Good Question Fisheater. I might be inclined to stay put for a few.
I had it happen to me once when Kayaking...did an inverted exit in COLD Lake Michigan..took my time, exited the boat and got my head out of the water and couldn't breath at all....As TSandM said it is like a muscle spasm..I just waited a few seconds (maybe 25 seconds that seemed like minutes) and it passed. If I were submerged it would be very scarey but I would think the proper action would be to try to relax while you get your buddies attention as the OP did.
I had it happen to me once when Kayaking...did an inverted exit in COLD Lake Michigan..took my time, exited the boat and got my head out of the water and couldn't breath at all....As TSandM said it is like a muscle spasm..I just waited a few seconds (maybe 25 seconds that seemed like minutes) and it passed. If I were submerged it would be very scarey but I would think the proper action would be to try to relax while you get your buddies attention as the OP did.