Adam Puckett set out Sunday for a day on the Amite River, equipped with a wakeboard, a boat and a life vest marketed as "the comp vest that all comp vests want to be."
But when the 26-year-old University alumnus was thrown from his board after a long day of water sports, the vest wasn't enough to keep him afloat.
His friends and coworkers on the boat tried to retrieve Puckett, but he had slipped under the water, and they could not find him, recounted his brother Johnathan Puckett.
"He didn't come up," his brother said. "They spent a long time trying to find him."
Family and friends discovered that the life vest Adam Puckett was wearing at the time of his death was not U.S. Coast Guard approved, and while it boasted some floatation ability, it wasn't enough to keep him above water.
"I think people have a huge misconception about this type of vest," Jonathan Puckett said. "It's really scary how they don't have any warnings at all. I would really like people to know about that vest, all vests that aren't Coast Guard approved. If you're going to get something like that, at least know that you're risking your life every time you wakeboard or do any water sport."
The life jacket Adam Puckett wore was an impact vest, according to Sgt. Rachel Zechenelly, boating education coordinator for the enforcement division of the state Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. She said the vest, designed to reduce trauma when someone hits the water, is not guaranteed to offer floatation.
Kevin Kelly, recreational boating safety specialist for the Coast Guard, said an important safety step for people to take when boating is to know the types of jackets and when boarding a friend's boat to check and make sure they can locate the vests and that there is one they can wear.
The Coast Guard has five approved types of life jackets, each offering a different kind of protection, Zechenelly said. Approved vests should contain a tag that identifies its type and the amount of weight it can support, she said. State law requires that anyone participating in water sports like waterskiing or wakeboarding wear an approved life jacket.
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