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Subject 46's Experience

Harpreet W. – Powerboater

Harpreet and his family try to go boating as much as they can during the season. If the weather is nice, they’re out on the water. He owns a small bowrider that is basically a family boat and also some jet skis. He also has experience with canoes and kayaks.

With regards to lifejacket wear, Harpreet states “I keep my lifejacket on, with the exception of when I’m on a bigger boat, then I don't keep it buckled, but I keep the jacket on. With the jet skis and canoes and kayaks, 100% my lifejacket is always on.”

Watch Harpreet W. go through the experiences below.

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

Harpreet recalls two times he experienced a sudden, accidental immersion. One time on Chemong Lake, ON, in late August or early September. He and his family had just returned from a day of tubing. “The boat was not moving, and I was just standing on the back trying to wrap up things and I hit a little wet spot. Thanks to the gel coat these days and the polishing that my son did, I just slipped off and then the next thing I knew I was in the water.”

He was wearing a life jacket at the time and states, “The water was not too cold, but you do gasp when you go in unprepared and it was obviously a surprise, so for a second or so, I was disoriented.”

The next incident involved being thrown suddenly from the back of a jet ski on Lake Ontario, where the water was colder. Even with a lifejacket, it took him a few seconds to surface as the lake was choppy and the jet ski had left a wake. When he landed in the water, he felt the impact on his head and stated, “The water doesn’t feel as soft or mushy when you’re moving faster. It feels like a hard object or a rubber thing that you’re hitting.”

He feels that wearing a lifejacket definitely helped him in this situation. “Having the lifejacket on definitely helped me by keeping myself oriented and not exhausting myself. If I wasn’t wearing a lifejacket, I’m pretty sure I would be using a lot more energy to keep myself afloat and at the same time wave for help.”

“Having the lifejacket on definitely helped me by keeping myself oriented and not exhausting myself.”

Harpreet felt the Virtual Reality (VR) experiences were realistic. He had no idea what to expect but he knew that something was going to be happening, and at the same time, felt surprised when it actually happened. He also said he felt disoriented for a split second, and it took his brain a second to register what was happening.

“When I hit the cold water, my breathing did change. I could feel it. And there was a time that I was trying to breathe in, and my lungs were not supporting it probably for a second.”

He didn’t think he had a strong reaction to the warm tank but thought he did with the second cold water tank. “There was definitely that thermal shock because my body was used to whatever the warmer tank was and then suddenly going into a colder one - I did feel that I was kind of getting to a gasping point at some point.”

His instant reaction was to just get out quickly. “When I hit the cold water, my breathing did change. I could feel it. And there was a time that I was trying to breathe in, and my lungs were not supporting it probably for a second.”

“Having gone through these experiences, definitely reinforced my belief that a lifejacket can be a life saver. I do wear a lifejacket all the time and I definitely will be wearing a lifejacket in future as well. Unexpected things can happen - a lifejacket would at least keep me afloat and keep me breathing until rescue comes.”