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Subject 36's Experience

Angela N. – Paddler

When Angela was young, her father was a charter boat captain, and their family had a small aluminum boat. Now, as an adult, she owns a kayak and a stand-up paddleboard.

Regarding her lifejacket wear habits, Angela says, "When I was younger, I remember being out on the boat with my dad, and the lifejackets were just lying in the bottom of the boat. Now that I’m older, maybe because I have kids, I tend to always wear a lifejacket—whether I'm in my kayak or on my paddleboard. Even though I’m close to shore, I still always wear one."

Angela primarily kayaks around Georgina, ON, exploring its small rivers. She also ventures onto Lake Simcoe. Her season often begins as early as May 6th, coinciding with the annual River Run, and typically lasts until the end of September, depending on the weather and temperature.

Watch Angela N. go through the experiences below.

Pre-Interview
Stand-Up Paddleboard
Fishing Boat
Cold Water Tank
Warm Water Tank
Post-Interview

Subject 36

When dressing for kayaking, Angela says that in early May, when it can be quite chilly, she layers up. She usually brings wool socks and wears quick-drying clothing rather than waterproof gear, which can make her too warm in the midday sun. This helps when water drips from her paddle. She wears similar outfits in the fall, but in the summer, she mostly opts for shorts and a tank top.

Angela found the Virtual Reality SUP and fishing experiences surprisingly realistic. She particularly noted the risk of losing balance while reaching for a fish, recognizing it as a common cause of falling overboard. While she experienced the sensation of going overboard, knowing she wasn’t in actual water reduced the fear factor. She acknowledged that in a real-life situation, her reaction would likely be different, as the lack of immediate danger influenced her response.

"I tend to always wear a lifejacket—whether I'm in my kayak or on my paddleboard. Even though I’m close to shore, I still always wear one."

Angela found the Virtual Reality SUP and fishing experiences surprisingly realistic. She particularly noted the risk of losing balance while reaching for a fish, recognizing it as a common cause of falling overboard.

While she experienced the sensation of going overboard, knowing she wasn't in actual water reduced the fear factor. She acknowledged that in a real-life situation, her reaction would likely be different, as the lack of immediate danger influenced her response.

“In summer, when you enter a lake, you prepare yourself. You go in slowly, knowing how cold it’ll be. But when you’re suddenly dropped into cold water, it’s like ‘OMG!’ and then you try to calm down to regulate your heart rate and breathing.”

Angela’s dunk tank experience was a shocking cold-water immersion that triggered an instinctive need to exit. She described it as, “When I went in, it’s like, oh my God, I have to get out—even though I know I’m safe. There’s a ladder right there, but it’s still shocking.”

Though her breathing was initially restricted, she calmed down after a minute or two. She compared it to real-life immersion, noting that it would be much harder to exit the water without a ladder: “If my kayak flips, it’s a lot harder to get back in than just standing there with a ladder.”

The cold tank contrasted sharply with the warm one, emphasizing the immediate impact of cold water. She explained, “In summer, when you enter a lake, you prepare yourself. You go in slowly, knowing how cold it’ll be. But when you’re suddenly dropped into cold water, it’s like ‘OMG!’ and then you try to calm down to regulate your heart rate and breathing.”

She stated that water went up her nose when she went under in the warm tank, but she did not inhale water in the cold tank, though she was more shocked than in the warm one. Reflecting on her reaction, she recalled, “As soon as I hit the cold water, I just propelled up instinctively. I wasn’t thinking logically—just reacting, wanting to get out.”

She added, “I probably shrieked when I hit the water. When I surfaced and felt my breathing labored, I tried to calm myself. I wasn’t worried about drowning, but I focused on slowing my breaths and calming my heart rate.”

Angela’s key takeaway was the critical importance of lifejackets and how quickly things can change on the water. She recalled moments when kayaking around a corner, a sudden current could hit unexpectedly.

She emphasized the unpredictability of water, the importance of lifejackets, and the dangers posed by fast-moving boaters, saying, “There are a lot of people out on the water, and they are crazy. They go too fast, and they don’t wear lifejackets. I don’t understand it because water—it’s wonderful and beautiful, but it’s also so dangerous. You have to be very careful with it.”

“And if I did tip over, and I felt I could not get out of the water on my own and somebody had to rescue me, then I would have my lifejacket to save me. And if I didn't have my lifejacket on, I think I would be dead.”