A Trick Worth Knowing

[FlyingScot]

US Navy boot camp 1990. I suspect this trick will be taught until we stop wearing pants.

Good for everyone to know, even though I hope to not be wearing long pants on board.

[WingRyder]

Interesting, I guess I'm the only Army vet that was taught this trick as well. It was easy with BDU pants, as they have tie strings at the ankles for blousing into boots. We tied the ankles together, scooped the air and used the belt to seal the waist. I don't recall why we were taught this, but I didn't learn it in Basic, it was at my first duty assignment @ Ft. Devens, in '83.

[Luckyknot]

A variant they taught in Navy boot camp way back in 2003 was with coveralls. You unzip them about half way. Hold them open with one hand and try to "punch yourself in the stomach." It entrains a bunch of air that fills the coveralls after a few hard swings. You can then hold the coveralls closed and float around for awhile.

The pants tying method was discussed but I don't recall ever actually trying it. Something else to consider for those who wear coveralls as normal boating attire

[Hoosierdoc]

Hahahaha. How fortuitous!

https://www.sailingtoday.co.uk/news/...ZKXwern89M335M

[DeepFrz]

It seems Youtube has heard of this as well.
https://www.youtube.com/results?sear...atation+device

[BobMc]

The Boy Scouts have been teaching this method as part of water safety forever - I learned it while working on various water-related merit badges in the 1950s! We had jeans back then, too!

Originally Posted by Spot

This was also taught in the American Boy Scouts back in the late 1970's, I remember doing it at summer camp. I have not tried it since.

[castman]

We had to use that trick to get our Boy Scout Life Saving merit badge back in the mid 50s. Hint, it does not work as well with Levis due to weight.

[BobMc]

[QUOTE=Spot;2844723]Rescues are reach-throw-go in that order. And don't forget to call 911 or other emergency personnel if that is an option.


For the Boy Scouts the rescue order was/is: reach-throw-row-go!

[Dubbinchris]

Learned this in the Boy Scouts 30+ years ago.

[Bentwings]

While I learned it in scouts before high school, it was part of a life saving class in college. In the ‘60’s. Made more difficult by the instructor a former Olympic swimmer, who disliked the swimming team members taking her class for GPA booster. She used every handicap in the book on us.

She was a struggling victim and we had to take her pants off as part of the rescue. We all thought this was going to be fun. She was like a struggling lioness with cubs. I got more bruises in this class than I ever did playing hockey or football. Today she would probably be arrested but back then we were big headed students and didn’t have the right to complain.

[Panama Red]

Originally Posted by Spot

Rescues are reach-throw-go in that order. And don't forget to call 911 or other emergency personnel if that is an option.


K.

Reach-throw-go: for shore/dock/pool rescues.

Row-throw-go: for off shore rescues.

And when you go:

take a buoy (small fender would do) or other flotation device with you (not for you, but for the victim)

Still taught in the US Army, will be doing it again this June.

[Bentwings]

A swimming rescue is extremely dangerous. Use the rules posted above.

I wear an inflatable PFD all the time around the water. Our river current is stronger than most swimmers plus it’s cold most of the year. It would be very difficult for a person with marginal swimming skills in the water to climb out without help.

It’s already getting close to flooding and it’s very likely going to be a record flood this year.

The front row of boats ( including mine) are due to go in the water the 1st of April or so. I haven’t been here in the flood season so I’ll be learning shortly.

[stubones99]

It probably won't work today due to all the distressed fabric leaking out the air

[Colonel Bob]

Originally Posted by noelex 77

The trick involves tying knots in clothing (in this case jeans), trapping some air in the clothing and then using this to provide buoyancy. Many years ago I saw a video of someone demonstrating this in the water and it worked surprisingly well.

The news story is about a crew member who was lost overboard for 3 hours from a 12m yacht off New Zealand and credits the trick with saving his life.

https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/re...7e7a534c2589e5

The fact that this seems like a "new" idea reveals the lack of military training in the majority of the population. Removing, tying and inflating trousers was a timed event in Army Basic and Ranger training.

[Bentwings]

Yeah, with women’s fashion jeans with pre ripped holes it wouldn’t work.

After swimming a 1/4 mile out to a struggling woman then taking a dive to try and get her jeans off , then noting that they were full of holes, I guess you could just surface and tell her she was done for as the jeans wouldn’t hold air and head back to shore.

Ever try to take skin tight jeans off in the water? Or yoga pants? Shorts don’t work either.

That’s where the float would help.

Always try and take a float with you.