Yes, it's debatable. However, chute landing on the water is 100% sure to work, whereas ditching is certainly not 100%.
We don't have much data on the BRS usage over water e.g. it could be that bloke had a bad back to start with.
One thing I would add to my list is: engine failure at night.
I'd have a BRS chute but the weight penalty is not insignificant - of the order of 50kg I think. Still, as people get more and more obese, it becomes less significant
