Wilko wrote:

A couple of years ago I had difficulties rescuing a friend of ours who
was getting recirculated, I remember that I was amazed at how long she
stayed under during each circulation, despite wearing a PFD.

In desperate circumstances, you're better off taking off the PFD and
diving down to follow the bottom current out of the backwash. Few
people who get in (low-head-dam) trouble have the knowledge or composure
to make that radical move, however.

Bob P wrote:

In desperate circumstances, you're better off taking off the PFD and
diving down to follow the bottom current out of the backwash. Few
people who get in (low-head-dam) trouble have the knowledge or composure
to make that radical move, however.

I've given that some thought. Over the years, this option seems to have
surfaced on RBP a couple of times. My main concern would be what happens
after you get out of the hydrolic, and what would happen if taking off
your PFD wouldn't get you out. I'm fairly ambiguous about whether or not
that would be a smart thing to do. It's the main reason why I have a PFD
with a front zipper though... so that I can quickly take it off if needed.


--
Wilko van den Bergh wilkoa t)dse(d o tnl
Eindhoven The Netherlands Europe
---Look at the possibilities, don't worry about the limitations.---
http://kayaker.nl/