Vest vs No Vest Debate

POPTART · 360 flip Joined: 24 Jul 2007 Posts: 7621

BB, your attached to the board as a flotation device

and ive had friends get hit in the head with their surf boards

and how many ppl have died surfing the north shore?

and pirate makes a great point
if your not going to wear one bc you think your skilled enough to prevent the situation, how many of us are even properly trained in CPR and at least a minor course in first aid?
i know im not and thats something to think about
every one on here rides=everyone on here is at risk
and everyone on here should take the time to learn what to do in the case of an emergency(i see this being more useful in winching rails and gaps, shizzle can go wrong alot faster there, and its usually moving water)
we all have fast enough reaction time to skate, imagine if you had training in cpr and first aid, we would be like wakeskating/eaglescout/mcguyver/machines

i couldn't imagine loosing a friend, or loosing them while i was around, or when i could have done something but didn't
its heavy stuff
wakeskating is a little more serous bizz than we give it cred Neutral

Plave · Ollie Joined: 19 Aug 2010 Posts: 61

It's not even a debate in my eyes, we ride on 200ft deep water, as I'm legally responsible for people on or behind my boat they wear a vest or they watch from the shore.

I've had a few "I don't need to wear ones" try and come out with us, we leave them on the jetty.

getzome23 · Ollie Joined: 18 Jul 2010 Posts: 52 City: Kalamazoo

Plave, I like you're style

*Nate · Backside 180 Joined: 11 Mar 2008 Posts: 1230 City: Nokomis

Gnarly Dancer 42 · 360 flip Joined: 21 May 2007 Posts: 5121 City: kalamazoo

riding without a vest is so much more fun....... you feel a lot more free and it feels more like skateboarding

-LoGiK- · Kickflip Joined: 22 Sep 2005 Posts: 2747 City: Orlando

andrewt · Posted: Aug 19, 2010 3:26 pm Post subject:

Gnarly Dancer 42 wrote:
riding without a vest is so much more fun....... you feel a lot more free and it feels more like skateboarding

hoping this is a sarcastic remark

Gnarly Dancer 42 · 360 flip Joined: 21 May 2007 Posts: 5121 City: kalamazoo

nope its not

i just found out like a month ago that its not a law to wear one behind a boat and i've been riding without one and its so much better

-LoGiK- · Kickflip Joined: 22 Sep 2005 Posts: 2747 City: Orlando

Gnarly Dancer 42, dannng I bet that skate steeze is flowing now

I'm guessing you wear pants too ?

hellasnow · Faceplant Joined: 17 Jun 2010 Posts: 6 City: Denver

i kind of treat the jacket like i do with my crew and my sleds going into the backcountry to snowboard. you don't have a beacon your not coming with me. same on the boat. if i'm around or driving your putting on a vest before getting pulled. i'm in pretty deep water areas as well so that has a lot to do with it as well. lake powell for instance has areas over 500' deep! don't need some scuba dude finding a dead friend at 200+ feet underwater if even finding them at all.

i just got back from 2 weeks at powell and had my wakeboard (i know i know, i skate too it's actually more fun) the board came off and as i came up before it looking around it smacked me in the teeth and busted my gun up pretty bad. could have knocked me out.

also had a time at powell when i blew my knee out on a landing. if i wouldn't have had a life jacket i would have drowned. i was holding my knee up to my chest screaming in pain. another good reason to have had it on was due to my friends and the only way i got back in the boat, by 2 of them grabbing the jacket and pulling me in. i was in no way bending my knee to swim norless climb myself up the later and into the boat.

just something to think about, your life do what you want but gotta think about it a bit. you want one of your friends loosing you in the water and going home to your mom and pops and explain to them what happened?

my 2c

BB · Backside 180 Joined: 28 Jul 2006 Posts: 1706

POPTART, So you are saying that if you get knocked out surfing the cord attached to your foot will keep you upright on top of the water and safe?
~Learn me you're knowledge...

PS. http://www.watoday.com.au/wa-news/surfer-dies-near-carnarvon-20100805-11j4v.html
You are right, no one dies from surfing by getting hit in the head by their board.

samcollett · Posted: Aug 19, 2010 7:35 pm Post subject:

a lot....A LOT of big wave surfers wear vests. just saying...

i'm guilty of not wearing a vest too sometimes...in water much deeper and much more murky than 36" AMI. 12-15ft deep louisiana rivers and bayous. that being said, it doesn't make it smart.

and as for Val...she hit the swim platform. if by some chance she would've had on a vest, she would've been recovered much more quickly. :/

it's a personal choice, but mine is to wear a vest.

Plave · Ollie Joined: 19 Aug 2010 Posts: 61

Another thing to add from my point of view, here in Northern England we ride 9 months a year, 3 months in drysuits, 3/4 months in full wetsuits, 2/3 months in shortie wetsuits.

Wearing all that crap, having a lightweight vest on top is no big deal, we start riding in 4c/38f water in March and even in the height of summer it barely breaks 15c/59f.

POPTART · 360 flip Joined: 24 Jul 2007 Posts: 7621

BB, at least your friends can find you when your attached to a floating board

waterdork88 · Frontside 180 Joined: 12 Dec 2004 Posts: 426 City: Orlando

I've seen friends facedown in the water, and I've been there myself. I wouldn't be here typing on this forum if I were concerned with looking really really cool Cool

DRAGON88 · Dragoon Joined: 01 May 2004 Posts: 1020 City: Portland

I really don't get the vest debate at all. Vests are so comfortable these days I really don't notice it at all. The excuses people make up are just that, excuses. It doesn't take that much water to drown, bodies sink a lot faster than you might think and skill level doesn't mean shizzle if you're unconscious.

Unfortunately the whole wake industry as a whole has gotten really ignorant in the past few years. Magazines used to not run shots without vests, and IMO that's how it should be. As much as some people hate it, pro riders ARE role models for younger kids. Sooner or later, I fear that we're going to loose someone and then everyone will be like, "OMG EVERYONE SHOULD WEAR VESTS!"

That's what happened in wakeboarding following the death of Corey, and honestly if it can happen to one of the godfathers of wakeboarding, it can happen to any of us. Anyone who thinks otherwise is extremely ignorant. If you don't wear a vest for your own sake, at least wear one for the people you love.

gporter · Posted: Aug 23, 2010 2:18 am Post subject:

ShutItDown · Frontside 180 Joined: 03 Jan 2010 Posts: 452 City: KC

I wouldn't ride without a vest ever... Even in waist deep water.