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whats a good life jacket i can swim but fear deep water ____?

mikie22

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whats a good life jacket i can swim but fear deep water ____?
 

Beachbummer

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It's all about comfort. Go to the store and try them out. Fit is super important. I find Neoprene the most comfortable kind.It needs to be tight too, otherwise it just rides up on you.

Since you mention you can swim....Drowning in 15ft is the same as drowing in 3000ft of depth. As you build your proficiency by swimming more you may find you feel more confident swimming in deeper waters.

If you could be hurt always wear one (For WaterSports it's legally required and I would add foolish not to wear one in my opinion.)
 

mikie22

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It's all about comfort. Go to the store and try them out. Fit is super important. I find Neoprene the most comfortable kind.It needs to be tight too, otherwise it just rides up on you.

Since you mention you can swim....Drowning in 15ft is the same as drowing in 3000ft of depth. As you build your proficiency by swimming more you may find you feel more confident swimming in deeper waters.

If you could be hurt always wear one (For WaterSports it's legally required and I would add foolish not to wear one in my opinion.)
i am terrifed in deep water if i cant touch but i can swim in it
 

Beachbummer

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I have a friend in a very similar situation. One thing that helped him greatly was wearing fins. the fins give your legs swimming super power and give you more confidence . Maybe practice in the pool where you easily control the depth and work to reach the level of confort you wish for.
Best of Luck!
 

mikie22

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I have a friend in a very similar situation. One thing that helped him greatly was wearing fins. the fins give your legs swimming super power and give you more confidence . Maybe practice in the pool where you easily control the depth and work to reach the level of confort you wish for.
Best of Luck!
can i wear vest in deep part
 

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For swimming my wife and I both grabbed neoprene ones, I got mine from Costco, hyperlite I think, and it’s awesome. Highly recommend trying on as many as you can find and getting what feels right.

For what it’s worth, I’m not afraid of deep water, but don’t totally love it. Always wear it for water sports and usually even just when swimming because it’s so comfortable! I agree with getting one that’s tight though, helps to keep it nice and comfortable
 
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Beachbummer

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Yes, I suggest to give you more comfort on using the vest at any depth you can try it and use the vest in the pool so you can be familiar with how it feels. You can certainly wear the vest on deep water, and anywhere else you wish.
 

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Something else when it's deep, i throw a few lines with vests tied to the end, so if someone start drifting away they can grab a hold of the lines and stick around without effort.
 

biffdotorg

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Neo vests have gotten very comfortable. My last neo vest purchase was the Segmented neoprene. For a big guy, those are great. If you are a woman, getting a woman specific jacket helps as well. Cut differently for obvious reasons. They do stretch so much, that my wife will many times grab my jacket and it works just fine.

For those that want to wear a PFD at all times for safety, the self inflating vests have the least bit of restriction when not in the water. I see many fisherman, including my folks wearing these. They serve no purpose for swimming, as it would need to be inflated. But for minimal restriction when boating, they work well.

Good luck!
 

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@Amar Nanduri can tell how to conquer the fears
Lol @Betik . It starts with being incredibly stupid in the head and then donning a life jacket you are comfortable with, and starting to think you are in 5 feet of water and the sharks are nothing but little fish with an abnormal growth :D
 

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For swimming my wife and I both grabbed neoprene ones, I got mine from Costco, hyperlite I think, and it’s awesome. Highly recommend trying on as many as you can find and getting what feels right.
Be aware that many of the lighter vests designed for jetskis and/or wakeboarding, while fine for swimming, are not fully USCG approved and thus won't pass muster if a picky water cop happens to be looking for a reason to write tickets for not meeting safety requirements.
 

Whisky

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Be aware that many of the lighter vests designed for jetskis and/or wakeboarding, while fine for swimming, are not fully USCG approved and thus won't pass muster if a picky water cop happens to be looking for a reason to write tickets for not meeting safety requirements.
Thanks for the heads up! we have a full compliment of ones that do pass in storage thank goodness, but this is also good to know!
 
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