Waders, Safety, and Drowning

[fishfryer]

I try to wet wade personally with no waders.

I used to wade in my blue jeans a lot here in middle Georgia. Now there is considerable water temp difference from here to there. I waded in waders one time in UP of Michigan in October. I stepped in too deep and that ice cold water taught me the difference. Is that Pennsylvania water refreshing or frigid?

 

[slow motion]

I lost my oldest son one month ago today in a river. Current was such no one could reach him. If in doubt, stay out. Don’t want anyone to go thru what I have been going thru.

My condolences on your loss.

 

[Concrete Pete]

I lost my oldest son one month ago today in a river. Current was such no one could reach him. If in doubt, stay out. Don’t want anyone to go thru what I have been going thru.

I don’t know you, but I’ve been thinking about you since I read your post. I just would like to offer my heartfelt condolences to you and your family. Mostly just wanted you to know that there’s someone out there who is pulling and praying for you.

 

[Doboy Dawg]

Trad Bow I’m sorry for your loss, I can’t imagine the grief.

I try to learn from my mistakes and reading about mistakes others have made. I have limited experience wading moving waters.

I have a decent amount of kayak experience and I can tell you whitewater is no joke. I was playing around in a kayak in whitewater class 3 with a pfd on. I found a strainer that had a surfable wave in it. I was surfing it forwards and spinning around and surfing it backwards. I was having a blast, right up until the bow of the kayak dipped under the strainer.

The kayak was pulled under, I was pulled under and pinned underwater in the strainer. It was spinning me around like a giant washing machine and keeping me pinned under. I could see sunlight, then dark, then sunlight, rinse and repeat. I thought I was going to drown. Just at the point where it felt like my lungs were going to burst I felt my feet hit a submerged boulder.

I clinched my legs together and squatted down and jumped off the boulder with both legs at the same time. It was just enough to push me out of the strainer. Thankfully my kayak had beached on rocks just below the rapid and my paddle not to far from it was pushed against the bank.

I crawled up on the rocks at the edge of the river coughed up some water and laid there waiting on my wife to come down the rapid. Luckily I was able to climb up and get her a path around the strainer I almost drowned myself in. If I would have had any type of boots on I don’t think I would have been able to self rescue from that strainer and I was wearing a whitewater class pfd. Thirty pounds of positive floatation cannot overcome tons of hydraulic pressure.

That experience was 100% my own stupidity. I learned from it. I had another close call that could have drowned me scuba diving. It was part my fault and part another divers fault. I let two cave divers talk me into making a cave dive with them. Mistake on their part and mine, I told them I wasn’t qualified. They insisted saying I’d be safe because they’d stay with me.

I was 100 ft deep and my wetsuit had compressed so much my weight belt slipped over my butt and slid down around my knees. I knew I had to get my belt back up around my waist. So I stood on the cave bottom, which quickly silted up the cave to the point I couldn’t see the other divers. The ones that said they wouldn’t leave me, kept going.

I managed to get my weight belt secured and the silt cleared up some, then I realized they had left me. Those guys didn’t reel out a cave line to follow, which should have been done. I got disoriented to the point I couldn’t tell which way was up or down left or right. I was watching my bubbles to see where they went that’s how I found the roof of the cave.

I looked at my air I was at 800 psi I needed to find the way out and had to find it quickly. I was forced to guess left or right. I took the right trying to remember which way we had swam in. Luckily I guessed right. I literately swam into a log that had a 100’ rope attached to a float at the surface.

I was running out of air and had to make an emergency ascent. I didn’t have enough air to make a 3 minute safety stop at 15’ which is required on a 100’ deep dive. This put me in danger of a embolism.

Those cave divers came up a couple of minutes after me, and asked where I went? I was fighting mad. I said you guys left me.

I learned something valuable that day. If you’re not qualified to make a certain type dive, don’t do it. The fish don’t even go in those caves with no light. The lime rock is the same color back in the cave as it is in the front. It’s not worth dying over. Every year several people die in those caves in Florida.

 

[Concrete Pete]

Trad Bow I’m sorry for your loss, I can’t imagine the grief.

I try to learn from my mistakes and reading about mistakes others have made. I have limited experience wading moving waters.

I have a decent amount of kayak experience and I can tell you whitewater is no joke. I was playing around in a kayak in whitewater class 3 with a pfd on. I found a strainer that had a surfable wave in it. I was surfing it forwards and spinning around and surfing it backwards. I was having a blast, right up until the bow of the kayak dipped under the strainer.

The kayak was pulled under, I was pulled under and pinned underwater in the strainer. It was spinning me around like a giant washing machine and keeping me pinned under. I could see sunlight, then dark, then sunlight, rinse and repeat. I thought I was going to drown. Just at the point where it felt like my lungs were going to burst I felt my feet hit a submerged boulder.

I clinched my legs together and squatted down and jumped off the boulder with both legs at the same time. It was just enough to push me out of the strainer. Thankfully my kayak had beached on rocks just below the rapid and my paddle not to far from it was pushed against the bank.

I crawled up on the rocks at the edge of the river coughed up some water and laid there waiting on my wife to come down the rapid. Luckily I was able to climb up and get her a path around the strainer I almost drowned myself in. If I would have had any type of boots on I don’t think I would have been able to self rescue from that strainer and I was wearing a whitewater class pfd. Thirty pounds of positive floatation cannot overcome tons of hydraulic pressure.

That experience was 100% my own stupidity. I learned from it. I had another close call that could have drowned me scuba diving. It was part my fault and part another divers fault. I let two cave divers talk me into making a cave dive with them. Mistake on their part and mine, I told them I wasn’t qualified. They insisted saying I’d be safe because they’d stay with me.

I was 100 ft deep and my wetsuit had compressed so much my weight belt slipped over my butt and slid down around my knees. I knew I had to get my belt back up around my waist. So I stood on the cave bottom, which quickly silted up the cave to the point I couldn’t see the other divers. The ones that said they wouldn’t leave me, kept going.

I managed to get my weight belt secured and the silt cleared up some, then I realized they had left me. Those guys didn’t reel out a cave line to follow, which should have been done. I got disoriented to the point I couldn’t tell which way was up or down left or right. I was watching my bubbles to see where they went that’s how I found the roof of the cave.

I looked at my air I was at 800 psi I needed to find the way out and had to find it quickly. I was forced to guess left or right. I took the right trying to remember which way we had swam in. Luckily I guessed right. I literately swam into a log that had a 100’ rope attached to a float at the surface.

I was running out of air and had to make an emergency ascent. I didn’t have enough air to make a 3 minute safety stop at 15’ which is required on a 100’ deep dive. This put me in danger of a embolism.

Those cave divers came up a couple of minutes after me, and asked where I went? I was fighting mad. I said you guys left me.

I learned something valuable that day. If you’re not qualified to make a certain type dive, don’t do it. The fish don’t even go in those caves with no light. The lime rock is the same color back in the cave as it is in the front. It’s not worth dying over. Every year several people die in those caves in Florida.

Those are crazy stories.

The silting scenario is nightmare fuel.

I’ve gotten to where I really try to avoid doing anything remotely risky. Even if someone says It’ll be fine.’ To the point that I’ve told guides ‘Yeah, I’m not doing that. Let’s pass on this hole.’

That’s not a knock on the guides either. They just feel the pressure to make a trip work out and they can sometimes suggest stuff (going on the edge of a lightning storm, crossing heavy flows, etc) that’s not the safest. You just have to let people know it’s ok and you’re not going to hold it against them.

 

[gobbleinwoods]

I've read this thread off and on but not in its entirely. As winter approaches and a coat is added don't forget that in addition to the belt on the waders you should add another around the coat to keep it from filling up with water.

 

[Concrete Pete]

I've read this thread off and on but not in its entirely. As winter approaches and a coat is added don't forget that in addition to the belt on the waders you should add another around the coat to keep it from filling up with water.

Good idea. It’s an import topic because there is so much conflicting information on Google.

 

[SRQRusty]

Hello all,

I’m knew to the forum, but had something happen yesterday.

I’m adding a post about it just in case someone finds it helpful someday.

I was wading near Jone’s Bridge maybe 2 miles down the trail from the parking lot.

Everything was going normally until I decided to go for an impromptu swim in my waders.

I was convinced that there were more trout on the other side of the river. I would later find that this was a delusion.

So I began making my way across. I like to go crab style with my back to the current. This lets me keep my weight on my back foot while I probe with the leading foot. I also feel like I’m not going to get pushed onto my back if the current knocks me over in this position.

I haven’t been wearing a pfd (unless required like between the dam and highway 20) and I usually use a stick I find in the woods.

Yesterday my stick broke really early on so I had no aid when crossing to the other side of the river.

I got across fine and was with a streamer close to the other bank. I was crabbing from rock to rock parallel to the bank with my body positioned sideways to the current.

After working from rock to rock for a bit I got overconfident and started taking longer steps.

At one point, I got chest deep and then made a bad step. Down I went.

I’ve never gone in like that before and always believed that getting water in your waders was a death sentence as many have stated.

Despite this I was able to remain calm. This is crucial. I found that my belt slowed the filling of the lower portion of my waders enough to leave some air in the legs.

I was able to keep my head up with back strokes and get my feet pointed down stream. The biggest hinderance to my swimming was actually my boots. Swimming in waders was like swimming in normal clothes.

I was able to reach a point in the river where I could stand after maybe thirty seconds (thank God).

The one nearby angler watched the whole show with what I imagine was disgust. I deserved it and felt the requisite amount of shame.

I made my way back over to the other side safely. The weight of the water trapped in the legs of my waders was a significant hinderance when it came to getting up the bank and I had to crawl in the mud on all fours. My shame intensified as the mud squished through my clawing fingers.

According to my wife, I’m a stubborn person. I secretly agree with her. This was the only way I was going to learn.

To make matters worse this was one of the few times I was able to talk my wife into going with me. She saw the whole thing and is now mandating that I wear a pfd at all times. I am in no position to issue a counter argument so it looks like I am wearing one from now on.

Had it been December, I feel like I would’ve frozen to death given the distance I was from my car and the heater therein.

I’m going to keep a mylar blanket, towel, and extra clothes stream side this winter just in case.

In sum:

1. Don’t go in past your waist.

2. A real, folding wading stick is a good idea.

3. The waders aren’t going to weigh you down like cement shoes and will become buoyancy neutral when full.

4. Know where you’re putting your feet and your limits.

5. If you go in, tuck up like you’re doing a cannonball. Keep you legs above the water high and the air trapped in your waders will help you float on your back (see Youtube for videos).

6. Stay calm.

I hope the results of my little experiment are helpful to someone.

Glad you made it out. I had a buddy that refused to wear a wading belt on his waders. Every time we fished I would tell him that he was going to be sorry but he continued not to wear one. Long story short, he fell in a hole, filled them up, and now wears it every time.

 

[Dialer]

I was dry fly fishing for big bream in my kayak last March at the 55 acre lake next door to our neighborhood. Outside temp was in lower 50’s, but water temp was probably low to mid 40’s. I snagged an oak limb with my last parachute Adam’s dry fly, which I was determined to not let end my day.
I paddled up to the branch and reached for it, my sunglasses went in, and suddenly had more urgency than the fly. I lunged over to grab ‘em before they sank out of reach, and over I went, cellphone, tacklebox, and all.
Shock immediately hit me, so I just started grabbing whatever I could find. The water was just over waist deep but the bank was virtually strait up mountainside. A 15 foot vertical climb to the first level area became my next priority. First limb snapped, 2nd root held as I dredged about 20 gallons of freezing water behind me. Planting my butt firmly on dry / level ground, I just had to STOP, allow my heart and lungs to catch up, and shivering uncontrollably. “Son of a______!” I was cold! The hard part was gonna be getting 150 pounds of water out of my capsized kayak, now floating upside down 20 feet below me, and get BACK in it to get back to shore some 50 yards away. Cardio now somewhat stabilized but elevated, I was going in.
I grabbed the nylon rope handle on the front of the boat and started trying to drag it up that mountain high enough to flip it over and get most of the water out of it, and again found myself out of breath and had to stop.
After recovering oxygen saturation, and I could breath again, I wrestled the kayak over, straddled it with my jeans now nearly down to my knees and plopped in. I hand paddled over to my only oar, and paddled quickly back to shore. I THEN had to jump in my golf cart and drive the mile or so home.
It was yet another “What in this world!” responce from my wife (She seems to say this ALOT). Long story long, I never did retrieve my phone or glasses, my wallet was like a sponge, and I never did get that parachute Adam’s!