Your equipment should also protect your physical integrity. At high speeds water isn’t that indulgent element anymore. A high-speed fall on the ribs, for example, can leave you with a painful souvenir of your session. In addition, you do not always have the chance to fall on the water, you can get hit by the gear. For these reasons, we strongly recommend:
- wearing a helmet
- wearing an impact vest
Falls are not a matter of level. Whether you have a nasty fall doing a jibe or a backflip, the result is still a nasty fall. Being a beginner doesn’t spare you from things going violently wrong, neither does being experienced. Nasty falls are only a matter of time.