Harness Safety Question

[juan_osuna]

The other day, I used a harness for the first time, and something a little scary happened.

The wind died while I was hooked in, and I fell backwards pulling the sail on top of me. Once I was in the water, I panicked and tried to swim out from under the sail while I was still hooked in. In my disorientation, I wasn't prepaid to unhook myself underwater. Being upside down also allowed water to enter easily through the nose, causing me to swallow water and eventually surface choking.

Anyway, just wondering how to avoid that kind of thing. Any tips for gracefullly falling while being hooked in, both forwards and backwards?

Thanks,

Juan