By Coastal Angler Magazine Staff
A couple of years ago while at ICAST, I spent some time looking at the different survival suits and decided it was time. It was a tough decision because although I’m not a labels kind of girl, I do watch Fashion Police with Joan Rivers who’s taught me that standing out in a crowd can either be trendy or just be oh so wrong. The thought of putting on a glowing, orange jumper was against everything I knew.
If you fish in New England and are the type of angler that tries to seek every bit of time you have to be out on the water, then purchasing a survival suit should be the trend you follow. We all say the same thing “It won’t happen to me. I’m really careful and alert.” I’ve said it myself for many years, but then you watch the news and hear of experienced anglers who are struck by a freak accident. Sometimes Mother Nature and the universe have unexpected surprises for us and I don’t mean happy, welcoming ones.
Two years ago when my husband and I were out fishing on Thanksgiving Day, we started asking each other how long we would last if we had to abandon ship. The water temperature was 52 degrees. That doesn’t sound too cold, right? Within two minutes, your body will go into cold shock and lose functional dexterity. I’m not going to get into the details of hypothermia and all of the effects of cold water on the body because there are some great articles out there that go through the different stages, effects and tips to help you last as long as you can. This is a great one to show you just how serious this can be: www.uscg.mil/pvs/docs/coldwater1.pdf
The water temperatures in Boston and the surrounding waters at the time of the cod opener, on April 16, will be in the mid to high 40’s. There are a lot of factors that go into survival times, but from what I’ve calculated, my petite stature will only give me about two minutes before it starts to go wrong and end with my story on the evening news. Definitely not the way I want to achieve my fame!
My Angler-2-Angler tip this month: If you’re first to splash and last to haul, forget fashion and the price of a survival suit. Make sure you have this life saver and practice getting into it in record time. The “cost” of not having one is a price that cannot be refunded.
Allison Miles is an award winning angler, fishing enthusiast and blogger. She is Pro-Staff for Esca Lures and an Ambassador for Pure Fishing. You can follow her angling adventures at www.gopogy.com.
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