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[RalphH]

Sad story and terrible outcome. Unfortunately from what I have heard the young victim panicked when he went in the water. Not that most people wouldn't.

The waders we mostly wear today are no different than those worn 40 or more years ago. Around the time neoprene waders were becoming popular Fly Fisherman published an article comparing waders including form fitting neoprene and baggy but light latex waders in pool immersion tests. Baggy waders filled with water and made it all but impossible for test subjects to exit the pool. Neoprenes did not plus the buoyancy of neoprenes aided test subjects both in the water and exiting the pool.

Unfortunately most of us have chosen comfort (breathables) over safety.

 So much depends on the circumstance when a person loses their footing and goes into the water. It's actually safer to be up to your waist. Slipping and falling head first is a owrst case scenario since the waders will have more entrapped air. It's not unknown for people to float head down, face in cold water and hyper ventilate water into their lungs - usually fatal if they cannot quickly exit or get immediate assistance.

By all means wear a belt - I usually wear two. I think inflatable vests are a good idea though I don't wear one. Once I went into deep water wearing both an old Mustang Floater coat and neoprenes. I bobbed like a cork!

Know what to do if you do fall in and if you can keep your composure; try to float on your back - head upstream and go with the current. Don't fight it. Make a plan how to get back to shore or shallow water. Try angle yourself towards shore and swim with 'snow angel' waves of your arms. Most anglers do fall in periodically. Most survive and most dunkings are trivial and inconsequential.

Be extremely carefully around fast turbulent water and particularly when rivers are in flood stage. It may be best to avoid river banks and wading in such conditions.

[Every Day]

Wow dude! Where the heck are you fishing man? Sounds crazy.

Vancouver Island rivers. I fish a lot of canyon type water where mistakes often come with big consequences.

[Wiseguy]

Be extremely carefully around fast turbulent water and particularly when rivers are in flood stage. It may be best to avoid river banks and wading in such conditions.

Sage advice.

[dobrolub]

I found an article that I thought was useful to share to deal with any irrational fear that without a doubt can creep into ones mind after such an accident. It definitely helped me think rationally about that.

https://bubbleline.wordpress.com/2010/01/24/wader-safety-lets-get-it-right/

[clarkii]

Actually this reminds me of an event in 2014 in Poland.  One of their youth national team members drowned whilst fishing high water...

[Wiseguy]

I found an article that I thought was useful to share to deal with any irrational fear that without a doubt can creep into ones mind after such an accident. It definitely helped me think rationally about that.

https://bubbleline.wordpress.com/2010/01/24/wader-safety-lets-get-it-right/

Good read.

[skitterbug]

I was drifting the chehalis canyon with a friend, each of us had a raft. Later on in the day at a fast moving rapid part I had an oar pop out of the holder and I panicked and couldn't get it back in the holder. I started to turn sideways and got pushed right up against a huge bolder in the middle of the river. The water was raging against the side of my pontoon raft and I was stuck for a few seconds and then the entire raft just flipped. I went right under, backpack on me...fishing rod in a holder.  As I went under I pushed off the raft underwater and was lucky enough to go around the rock on the side closest to shore and pull myself out of the water. The raft came ripping behind me and I was able to snag that with a free hand and pull it out. Rod broken, one oar half broken, i lost a contact lense and could only see out of one eye, scared, I was pretty hooped.

I was on and off the raft all day fishing runs and as fate would have it I had taken off my lifejacket the run before and in my haste to get going I forgot to put it back on and during all that ordeal it was resting over the back of the pontoon, how ridiculously stupid was I that day...still regret that.

I was wearing waders, belt done up tight, an Arcteryx gore-Tex jacket with the powder skirt super tight and the jacket zipped up all the way, sinch cords all tight, cuffs tight and I filled my boots up with water and that was it, clothes were soaked but I didn't fill up, I was incredibly lucky.

This happened mid January and cold out. I had to pull off the waders quickly, dump out the water, swap out my soaked shirt too a less soaked on in my bag and put everything back on and started moving to get some body heat. I wasn't in a spot of the canyon that I could just call it a day and walk back to the truck, the nightmare was just getting started. I must have sat in the same area scared for an hour, made an eyepatch, fixed the broken oar and grew some balls to get back on the pontoon and continue downriver until I could get to a spot to haul everything up and out of the canyon. Walked a bunch of kms back to my truck, couldn't get in because the keys were wet...got that sorted, drove back up and got my pontoon and drove home basically naked with a blanket with one eye. Was the shits. I haven't drifted it since last year and wear a PFD now, I should be dead my friend figures after seeing it all happen from behind...


My Condolences to the family...tragic loss

 Hey Shinny and Every Day,

Here's an article I wrote on highsiding on another forum.


When drifting down rivers sometimes our craft doesn’t end up where we’ve planned. If your boat broadsides a rock, you can generally spin yourself off it quickly, but occasionally when the current is stronger it will push your craft up the rock, while the lower tube (upstream side) submerges deeper into the current, and enviably burying the lower tube and pinning the craft against the rock, causing a wrap or capsizing your craft.

To prevent this situation from occurring, you’ll need to instantaneously highside. What is highsiding? Highsiding is putting your weight on the downstream tube, this reduces weight on the upstream tube and with the tubes buoyancy it’s freed from the rivers current. Instinctively, we avoid momentum towards rocks, but in this case lean over and kiss that rock! Highsiding is effective for any obstacle, whether it’s a rock, bridge abutment, strainer, sweeper or logjam. So in that case, become a tree hugger.
Highsiding is also very effective if your craft get caught in a large hole. In holes, the downstream tube is higher and being forced upstream into the current that has a downward force on your upstream tube, potentially causing your craft to capsize. To avoid capsizing, highside onto the downstream tube, but be prepared to shift your weight as a hole can spin you very quickly, and the last place you want to be is on the upstream side of a hole. I should also add, in the case that the obstacle is a strainer(tree with multiple branches) or a logjam, spin off the obstacle is not an option. Highsiding will buy you some time to safely dismount your craft on the downstream side, onto the obstacle its self. Going under a sweeper that has adequate depth isn't likely to be fatal (providing that you're wearing a foam pfd), but going under a strainer or logjam will be.

I hope this helps
Cheers.

[acjuve]

My condolences. What a sad day for the young man.

[islanddude]

That about going under a log jam brought back some unpleasant memories. My fishing buddy back in the early 70's was rafting with friends on the Chilliwack Vedder system when the were swept into a log jam. He was wearing a like jacket but unfortunately a branch somehow slid under his life jacket and you can figure out the the rest.

[Drewhill]

I went paddle boarding two years ago and the instructor had throw ropes that were quite convenient. 70 feet rope length, less than a pound, quite compact, easy reload, and could nicely clip onto the instructor's PFD. They were probably quite high-end, a throw rope on the river is a good idea.

Wonder if setting up throw rope stations at the bottom of dangerous runs would help especially on the Vedder. Just something that's anchored down and anyone can grab and toss in the river. You'd still need to hope that someone is close by the rope when a person falls in but it's still better odds than hoping someone randomly has a rope.

[dobrolub]

I'd donate to that.

[Dave]

The sad thing is it they would be stolen or vandalized within a week ..

[skitterbug]

The sad thing is it they would be stolen or vandalized within a week ..

I agree.

To be effective, throwbag instruction and practice is required. The throwbag needs to be stuffed in the bag properly for it to work.

Northwater in Vancouver makes belts and throwbag if interested.

http://northwater.com/collections/rescue-belt-tow-systems/products/quickdraw-deployment-belt

http://northwater.com/collections/throw-lines

[Dryfly22]

So Sad.

This is worth a watch I thought, even though it is older. Part one of three.  Hope it works, otherwise goggle it.  Watch all 3.
Simms Wading Safety part 1 - YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pNFU1-EEqU

[bobby b]

The news article has been updated ..... Only 21 years old.....so sad.

 He was wearing waders , and had wading belt done up too, also had a friend with him at the time. He was not wearing a PFD though,  that may have helped.

Condolences to the family.

 http://www.theprogress.com/news/368862291.html