As arm chair quaterbacks it is easy to say what they should have done and what equipment they should have carried.
They did have one piece of equipment that saved them. They were able to use that equipment which is more than some coud have done.
Yes, they might have faired better if they had additional eqiupment on their person. Or it might have been snagged on debris in the river or added sufficent wieght to drag them to the bottom and drown. Or it might have failed due to a faulty water proof seal. Or a host of other problems.
Murphy shows up at the most inopportune times. As a member of a rescue squad, we try and plan for every possible problem that might occur for a given rescue situation and then train to overcome them. We have redundant systems, extra heavy duty equipment, and train constantly. We bring extra parts and tools so we can adapt and overcome. But still sometimes Murphy wins. Sometimes it is equipment failure but others times it is a simple overlooked task by a human.
I went white water rafting with my family recently. I hold a national certification in swiftwater rescue. I made sure that all family members could swim, were wearing properly sized PFDs, and that they watched a safety film specific to that river just prior to entering the water. I had a throw bag on my waist. I had taught one son how to us it and practiced using the throw bag with him just before our trip. My youngest son was wearing a wet suit for both thermal protection and extra boyuncy. On the first rapid, I fell out of the raft. We had forgotten to determine what to do if the rescuer needed rescuing! I was able to get back into the raft and was the butt of many jokes. We thought we had adequately prepared but overlooked some details.
I celebrate that they were able to build a fire and warm themselves long enough to be rescued. It reinforced the idea that if you don't have it on your person, then it does not count.
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