i dunno how much a bucket would have done there. a life vest is essential though, just a great luxury to have especially if you get into an accident and/or are far from the shore. when i flipped one over my girlfriend was on the back and she freaked out. i explained to her that the vests would keep us float and in both directions we had land (a little key on one side, the shore on the other) so we could just do nothing and we'd reach safety. she chilled out, which was good because we were fairly far in both directions. soon after someone came and got us.