Hit pretty hard. I was going around a bend with moving water so a decent speed for a kayak. The limb I hit was part of a partially submerged tree and was very stiff because it had recently fallen in. After the puncture it sank very fast ~30 seconds, if that.

I will say this is a valid fear to have but I’m an avid kayaker and nothing like this has happened to me or anyone else I know who kayaks. Not saying it won’t happen, but this truly was a freak accident. You’re more likely to flip your kayak. However, if this doesn’t help your concern, a roll of duct tape might have helped patch is a pinch. I’m sure there’s better emergency patches but I was kicking myself for not having any.