A few years back, paddler Brandee Wenzel took a day trip in June down a choppy Boundary Waters lake.

Wenzel stayed close to shore to avoid the wind gusts blowing down the lake and fanning out on the lake’s surface but, as she paddled across a bay, a gust of wind came down the water towards her. The wind blew a spinning waterspout about an arm span in width and raised about 4 to 5 inches from the water surface into Wenzel’s canoe, knocking her into the water without her lifejacket.

By taking off the fleece jacket she was wearing, Wenzel was able to swim to her canoe, which had remained upright.

“If I hadn’t been able to get to the canoe, I would have been in a really scary situation,” she said. “Ever since then, I wear my lifejacket.”

Tim Smalley, MN DNR Boat and Water Safety Specialist, said it can be difficult to convince people that unpredictable incidents like what happened to Wenzel are a reality and that people can’t always anticipate when they’ll need a lifejacket to save their life.

“Everyone thinks ‘it won’t happen to me,’” said Smalley. “There are a lot of excuses for not wearing a lifejacket: ‘It’s too hot.’ ‘I can swim.’”

While Minnesota reported only 14 boating fatalities last year, many of those fatalities could have been prevented with lifejacket wear, Smalley said.

“People capsize or fall overboard,” said Smalley. “They hit the cold water, gasp, and swallow about a quart of water into their lungs. Without a lifejacket on, it doesn’t matter how good of a swimmer you are. With a quart of water in your lungs, you drown.”

Minnesota law mandates that everyone in a watercraft have a readily accessible, wearable lifejacket which fits and is in good condition. Anyone operating a personal watercraft, such as a jet ski, is required to wear a lifejacket, and children under age 10 must wear a lifejacket whenever in a boat.

Lifejacket wear compliance is close to 100 percent among children and personal watercraft operators, but among the adult population with an option of wearing or having a lifejacket close at hand, the DNR estimates that only about 25 percent percent opt to wear lifejackets, said Smalley.

“The No. 1 reason people don’t wear a life jacket is because of comfort,” said Delaina Lee, Coleman Marketing and Communications director. “They can be hot, uncomfortable, sticky and not appealing to the eye.”

Lee said Coleman’s company, Stearns, has worked to produce lifejackets that are more flexible and attractive. Some of the lifejackets are produced with soft neoprene and others used antimicrobial materials to prevent odor and mildew growth.

Another comfortable lifejacket option is a lightweight inflatable vest, said Smalley. This lifejacket has gained popularity among television fishing guides and Smalley said he hopes having visible lifejacket wear in the media will help convince the public to don lifejackets more frequently.

“Wearing a lifejacket seems like a small thing,” said Wenzel. “But it’s a small thing that could make or break your life.”