: Swimming is a good skill but it’s not something I would trust my
: life to, so I set out to learn how to float. I was so successful
: that one day I fell asleep and was woken by screams from my
: horrified family. Just floating is a great survival skill. No
: unnecessary energy, minimum peripheral circulation to keep core
: temperature up, and so forth.

: The trick is to find a stable position that requires no activity to
: maintain. It is probably different for others, but I float best
: on my back with my hands behind my head, my knees bent and
: relaxed - it took some experimenting to discover that. If I
: straighten up I float upright and my mouth goes under in fresh
: water. I recommend anyone who enjoys - or works on - the water
: to practice this; the knowledge that you can float for hours,
: perhaps even lose consciousness and still survive is a huge
: plus. Ear plugs are a plus . . .

: Of course, with a pdf things are different. Again, practice can
: save your life. I tried it with a pdf years ago; relaxed and
: promptly found myself in a stable floating position, but
: face-down! That pdf was a used one and it went into the garbage
: pdq! There are some seriously useless and dangerous pdf's out
: there, and a pdf that suits one person may not suit another. The
: certification on the label isn't worth spit so test it after you
: buy it and exchange it if you suspect it might kill you in an
: emergency.

I'm one of the poor unfortunate souls who never floated. With a full breath of air in my lungs, the best I could do was bob with my eyeballs barely breaking the surface in fresh water. I sank at a half-breath... (or did last I tried a few years back, have added a few pounds around the middle since then though.) In salt water with a PFD, I can stay on my back pretty easily.

StephenHJ