'I would have died kayaking without buoyancy aid'

Neil Armstrong Boast suffered a heart attack while out kayaking on the River Deben

A man who suffered a heart attack while kayaking said had he not been wearing a buoyancy aid he would have died.

Neil Armstrong Boast, 63, from Woodbridge, Suffolk, was kayaking on the River Deben with his friend in double-seater kayak on 21 July.

Mid-kayak, Mr Armstrong Boast noticed a chest pain before he "blacked out" and their kayak capsized.

Without both of them wearing buoyancy aids, he said they would not have made it back to shore.

Mr Armstrong Boast and his friend were training for the Thames 200 Ultra race.

That morning he woke up and felt "good" with a plan to paddle 18 miles (28.96km).

"We had been training, going great, really feeling good," Mr Armstrong Boast explained.

"We got up early, hopped in the racing kayak and shortly after getting into the middle of the estuary I thought something was really wrong with my body.

"At first I thought I was having a stroke because I couldn't control my arms.

"Then the next thing I heard my mate saying, 'Don't lean back', because it's a very unstable kayak.

"I blacked out, had a heart attack and was unconscious."

The kayak capsized, but Mr Armstrong Boast's friend was able to tow him back to shore.

When they reached a slipway, Mr Armstrong Boast did come to, but collapsed again before an ambulance took him to hospital.

He was allowed to go back home about two weeks later and is due to have a heart monitoring device fitted.

He has also been told he cannot kayak for at least three months.

'I'm super fit'

"My resting heart rate is in the 40s (beats per minute), I've always kept myself fit, both of us had been doing a heck of a lot of training," Mr Armstrong Boast continued.

"The previous day we were 8km off Felixstowe and I dread to think what would have happened there.

"I'm super fit, no history of heart problems at all."

Mr Armstrong Boast said he felt lucky to be alive and grateful for his friend's help in saving him.

"No matter how fit you think you are, you might have to save someone and them having a buoyancy aid on, you having a buoyancy aid on, could make the difference between life and death," he added.

"Please, please, if you stand up and paddle board, if you kayak, if you canoe, if you sail, wear a buoyancy aid."

According to the RNLI, every year 200 people drown in coastal waters around the UK and Republic of Ireland.

It said research has shown wearing a lifejacket and buoyancy aid can increase chances of survival by up to four times if you are immersed in cold water.