(Old Fat) Man Overboard
As a lifeguard, I use to tell people, "If you don't want to get wet, don't go around the water." If you're around boats long enough, you will fall overboard. Doesn't take much.
A miss step, someone rocks the boat, trolling motor was on FULL when you thought it was on LOW, your fishing buddy sets the hook and backs right into you.... SPLASH.
I was teaching my grand daughter to cast a spinning rod at the time. She put a little too much into her cast and went into the water. I think she was more surprised than scared. She quickly swam to the boat. The #1 Rule in Boating Safety... LEARN HOW TO SWIM.
In trying to pull a 45 pound kid into the boat, I realized there is no way I could get an adult back into the boat. Then I remembered my last "Swim Test" at Scout Camp a few years ago.... You may think you're in good shape, but believe me we're not as young as we use to be (or think we are) It would be all I could do to swim back to the boat... NO WAY that I could get back aboard by myself. It's very difficult to swim when you have your shoes and all your clothes on. I figure that all I could do is hang on and drift into shallow water.
Then there is the... What If... I hit my head on the boat or a log as I fell overboard?
Or had a heart attack and fell into the water?
Now days, when ever I fish alone I always wear a life jacket. One of those kind that inflates when it hits the water. I am seriously thinking of getting one of those fold down steps that attaches to the stern. Remember, it's not a matter of "If your going to fall off the boat... it's when."