Risk Management Magazine

Taking an early morning swim in the ocean is a great way to start your day. If you’re not careful, however, that great start could come to an abrupt and tragic end. It almost happened to me.

Being that I’m very safety conscious, I’ve taken my share of boating courses and always carry more than the minimum requirement of protective gear whenever I go out on the water. Unfortunately, as I learned firsthand, not all boat owners are as serious about safety.

I then noticed that Jim — by far the better skier — was starting to fall behind. I yelled to see where he was, and he told me to go to the edge of the trees and wait for him there. I didn’t make it far before I heard Jim say he was having a hard time skiing. Jim is the type of guy who won’t complain unless he’s dying, so when he said he was having difficulty moving his legs, I was concerned.