https://www.avweb.com/aviation-news/pilot-recounts-ditching-off-mexico/?oly_enc_id=1916G9512189H7FWorth a read if you fly over water. He was reasonably well prepared and was lucky besides. Appears his C-182 was unlucky in that he flipped over, but they both got out ok. Lesson learned, stay calm and you have to unlatch your seat belt. He wasn't able to retrive the life raft which was stored in the cargo area. Lesson is to place the life raft where you can grab it on your way out of the aircraft, If it had been secured in the back seat he could have done that.
I would guess from his description of his " personal GPS transmitter" originally intended for SCUBA use that it was a McMurdo FastFind PLB. Plus they had a Marine VHF radio. Best to have this gear on your person and attached via a lanyard. Also, a lanyard or waterproof pouch with a neck lanyard for your cell phone is useful.
Not sure what to make of the life vest issues they had. I have never had a vest fail to inflate after yanking on the inflation tab. Good that he recognized he had some issue and used the oral inflation tube. (In training we sometimes use an expended CO2 cylinder to simulate a failure to inflate)
I always include a buddy line so you can easily link with another survivor because it is much more difficult and tiring to stay together if you have to hold onto someone and impossible if you become unconscious.
Swimming with a life vest on is extremely difficult and tiring, The best practical way to do so is to go backwards using your arms to pull you backwards. Multiple survivors and link up laying to each others crotch and can actually get moving quite effectively as a "chain" of swimmers.
.
