How long would you last without a PFD? Real fishermen find out.
“I’ve done 3 sea survival courses and had a laugh on them all.
Nobody was laughing in there.”
Such were the comments of one of 16 fishermen who subjected himself to an in-water man overboard event that tested survivability in real-life conditions, without and with a PFD.
Fully clothed and immersed in frigid water with wave action, the goal of the event, executed in Ireland by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, was to find out what was needed to change a fisherman’s mind about wearing a PFD.
Was there anything that could ever convince them to wear a PFD while fishing?
Click below to watch the VIDEOs of the fishermen’s comments.
We know PFDs are no silver bullet when it comes to fishing safety – but they are an important tool in the toolkit. Depending on your fishery, body type, and other factors, you may favour one type of PFD over another.
Check out Fish Safe’s useful PFD resources HERE.
(Special thanks to Frankie Horne, fisherman and Fishing Safety Manager from the Isle of Man, and to the rest of the hard-working RNLI team.)