Sreve shared a close call he had while paddling solo on Buck Creek in Helena, Alabama on Sat April 5th. He was in a Perception 3D kayak with a spray skirt but wasn’t wearing a PFD or helmet. Not far from the put-in, he tried to steer around a downed tree, but the current pushed him into it. The trunk flipped him and pinned him underwater, with his kayak wedged against the tree. He said he was able to surface a few times, gasping for air, but was repeatedly shoved back under. He eventually ran out of air and genuinely thought he was going to die. After several minutes of struggling, the kayak finally broke free. Looking back, he realized he could’ve pulled his spray skirt and escaped—but in the panic and disorientation, that thought never cam
