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Subject 6's Experience

Bill B – Powerboater

Bill is no stranger to boating. He shared a 24-foot Chaparral powerboat with a friend for many years and does a lot of night boating. He owns a couple of jet skis and also has friends that have different types of boats that he regularly goes out on and operates.

Watch Bill B. go through the experiences below.

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

Bill believes in always wearing a lifejacket, no matter what size the boat is. He also ensures that his kids and passengers put their lifejackets on as soon as they get on the boat. And as they do a lot of night boating, he believes it is essential for them to wear their lifejackets.

He knows that if you find yourself in a situation where you need a lifejacket, it can be difficult to actually put it on. He says, “I’ve done a lot of boating at night, and I figure if something happens, it’s dark and It’s probably going to be rough, so how are they going to put their lifejackets on when they’re already in the water? I know the regulation says you must have a lifejacket for each passenger, but I make sure the passengers are wearing it as soon as they get on the boat.”

“I know the regulation says you must have a lifejacket for each passenger, but I make sure the passengers are wearing it as soon as they get on the boat.”

After going through the 2 Virtual Reality (VR) experiences, Bill said he was definitely surprised, as even though he kind of expected to fall – he didn’t know when it would happen. He stated “When I fell during the Fishing experience, it was unexpected and a little more surprising than the first fall. I felt disoriented for just a half a second. It definitely felt like what it would be like in the real world. That was the part that kind of got me feeling that this could really happen, and this is probably how it would feel.”

“Without a life jacket, especially in the cold water, I don't think I would have much of a chance.”

When reflecting on his dunk tank experiences, Bill had this to say, “When I fell into the cold water, I think I took a deep breath and I could feel like I needed more air, in a sense I could feel my breathing, the need to breathe was more intense. So, it was kind of almost like a panic.”

Going through these experiences has reinforced for Bill the need to always wear a lifejacket and always make sure his family and friends wear one. He wants everyone to know, “A lifejacket keeps you safe. It gives you buoyancy. It allows you to resurface to above the water so you could either pull yourself out or be pulled out by someone.”

“A lifejacket keeps you safe. It gives you buoyancy. It allows you to resurface to above the water so you could either pull yourself out or be pulled out by someone.”