Id never leave a kayak alone and swim for shore. The fins were seen as an assist in bringing an unrightable craft to land. Mind you, take this from a guy who hasnt begun his rolling program yet but does a lot of skin diving 
. As for three foot waves, I wouldnt bother with them with out a decent roll anyway. I was just surprised to see the paddlefloat selfrescue which is supposed to be backup for a failed roll, top out in 3' waves. Seems useless when u need it most.
Pete
PS: Paddlefloat roll makes sense - funny that i hadnt read about that in tragic circumstances. Maybe it might have made the difference - or these paddlers forgot to bring one along. I like the idea of a foam paddlefloat bungeed behind the cockpit for quick access.
