I thought I'd share a near drowning incident for everyone that happened back in the mid 1980's to me while tubing in a river.

My wife and I decided to join another couple to go tubing in a river near Deckers, Colorado. This little stretch has some great (but short) white water, then a bunch of very slow, lazy river. I promptly went and bought the orange life preservers that spin you face up in 0.05 seconds or less, then left them in my truck when everyone laughed at me. Strike one and two.

We shot through the rapids just fine, and while floating down the river in less than 2 feet of water, my tube was positioned such that I was meandering down the river head first, and everyone else had drifted about 100 yards ahead of me. Strike three.

My foot caught under a rock, my tube squirted out from under me like a watermelon seed, and I went down. Now I'm laying on my back with my legs folded under me because of that stuck foot, and the river is inexorably pushing down on my chest. All in less than 2 ft. of water. The only thing that saved me was that I was 22 or 23 and in very good shape. I was able to get upright enough (barely) to jerk my foot out of the hold it was in, this was after at least a minute or two of fighting the current with all my strength, fighting to keep my mouth above the water. Imagine kneeling on the ground with your legs together, all the way down to your ankles. Then, bending just at the knees, lower your head back to the ground, and using just your thighs, raise your entire body back up. I doubt that I could do that now...

This was in a part of the river that was so shallow and lazy, no one would ever hesitate to just walk right in.

That was the LAST time I EVER gave a @#$% what anyone ever thought of me and my gear. I've always been prepared from that moment on.