Impact/Flotation Vests

[swchandler]

You're right Bard. After JP repeatedly got stuffed super hard at Jaws and came close to dying, he now wears a vest in serious conditions. No helmet though.

If it was me though, I would steer clear of a floatation vest in bigger surf. You really don't want to get caught on the surface in the impact zone on a real big day. Even mast high surf can beat the crap out of you if you can't escape below in a hurry.

As we get older, it's important to remember our limitations. I wish I still had the physical strength, stamina and drive of my past, but I have come to recognize that getting old has its price. There are times where it's wise to put on your chicken suit and sail a spot like Kanaha instead of Hookipa.

[isobars]

I'm a lot less worried about dying from a WSing (or dirt bike or snowmobile) injury than about lost shred time. If armor can prevent common injuries with no or minimal downside (or especially if it has other benefits, as both rib and head armor do), bring it on. A boom shot to the ribs costs time and a boom shot just below the ribs can kill (bruised liver), and there are all sorts of head injuries I want no part of. I'm sure every one of the 8-10 helmets and 15-20 rib armor setups I've owned have prevented injuries, some very serious or even fatal, and both offer additional benefits.

And as we get older ... trust me ... our shred time gets more, not less, precious when we can count our remaining seasons of shred time on the fingers of one hand. I'm still sailing quite conservatively because of risk to my injured and still-weak leg, so I'm wearing only my second-best rib armor; I hope to be "needing" my ballistic kevlar rib armor and carbon knee brace next year.

I suspect the reason you don't see much body armor worn in Maui is that you don't see much body armor worn in Maui. i.e., it's an ego/peer pressure thing. Consider how many thousands of broken ribs it took before egos gave way to common sense and PBRA rules and bull riders began wearing rib armor despite their incredible injury rate. Our rate is obviously less, but the statistics mean squat when we're losing a month or a season to an easily preventable injury.

[scottwerden]

Inflatable vests are being used by more people in big waves. They have gas cartridges that can be triggered to inflate the vest when you are being held under water and are struggling to get to the surface. Not sure if that is what JP is using.

[MalibuGuru]

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GXFWQ0I/ref=pe_385040_30332200_TE_item

I just received this today. I like it a lot. It seems to be the best designed for windsurfing, and the harness fits well.

[isobars]

I hope it works for you; I liked mine. As I've said in prior vest threads, I Will. Not. Wear. impact vests (or harnesses, for that matter) that depend on interfering with my breathing to stay down. But like the virtually identical DaKine Matrix vest, this one's modest flotation -- just what you want -- may not overpower its waist friction too quickly. It was my favorite before I found NP's High Hook vest and that MotoXvest, which don't budge (I anchor them to my harness), offer better impact protection, and cover my lower ribs and liver. If these issues don't present themselves to you, you'll love your new vest.

If it rides up, there are anti-slip fabric sprays which help prevent that.

[buczacz]

[harris52]

You know I used to think about this a while back after having a wave scare, which was basically that I panicked more than anything and wasn't very experienced. So I tested a light impact vest to swim with. I came to the conclusion that there is no effing way that thing was a safety enhancer in waves. You had no ability to duck dive. What I did come to realize though is that you already have a flotation device... your harness. Try diving down with it, it helps you float. But crucially you can duck dive. It's not instantaneous, but you just need to realize it will work and can give you that extra bit of confidence that you're going to come up and everything will be ok. Anyway, I cut out about mast high so I don't have a lot of thoughts after that.

[isobars]

[gerritt]

Not sure where you chased down that camber inducer, but if it was in fresh water that my explain somewhat your ability to dive.

I'm always surprised and reminded how much difference fresh water makes in my buoyancy when I come to the gorge. Different wind angle, heavy wind, large swell, and fuck! I sometimes feel like a beginner just trying to clear my rig to waterstart.

Salt water helps you float, man. Hawaii is more briny than CA and I notice a difference there too. Easier to swim and harder to duck dive.