Many fans of extreme water sports may think that because of their years of training, they are almost unaffected by the use of impact vests or helmets when on the water.
However, there’s a decent to fair potential that you may put your body in some really risky scenarios when you’re competing against yourself and truly pushing the envelope to enhance your skill set.
How therefore can we be sure that, when engaging in a variety of freshwater and marine activities, we’re taking all reasonable precautions to avoid any significant injuries?
There are two essential pieces of safety equipment that you must use as you advance in your chosen water sport(s). These items were created to protect critical sections of your body in the terrible event that you get into difficulty.
In the event that you wipeout and crash with the water, terrain, your board, or other riders, these two pieces of equipment—lifesaving impact vests and helmets—are there to protect the most essential parts of your body.
We’re going to examine these two pieces of safety gear in-depth in this post and emphasise how crucial they are for keeping you safe on the water!
How Does an Impact Vest Help? What Is It?
a picture of a boat-riding man wearing an impact vest
Impact vest by ION
An impact vest has some similarities to a life jacket, but don’t be fooled—these vests do not provide enough buoyancy to keep you afloat on their own.
Impact vests are made to cushion the blow of a fast collision with water and provide coverage that protects your torso from significant harm and bruises.
The majority of the essential organs in our bodies are found in the chest and torso.
Impact vests are therefore essential to ensuring that these body parts are kept as safe as possible whenever we are out on the water.
Impact vests are most commonly connected with the requirement for adrenaline-filled watersports like kitesurfing or wing foiling since these are the activities where a high-velocity impact with the water is most likely to occur.
Regardless of the water sport you choose, wearing an impact vest can provide your body with additional, much-needed protection.
How Can I Choose the Best Impact Vests?
You must be sure to consider the appropriate factors before you acquire it, just like with safety equipment for sports (land or water based).
Making the wrong choice could reduce your level of protection or, worse still, put you in more danger.
Check to see if your impact vest fits with your other gear.
You might be wearing additional gear while participating in a variety of water activities, such as a harness while kiteboarding, for example.
It’s important to be sure that the impact vest you choose won’t interfere with this or jeopardise your safety in any way.
Wear impact vests to stay mobile and at ease
One of the primary arguments put out by motorcyclists for not wearing impact vests is that they believe the vests limit their mobility.
To select an impact vest with the most flexibility, it’s important to try on a variety of sizes and styles before making your purchase.
Finding The Right Weight Balance
The success of many watersports heavily depends on balance and weight.
This implies that you ought to likewise examine the impact vest’s weight.
You can choose between lightweight and standard choices at several water sports outlets.
Watersports Helmets & Their Benefits
Image of The Watersports Centre AK 2022 Helmet
Helmet made of AK-47
Some people frequently believe that when they are on open water, a helmet may not be necessary.
Although a fall into water is much softer than, example, a concrete slab, wearing a helmet can still be quite beneficial for people engaging in water-based activities.
It is common knowledge that, in the event of a catastrophic collision on land, a helmet might literally mean the difference between life and death.
In general, it has been discovered that wearing a helmet can cut the risk of major head injuries by up to 70%! A helmet will absorb the impact of any contact.
In the UK, several different water sports will be practised right by the shore of beaches.
This entails the dangers of deviating toward cliffs and rock formations, none of which will provide the smooth landing provided by water.
In the really unlucky event that you have an impact with rocks or cliffs while out on the sea, wearing a helmet will significantly protect you.
Tips For Choosing The Best Helmet For Water Sports
Similar to choosing the best impact vest, making sure you keep a few things in mind when buying a helmet will help to keep you as safe as possible.
Making Sure You Buy the Correct Size
A helmet that is too loosely fitted will undoubtedly not provide enough protection and may even worsen your injuries in the event of a crash.
Additionally, wearing a helmet that is too tight will hurt and make you uncomfortable.
Use a soft tape measure to measure the circumference of your head before making a helmet purchase. This will provide you with the information you need to determine the size of helmet you require.
Certification for Helmets
Not every helmet that is sold in stores will be approved.
Make sure the retailer you buy your helmets from is reputable and that the retailer’s helmets have been certified after passing stringent safety tests.
Quick Tips for Staying Safe While Engaging in Water Sports
photo of a man engaging in water sports
Here are a few additional fast safety suggestions for you to keep in mind while you’re out on the water. Equipment, especially impact vests and helmets, are going to be some of the best things you can use to keep safe.
Naturally, you should always be sure to wear a life jacket.
The easiest approach to stay afloat if you end yourself in the water is to wear a life jacket. You may think you can swim confidently, but high-speed wipeouts could leave you unable to swim strongly enough or cause you to become disoriented.
A good rule of thumb is to thoroughly inspect your gear before entering the water.
Any boards, bars, kites, wings, or straps that you’ll require for your activity are included in this.
Your entire arsenal of gear needs to be in excellent condition, not just your safety gear.
Upon arrival, inspect the beach.
Be sure to check the beach and parts of the coastline for potential dangers and danger zones before you get put there and start having fun if you’re doing water sports right off the coast of a local beach.
You’ll have a decent notion of what to look out for and where to avoid thanks to this.
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