[sidm83]

When I was getting introduced to river kayaking safety basics, the instructor really emphasized the importance of staying away from these, or to start paddling like crazy if you can't avoid them so that you can get past the dangerous point. In whitewater, there are some sections where these can occur naturally as well when you have water falling off from a height of a few feet.

[beders]

Yup, scary beasts. If you get sucked out of the kayak, the only way to escape those is to get rid of your life vest and try to catch the outflow deep underwater. At least according to anecdotes.

[ganafagol]

> get rid of your life vest

This is terrible if not unresponsibly dangerous advice.

The top comment has a link to a database with cases of people drowning. The common pattern: if life vests were mentioned then those in the party who drowned were those who either took off their PFD or didn't wear one to start with.

Your best chance is to make it to the side of the river where the currents are less or nonexistent. A life vest increases your chances of making it there alive. Taking it off to dive down to some deep water outflow because somebody mentioned that stunt in some anecdote will get you killed for sure.

[jtbayly]

Actually, the only mention I saw of life vests was two men in a canoe who died while wearing them.

[Ma8ee]

No! The only time that might a good advice is if you are stuck under water. Or otherwise exhausted all other possibilities and there's absolutely no hope to be rescued. Otherwise keep your life jacket on. For example the casualty in this [0] case would probably been alive still if he just waited for help instead.

In general, don't spread anecdotal safety advice. Someone might die.

[0] https://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/Accident/detail/a...