A PFD Recalcitrant
I read with much distress the recent spate of drownings.
Just yesterday a young teenage girl drowned as flood water rushed her away while she was playing in a drain, which leads into Sungei Ulu Pandan. 2 weeks back, the brother of a dear friend drowned in a Police Coast guard accident. A month back, 2 teenage boys drowned playing in the sea off Pasir Ris.
I applauded the Government for setting up a Water Safety Council. Some people may scoff at this idea, lambasting it as another high-handed, resource full-court press effort by the Government who think of us as children. But I think it is necessary to teach people basic water survival skills like swimming, and water safety factors like weather, hydraulics, and currents.
Many simply see water bodies as enticing playground and jump in without adequate knowledge. Even those doing water activities often are ignorant of the dangers and concept of water safety.
I was kayaking since I was 17 in 1991. But I can't say I know about water safety until 10 years later in 2000. And I certainly did not practice water safety until this year. Why?
Wearing a pfd was not emphasized during my college days of canoeing and dragonboating. Most of the time we did not even had pfds on us. The coach did not care, and we did not care. I am sure this attitude still holds for many paddlers out there. We wanted freedom of movement, not some sissy pfds on our bare backs. This attitude was to pervade until I bought my first kayak. My dad wisely forbade me to go out to sea unless I buy a pfd (to think that I even thought of not buying one!).
When I started going out to sea alone, I was exposed to more elements. Bit by bit I started to know more of how weather, tides, wind, and sea currents can have an effect on my safety margin. I realized no one is above these forces of nature. FH2o and JB used to chastises me, saying the benefit of wearing a pfd is not apparent until it save your life. I countered by saying the threat of getting sun stroke was greater, if you wear a pfd. I was stupid and immature to ignore them.
But for those who think of leveraging on this to ban water activites 'to protect the public', you are wrong. Education is the right way to teach public how to enjoy water safely, not a ban. Water activites are safe, kayaking is safe. From now, I promise to wear pfd whenever I am out paddling - my apologies to those who had tried unsuccessfully to bring me to my senses.
Just yesterday a young teenage girl drowned as flood water rushed her away while she was playing in a drain, which leads into Sungei Ulu Pandan. 2 weeks back, the brother of a dear friend drowned in a Police Coast guard accident. A month back, 2 teenage boys drowned playing in the sea off Pasir Ris.
I applauded the Government for setting up a Water Safety Council. Some people may scoff at this idea, lambasting it as another high-handed, resource full-court press effort by the Government who think of us as children. But I think it is necessary to teach people basic water survival skills like swimming, and water safety factors like weather, hydraulics, and currents.
Many simply see water bodies as enticing playground and jump in without adequate knowledge. Even those doing water activities often are ignorant of the dangers and concept of water safety.
I was kayaking since I was 17 in 1991. But I can't say I know about water safety until 10 years later in 2000. And I certainly did not practice water safety until this year. Why?
Wearing a pfd was not emphasized during my college days of canoeing and dragonboating. Most of the time we did not even had pfds on us. The coach did not care, and we did not care. I am sure this attitude still holds for many paddlers out there. We wanted freedom of movement, not some sissy pfds on our bare backs. This attitude was to pervade until I bought my first kayak. My dad wisely forbade me to go out to sea unless I buy a pfd (to think that I even thought of not buying one!).
When I started going out to sea alone, I was exposed to more elements. Bit by bit I started to know more of how weather, tides, wind, and sea currents can have an effect on my safety margin. I realized no one is above these forces of nature. FH2o and JB used to chastises me, saying the benefit of wearing a pfd is not apparent until it save your life. I countered by saying the threat of getting sun stroke was greater, if you wear a pfd. I was stupid and immature to ignore them.
But for those who think of leveraging on this to ban water activites 'to protect the public', you are wrong. Education is the right way to teach public how to enjoy water safely, not a ban. Water activites are safe, kayaking is safe. From now, I promise to wear pfd whenever I am out paddling - my apologies to those who had tried unsuccessfully to bring me to my senses.
To those who are thinking about it, please wear pfd each time you paddle.
It is worth your life.
It is worth your life.
Comments
You and Melvyn really worried me the last time we paddled at Pattaya.
We just had a boater die near my kayak club - not a kayaker, just a couple of guys out in a small boat. They both went overboard; one managed to make it to a nearby buoy, the other one...not so lucky. No lifejackets. Of course our still-very-cold water doubtless played a role - it was the classic temperate-zone spring boating accident where if the guy had just had his PFD on, he probably would've been fine.
Sad.