Taking selfies paddling is common, with standup paddleboarders often leading the charge. But a new US Coast Guard video campaign reminds paddlers the importance of making sure you always wear your PFD, even while looking your best for the camera. More paddling deaths occur every year from people not wearing their life jackets than from any other cause.
“Selfie Girl,” a new video by Florida filmmaker Craig Kotilinek shot on Georgia’s Lake Oconee, shines more light on this subject. In it, a young social influencer girl played by Zoe Hall, paddles out on a standup paddleboard, taking photos along the way as so many of today’s influencers do. But one thing is glaringly missing: her life jacket.
Watch “Selfie Girl” Vid Here:
In 2024, the U.S. Coast Guard reported 556 recreational boating deaths, including 143 paddlecraft deaths. Where cause of death was known, 76 percent of the victims drowned. Where Personal Flotation Device usage was known, 87% weren’t wearing one.
So Selfie Girl goes for one more shot and topples into the water, sans life jacket. She can’t swim, but luckily, this time the water isn’t over her head. Still, the video’s lesson remains: Always wear your life jacket whenever you’re on the water. (Plus, it will make your “selfies” so much more realistic.)
Kotilinek adds he loves to kayak himself on the St. Croix River in Wisconsin and also paddle-surfs his local break at New Smyrna Beach, Florida. And he always wears his life jacket. “Wear it anytime you’re on the water,” he says. “Even if you’re a great swimmer, things can happen quickly on the water.”
