
Originally Posted by
DoyleAlley
For those guys wearing Muck boots (or similar), just make sure you can shuck them off using just your feet. When they get full of water, they can weight a guy down pretty bad. If you fall overboard (especially if you aren't wearing a PFD), being able to shed those boots using just your opposite foot could mean the difference between life and death.
Many lifetimes ago, I took Lifesaving as a college PE class (it was fun and I had to take a PE anyway). One of the exercises in class was to dress up in some kind of outfit that wasn't made for being in the water and jump in the pool - then try and save yourself. I chose to dress as a duck hunter. I was good enough in the water to shed the excess weight and save myself. Many of my classmates weren't so good and had to have help.