winch waterproofing questions

I just received my new warn magnum winch and the owners manual says"do not submerge"w.t.f?I like to play in water so I need some input here.I'm thinking about putting the control pack in a plastic freezer bag or mabe silicone it to keep it dry?As for the winch itself I'm still scratching my head on waterproofing it?any advice?

dont hold me to this but i dont think it will matter unless you try and use it underwater, aside from that it should be ok.

pure fresh water will not hurt anything it is all the otherthings in the water that are conductive or that get into the workings of the motor and cause it to wear out quicker if i were you i would try not to use the winch after being submerged unless u wash it out well. still think that it is stupid to have a winch that can't be submerged w.t.f.

Any reason not to silicone up the control pack? Seems like the only place that water could really cause problems