Sharing things from the sea survival course

[Peppermint]

If like most people you use a 150N auto lifejacket you may be surprised to learn that it will allow you to float face down. Your bulky yottie clothing stabilizes you in the water just like an Open 60.

Buy a spray hood for your lifejacket. Increases chance of survival for very few quids.

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[bumblefish]

Can you fit a spray hood to any life-jacket?

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[Peppermint]

Re: Any is a big question

But most waistcoat style LJ can use one of the retro fit ones from someone like Baltic.

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[alan43]

Floating face down

May have something to do with body shape. Some years ago, I was one of a group of 12 on a course, a part of which was an exercise in using lifejackets. The instructor asked us all to lie face down in the water to see whether the lifejackets were effective in turning us to face up. It worked fine for 11 of us, but not for the twelfth, who remained stable face-down until she eventually realised that she would have to initiate the rotation herself. The instructor's explanation for this was that as this lady was particularly 'pear-shaped', she carried nearly as much buoyancy in her backside as the lifejacket on her chest. The optimistic view was that any wave movement would disturb the face-down stability & allow the lifejacket to complete the job, but of course that might be too late for an unconscious victim.

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[Peppermint]

Re: Of four people

using their own kit, 1 slim lady, 1 slim bloke both in auto harness Crewsaves, 2 middle aged guys with some bulk but not much, 1 in an XM auto harness and 1 in a ( I think ) Baltic auto harness we where all surprised not to be flipped over quickly. It seemed to be the air trapped in clothing that was the problem. That old tale about your boots pulling you under is tosh.



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