Re: Safety issues: PFDs

Thanx for the info Greg


To anyone else who needs to buy a new PFD, Goya`s are worth the trouble. I fitted a some of them in a local store and they`re all very comfy. Prices arent to bad as well.


Happy paddling.

My 2c worth will restate the obvious....You only drown once!

The Goya Gear water boy looks great. I am looking for a sleek PFD with an integrated drinking system. Hopefully surfski will have a pic of the Mocke one soon

While I agree that a lifejacket is important in certain conditions, to much attention is being focused on this piece of safety device. A beginner paddler looking at this site would think this is the only safety device that one needs. This is not so! A leash in my opinion is so much more valuable. By this I mean, a leash from body to boat and not from boat too paddle.

The best piece of safety equipment available is in fact your boat and if one gets separated from your ski, the chances of rescue is much reduced.

Having being in a situation where I fell out my boat in some horrific conditions without a leashe demonstrated to me, more than ever how important a leashe would have been in this instance.

Lets se some novel designs for leashes.

I don't know about being a novel design but I recently bought a Knee Up leash for a boogie board that seems to work really well.

It attaches really securely to both the boat and the ankle and is long enough that you can stand beside the ski but not too long that it gets in the way.

To anyone thinking of buying a new pfd...

I can really recommend the pfdmade by Goya. I bought one last week, and I must mention the brilliant service I recieved from Goya. I ordered the pfd the Tuesday morning and recieved it on the Wednesday afternoon in the correct colour and spec.

Thanks to Ted/Greg and Sue from Goya Gear for the advice on the correct pfd and speedy service.

I used my new pfd for the first time this weekend and it was even better than I expected. And the price was very decent as well.

Happy paddling!

G'Day,

Was thinking about this P.F.D.stuff last night no one about when I was out wind from the west and 2 to 4ft slop and chop takeing me to the beach out about 1/4 mile doing beam runs on a Spec Ski.

It comes down to were you paddle and what you paddle last night water temp 89 to 91 deg, air 90 wind 12 nothing on but surf trunks, sun glass, and a cap not to say a P.F.D. would not be something not to use but #1 I am using a ski were re enter is very easy, # 2 if washed off the ski I would have a 1/4 mile wash to the beach and # 3 if a small P.F.D as I do have home? I would drown with it on if not awake for it will not keep my face out of the sea with out my help.

If you look at the dred's in life they will happen the more you think about them if any time you go on the water and you think wow this may be it stay off the water, an old gypsy told me in another life the day you are born the day you will die is written no matter how you live.

How did people live with out all this crap the system tells us we can not live with out, I raced track bikes yes we had a leather skid on lots of falls no one died? rode choppers all over the U.S. 35 years no helmet? yes lot's died one bro the helmet kept his head in it as it rolled down a hill, sailing all my life or at least 50 years of it raceing and spent all from birth to today on the water. 7 years of pro racket ball 7 days a week 4 hours aday nada, also 3 years in a dive team B.J.U #1 in the U.S.N Korea with or with p.f.d and a lot of other safty crap but people were lost.

Injoying life with out other people telling us how to live it is were it was, To Die is not a bad thing I know I have been there. What happened to learning to take care of one's self? did any one ever think a lot of the people out paddling do not belong on the water? how about befor you can buy a Ski you must pass a life guard swimm test? if it has to happen dieing at least be doing what you love .

Cheers Joseph

Hey Joseph

The image of the carefree paddler wearing nothing but a speedo as he merrily goes along on flat water 50m offshore is lovely.

But a guy who goes out to do a hectic downwind offshore without using a PFD (and leash and cell phone) is taking a risk.

PFDs save lives otherwise they wouldn't exist. If you're a single paddler on your own with no responsibilities it's cool not to take precautions, but if you have a family or responsibilities to others, you have to consider them. For example, if you're in a race where the organisers could get sued because of your stupidity in not using a PFD, it's just not fair on them.

Motorcycle helmets and car seat belts are all part of the same thing. PFDs are here to stay. Choose the most comfortable one, use it, live with it.

(And as others have said, PFDs are not the be all & end all - you need to consider the other safety gear like flares, cell phones, leashes as well. Take conditions into consideration, be safe.)

YO! Rob & Others,

The key in that post was ""It comes down to were and what you paddle"", I have paddled were you live and it is a world were I also would think diff than I do, I pick a place warm were water play can be 24/7 for life, water is water be it 1ft and flat or head high surf when your time is up it is up all the crap in the world will not change that, that my friend is the bottom line what we do is a sport not going to war? the only thing in life that takeing a risk can be used is when someone is shooting at you, life is a game no one make's us play it.

If we were useing old school spec ski's with 3" deep buckets only talent would be doing this stuff, they were ment to be at sea for most a warm sea self rescue in all conditions was easy unlike new age Ski's makeing a dollor brings and sell's strange things and people out do it not.

In my last 20 years about Ski's there has never been so much talk about what you need to be safe on a ski P.F.D. Leash Cell's and all types of safty gear to load on a ski as in the last two? no one is saying do not wear or carry a P.F.D. if you like were a helmet on your ski how about a Knife and Gun? get your phone # tat on your body if you like this is your pick and not for everyone that is all, how did all the poor old dumb ski paddlers get by years ago running surf, paddling at sea doing run's in big water people talk today like this is all something new going on and for them it may be? surfski's were not made to play on cold water were they if you like cold water deal with it this is not most peoples prob that buy ski's.

Ski Paddle has been doing fine for + or - 50 years why, well most all Ski paddlers were water men Lifeguard's fishermen people that spend most of ther time around water with a understanding of it, I keep looking about when in Hawaii people out to sea surfing and paddling on mountains high wind big sea and no P.F.D. I have been looking to find a shot of Lard Hamilton running a 20 ft + wave with his P.F.D.on, my son at 54 has and still is a big wave surfer been all over the world surfing, still surfing and paddles OC-1's and ski's now in Hawaii but what helps him safe is 54 years on the water his swimming skill is what has keep him still here not his cell phone? do you know they still walk on the bottom with rock's, swim in heavy surf train to be on the water, now we hear little of that today TRAIN TO BE ON THE WATER? how many people out there work on there swimming to be safe on a ski? how come we read little of that on Ski sites? it may cut into sales or a bit to much work? or is it up to big bro to take care of us today?

Be safe Cheers Joseph