I am new to this forum but not new to water. Practically raised in a pool, more comfortable swimming under water than with my head up, my daughter is a third generation lifeguard.

I have had some interesting surprises in a kayak but one of the first and most memorable was taking a self rescue class in my new P&H Capella and finding out that when you flip a kayak in a PFD you still end up completely head down with your nose and sinus cavities immediately full of water. I can't say I was really rattled but it was nice to know that once I popped the skirt I was going to go UP.

Never kayak without a PFD.

You never know when something will surprise you.

: I feel the same way. I cringe when I see it on the water, which is
: often. Just recently we had one kid drown on a perfectly calm
: day on a small interior lake. He wasn't wearing his lifevest. A
: buddy of mine was on the SAR for him. It shook him up a bit.

: If you don't wear your lifevest while paddling the odds are stacked
: against you.