PFDs should always be obligatory. Here's my favorite story about them. In the Coast Guard I did review of inspection reports regarding accidents. One occurred in Chesapeake Bay were a young couple and their infant took a small guided boat across the bay. The engine exploded. All died from drowning except the infant, who survived. The only one wearing a PFD was the infant.
SOS are easy to wear, you won't notice they are there.
"So many people are out there doing things they call environmentalism, but only because it's politically correct or has a lot of cache."