From Pensacola to Key West, millions of Florida residents and visitors enjoyed the many recreational boating opportunities we have in Florida. This boating paradise we call Florida offers nearly unlimited opportunity to get out and enjoy the water. Fortunately, most of these boaters enjoyed their time on the water without any problems. However, it is prudent to remember that we do not know when we may have to deal with an emergency on the water. There is no substitution to being prepared if we have to deal with an unexpected event such as a fall overboard.
This page is here to recognize situations where boaters found themselves in a difficult situation and, because they were wearing their life jackets, they are here to tell their tales of survival. We invite you to send us an e-mail with photos of you in a PFD or your story of how a life jacked saved your life by writing us at wearitflorida@myfwc.com.
Testimonial
A few years back I had an opportunity to meet with a boat manufacturer to test one of their boats to see how it might work as a law enforcement patrol boat. After taking the wheel and getting underway, he talked about how well the boat handled and really went on about how well it could turn. He told me to get up to speed and put it into a fairly hard turn, so I did. Well, it really did grab and turn well, but it also turned a little out of the ordinary because it didn’t lean to one side in the turn. The bad news was that when we hit a small wave from the side, it was almost as if the boat had hit a brick wall going sideways.
It was instant turmoil for me at that point. Now I was in the cold water, and I had no idea which way was up or even what exactly had happened to me. You’ve probably heard about how the mind plays things in slow motion when involved in a traumatic event. Well, that’s how I remember the event. I was in uniform with about 15 pounds of extra weight around my waist and in deep water, so I would have to swim pretty hard to stay afloat. I realized that swimming might be a challenge since for some reason my right thigh hurt pretty bad. Then I heard a sudden burst of air, and I realized that my automatic inflatable life jacket was inflating and would quickly take me to the surface. That’s a good thing, right?
What stuck in my mind at this point was that I was going to get hit by the circling boat. I had read too many boating accident reports where a person had been thrown overboard and the boat went into what has been called the “circle of death.” I remember thinking over and over, “I’m about to get hit by the boat.” Fortunately, when I came to the surface, the boat was dead in the water about 40 feet away.
I learned a couple valuable lessons that day. First, having that inflatable life jacket on was going to ensure that I could find my way to the surface and stay afloat without having to struggle. It wouldn’t have done me a bit of good if it was stored in the boat like most people keep theirs. The second lesson was about the importance of using the engine cut-off switch lanyard. I had developed a habit of connecting the lanyard to my life jacket when the boat was underway and hadn’t even realized that I had done it. I’m convinced that those two simple precautions saved my life that day. You won’t catch me operating without my life jacket on and the lanyard connected from now on!
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