Respect the ocean and weather

[WildernessWanker]

Originally Posted by addicted2sp33d

Thanks for sharing - you came out of it, so lesson learned and party-on. Good job keeping your wits about you.

I would add one more thing to your list: to keep a knife clipped to your PFD at all times, so that you can reach for it even if you can't see it.

That way you can cut lines if you're wrapped up in them and underwater, like in your situation.

I used to keep my knife secured to my yak for ease of use until I had a friend wipe out in the kill zone and get tangled in his leash, his knife was on him and it still took him a few seconds to get it out and sever the leash. No harm was done but it dawned on me that if I was in the water and my yak was upside down or sideways it would take me far longer to locate and get my knife, and that is to say if I was able to grab it at all. The thought of being helpless scared me and luckily I realized it before I was put in that type of scenario.