifetime of experience as a cyclist, primitive camper, and backcountry hiker, I try not to overreach in a kayak.
https://standuppaddletheworld.com/wear-your-pfd-and-leash-2/
The article on the importance of PFDs in critical indeed, but the major oversight remains that anglers are anglers first and not “kayakers” as their watercraft are not really kayaks, but hybrid fishing platforms that are marketed as safe and stable “kayaks”. They don’t handle the same way, cannot deal with water conditions in the same way, and those who pedal or even paddle them are often not trained and practiced in kayaking and shouldn’t think they are. Their boats will not handle scenarios described in many “kayak” stories yet they put themselves in the same situations thinking (1) they are a “kayaker”, and (2) they are in a “kayak”. Fishing platforms are very similar to kayaks, and canoes, too, and the number of blades you use is irrelevant, it’s the craft itself and the skill sets needed to operate it. There is SO much more to simply wearing a PFD and thinking you are in a safe, stable “kayak” and thus able to deal with big water situations as a kayaker. Are you a kayaker that fishes, or a fisherman who uses a “kayak” ? BIG difference. Be safe out there!
All that said above, I do whole-heartedly applaud Kayak Angler and others who have adopted the photo policy of No PFD-No Photo! Good for you!
I’ve been kayak fishing since 2011 and trust me, I learned the hard way. I was capsized while in a back-bay by a speeding boat who I presumed never saw me. Into the drink I went without my PFD which was behind me in the cockpit being used as a lean back cushion. My bad for sure, Luck would have it that a nearby crab fisherman in a boat saw it happen and came to my rescue. He was gracious enough to upright my kayak and retrieve my gear but told me I have to get back to work and left me to figure out how to get back in the yak!
Having an 2 employees drown pfd should be manditory. No I actually took a picture of a stapped pfd on the front of his kayak. He asked “why ” I replied the before picture .he came back happily.and was shaken he didn’t know bears could swim.the momma sow bear swam across the lake.he was wearing the pfd at the dock. Raystown lake pa