This is an excellent topic to discuss as you may know from our YouTube channel and blogs, I’ve been on quite a journey with canoeing 🛶. Let’s just say since I got into the sport, I’ve tried on more than 15 different types including the bulky orange life jackets, the inflatables, and buoyancy aids of all kinds from basic to rescue.

"Life is like being in deep water. Sometimes you need to swim against the tide, and other times you may need the support of a buoyancy aid. But remember, it is in those challenging moments when you discover your true strength and resilience." - Paulo Coelho

The reasons for trying so many are…

I’m a 🧜‍♀️ female paddler: the retailers seem to largely supply for men. This means there are fewer models that are geared toward a woman's shape, and thus it can be difficult to find a comfortable fit.
Larger paddler: sizing a buoyancy aid isn’t always easy. Most retailers have more stocks in smaller sizes, and most paddlers would agree that it can be challenging to find the right fit. There are often jokes made around retailers, supplying water sportswear for 🏺 Greek gods and goddesses, which makes me laugh, but it is somewhat true.
Nervy paddler: over the time that I’ve been paddling, I’ve needed to face a fear of the water and capsizing, fear of not being able to swim, and therefore drowning if a capsize were to happen. I’ve asked myself numerous questions, including whether should I wear a canoeing lifejacket? What newtons does it need to be? Should I wear a buoyancy aid? Is that sufficient? Would it save my life? Which is better out of the lifejacket and buoyancy aid? Etc.
Picky paddler: it can be difficult to find colours and a design that suits you as most don’t come in a 🌈 variety of colours. The straps can rise above your shoulders and your head. How tight should it be? Etc.

Let’s start off with the two designs

Firstly, a lifejacket should be used in order to save you from drowning. The purpose of a life jacket is that when you’re in the water it will turn you upright, push you to the surface and ensures your head is in the correct position. In other words, it is designed to save your life.

There are lots of different types to choose from:

Bulky orange foam lifejackets
Inflatable lifejackets that can be manually inflated or automated, so that when they hit the water, they inflate
Lifejackets that have a spray hood, whistle, and torch or those with a tube at the top to force you in the upright position in the water

A life jacket can push you upright in the water, in the upward position so you face the right way up, they are designed to push you to the surface even when you may be unconscious.

Secondly, let’s look at buoyancy aids, a buoyancy aid will help you float in the water and rise to the surface. It can save your life if you are conscious. If you are unconscious, it may not protect you. It really depends on the paddling environment and the situation.

There are lots of different types of buoyancy aid to choose from:

Straps at the front
Straps to the side
With or without zips
Rescue jackets
🐕 Dog jackets

Some different brands and designs on the market:

These are all our own jackets (paid for by us)
Top left: Typhoon Impact bouyancy aid
Top middle: NRS Odyssey
Top right: Crewsaver pet bouyancy aid
Bottom left: Yak High Back
Bottom right: NRS Oso

So now we’ve looked at the two different types of life-saving devices, why is it that buoyancy aids are more widely used for paddle boarding, canoeing, and kayaking?

I believe the main reason is that those who undertake paddle boarding, kayaking, and 🛶 canoeing have a certain amount of water confidence. You should be able to swim with a personal floatation device (PFD) at least 25 meters. This allows the paddler to assume the risk of using a buoyancy aid because it will give them the floatation they need when they are in the water. In some situations, it is unlikely that you would be unconscious therefore, the risk is lower. Wearing a lifejacket for these watersports would be uncomfortable especially if you are doing them over long periods due to their size.

Depending on the type of recreational paddling you do, for example, flat water paddling such as 💦 canals, lakes and rivers or more adventurous activities such as whitewater may impact the decision you make as to what type of PFD you choose.

The paddlers that run rivers and whitewater rapids usually have had some form of rescue training, are confident in the water, and in their ability to self-rescue or rescue others and/or are paddling with people that are experienced or have had some form of training.

That’s not to say that flat water paddlers don’t have training, in fact, the opposite can be true, they can have some form of coaching, training, qualification, or experience behind them or all of the aforementioned.

Have a little hope

Those paddlers who can’t 🏊 swim or are weak swimmers are likely to have spent some considerable time researching these topics to put their minds at rest. I was, am and most likely always will be one of those paddlers. Before I started the sport of canoeing, I’d never been out of my depth in water before and had always stayed within my depth in a swimming pool, for example. I’d never been wild swimming, I couldn’t swim with or without a PFD and was terrified at the prospect of deep water and I still am. It is a strong fear of mine. The thing is, I just LOVE 💗 canoeing and it makes me incredibly happy 😊.

I’ve worked hard on my fear to get to where I am today by dabbling in:

coaching/training
swimming pool sessions (with my family)
reading blogs
watching YouTube videos
doing wild swims
journalling my feelings

It’s all about trust

The first time I went out of my depth in water was exhilarating, the feeling of not being able to touch the bottom is indescribable. One of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do in my life was to put on a buoyancy aid and trust that it would help me float and that I wouldn’t drown.

Everyone may tell you or show you that it’s all fine, you will definitely float, nothing bad is going to happen, someone will save you if it all goes wrong and you don’t need to be afraid. However, I hear you, I hear and understand what you may go through mentally. I am that person, I have had and continue to have those thoughts. What if I fall in? What if I get hurt? What if Tim cannot get to me for some reason? What if I get stuck under the water? What if the river carries me away and I cannot fight it? What if I get stuck under the canoe and can’t get out? Etc. Sometimes the best thing to do if you are like me is to recognise those feelings, have them, and then tell yourself that you can do it and that if you try and something goes wrong, it is going to be ok. One trick I use is to force myself to think of when things have gone right. For example, remember that time I almost fell in but didn’t? Remember when I couldn’t even bring myself to sit in a canoe? Remember that time I sat in it for the first time and then got out again? Look at me now! Check out Facing Fears: My FirstTime In A Canoe blog.

Going to wild swim with a life ring 🛟 as I didn’t fully trust my buoyancy aid 🦺

Why did I opt for a buoyancy aid instead of a lifejacket?

I opted for a buoyancy aid over a life jacket, because I weighed up the risk, and the likelihood of me being unconscious is low and I just wanted to be like everyone else, all those cool paddlers on Facebook and Instagram that just do it. I wanted to be like them and look like them. I wanted to be cool.

I paddle tandem in an open canoe with Tim, (my husband), who is a strong, confident swimmer which provides some reassurance, but not huge amounts because he’ll be dealing with his own situation before he saves me!

Reasons I didn’t choose the traditional lifejacket:

Bulky
Bright colour to draw everyone’s attention
Uncomfortable for long periods of time
Wanted to be just like everyone else - part of the paddling community

What about the newtons?

Once I’d decided that I was going to stick with a buoyancy aid, the next thing on my mind was the newtons. I knew the minimum requirement, (I researched it!) 50N. Did I trust that it was enough? No! And if it was then why do they make ones at 70N etc? I learned that 50N is the minimum safety standard, which means that it’s the minimum a buoyancy aid needs to be in order to help you float.

After talking to experienced paddlers, I began to understand that it really didn’t make a difference and it was just in my head.

The only way to fully trust your buoyancy aid 🦺 is to practice and there’s no quick fix, and there’s no easy way around it, you must be prepared to try it.

What’s the difference between swimming in the wild and in a swimming pool?

The most interesting experience for me was the difference between swimming pools and wild swimming 🏊.

The feeling of weeds crawling up your legs and wrapping around them
Strange feeling of not being able to put your feet down
The actual water felt the same (Tim thinks fresh water feels thinner than sea water or chlorinated pools)
Fresh temperatures
The surroundings are all natural in the wild
No protection from the nice safe pool
No lifeguards

It made sense to do it the way we did, I wanted to experience the sheer fear 😱 of getting tangled in weeds because this way I felt more prepared for any capsizing in the future. That’s not to say I want to capsize, nor do I like it. I still fear it to this day, but I think it’s about pushing boundaries and challenging yourself, and doing it in the most realistic environments. This isn’t always possible it depends on the feelings you have on the day.

Wild swimming and holding onto Tim for safety

Tell me about the last time you went wild swimming in 2023

The last time I went on a wild swim was with Tim and Cat, Cat is a very strong swimmer. One of the strongest swimmers I’ve ever seen, and she is very water-confident. She travels the world wild swimming, so I thought that would give me a lot of confidence.

They set targets for me, so we went to a lake, and then when I was out of my depth they wanted me to swim from point A to B. Cat wanted me to swim to her but I was worried I might push her down and drown her. I couldn’t see the bottom and I know it sounds amusing to some, but I was worried that an aquatic creature 🦈 would get me, pull me down and I would drown so my swimming skills were not confident at all.

At the time Tim and Cat struggled a bit with me, I think they couldn’t always understand why I couldn’t just do it, like they could. We were out there for around 1.5 - 2 hours and the lake was quite fresh. For them, at times I’m sure it was frustrating 😤. For me, I needed more time and got frustrated that they wanted me to do something I felt I couldn’t.

There are no hard feelings though, after all without them I wouldn’t have gone at all and achieved the small steps I did. I love my family even when we might get on each other’s nerves and I know they love me too.

What about now in 2024?

It’s safe to say that now I can swim in a swimming pool with a PFD, but not without one. In terms of distance, I can probably swim around 50 to 70 meters without stopping or by doing a doggy paddle 🐕. Although I am not confident, if I haven’t been swimming for a long time, I can get nervous when I go back into the water.

In terms of wild swimming, I need to do a lot more, I wouldn’t say as I write this blog that I could confidently do 25 meters in deep water alone.

I have to say my favourite brand for buoyancy aids is NRS, I’m amazed at how comfortable they are even the ones that are unisex or made for men.

Lastly, try not to be concerned with what other people think about your choice for safety. Yes, when I’ve been out in the swimming pool wearing my buoyancy aid, sometimes I feel a little silly 😳. I have had some positive and encouraging feedback from swimmers who don’t know me though. People can obviously tell that I can’t swim or assume that by me wearing a PFD I can’t, but mostly after 10 minutes in the water I tend to forget about everyone else and feel brave.

So the next time you’re out in the water with your buoyancy aid on, you should feel brave too!

As always, happy paddling!

Canoeing Life Jacket: Do I Need a Buoyancy Aid For Canoeing or Wild Swimming?