Are waders safe to use while kayak fishing?

My first outing in my yak was Oyster Point. I opted for the waders that day and ended up in the drink after a rogue wind chop caught me with my head down tying a knot. My first self rescue (had never practiced) got back on the yak and continued to fish for another hour. When I got back to my car my sweatshirt under the spray jacket was wet in places but there was no considerable moisture below the waist belt. Obviously not a smart choice in all conditions

April 1st is coming. We can have the first annual Waders Abalone Classic, code name W.A.C.
 Cotton t-shirt & tightie whities optional.  

When I got crushed at Muir I was wearing waders. I got fully tumbled and went in over my head.

The only water that got into my waders was what my shirt wicked in.

I always wear waders, a PFD, and I pull the chest string as tight as possible.

+1

Back in the day when I first got a wader/drytop combo I used it mostly on lakes but wanted to see how it worked out in the ocean so swam around through the surf w/ a PFD on. After 20 minutes of diving under waves and bobbing around like a cork I came back in and had the same results as RH. Just a little water wicked in through the collar.

I've also wrecked coming in through some head high surf when I was chased out of the water by a big buck stellar sea lion. I was wearing my Kokatat SuperNova angler suit w/ latex cuffs and a neoprene neck seal. I took a bunch of waves on the head not to mention the initial wreck dropping in on a 6' wave on the Adventure loaded w/ gear and fish. Short ride. Once again it was the same results. Just a little water wicked in the collar of my shirt.

While I understand why some of you guys like the neoprene the drytop wader combo works too. it's just not idiot proof like the wetsuit is. Wetsuit put on= no worries. Drysuit or wader combo= putting it on right and also putting on the right insulation underneath. IMO both work. To each his own.

Z

For me, it's always wetsuit on the ocean but I'm fully confident with waders in waters like the delta and most parts of SF bay - always with belt cinched tight and pfd. If I'm planning on going far offshore in the bay or across particularly turbulent areas, I'll opt for the wetsuit.

Part of it is knowing your limits and abilities but I think it's just as important to have contingency plans at the ready whenever you're on the water. The old boy scout motto "Be Prepared" was never more appropriate. If you get dumped and you're wearing waders & they do fill with water, you have to be ready to deal with that. Let's say you had to swim, so you had to jettison the waders; would you be able to get back to shore without being overcome by hypothermia? In some cases, yes, and some cases, no, but you need to be ready for the unexpected before hitting the water.

For me, it's always wetsuit on the ocean but I'm fully confident with waders in waters like the delta and most parts of SF bay - always with belt cinched tight and pfd. If I'm planning on going far offshore in the bay or across particularly turbulent areas, I'll opt for the wetsuit.

Part of it is knowing your limits and abilities but I think it's just as important to have contingency plans at the ready whenever you're on the water. The old boy scout motto "Be Prepared" was never more appropriate. If you get dumped and you're wearing waders & they do fill with water, you have to be ready to deal with that. Let's say you had to swim, so you had to jettison the waders; would you be able to get back to shore without being overcome by hypothermia? In some cases, yes, and some cases, no, but you need to be ready for the unexpected before hitting the water.

+1
its not the filling up with water that really worries me, its 54 degree water against my legs, with no hope of warming that layer. THink when you use waders in a cold mountain stream- even with fleece pants your legs get cold cold cold after a while (at least mine do)...now imagine being up to your neck, waiting for some private boater to see you in 6 foot swells way off Dux or Muir

I agree with everyone about wearing a wetsuit in the ocean. Nothing makes me feel safer than having that thing on and it is always handy in case you feel like jumping out and getting a few abs. I was really only thinking about this in areas of the Delta and lakes where I know that there will not be surf conditions but will probably still use my farmer john in the wide open parts of the Delta.

I propose we have a wader vs fj real world test this summer. If it's as rough as last year we will have everyone interested in participating jump off their yaks out in 200ft of water at Albion and attempt to swim in un-assisted.

Sounds like the landlord would like your idea. 

I fish miles offshore in remote areas and the guys I fish with wear 3mm farmer johns with dry tops, full 4/3 wet suits or waders over a wetsuit. Sandman made a 100 yard swim through the surf zone at Asilomar in a wader with belt over wetsuit and did fine. The PFD over the wader helps prevent the wader from filling. One of the guys I fish with actually had to make a mile swim after his yak sank and he swears by the full 4/3.

is there any difference between neoprene waders and the breathable ones?  when i wade in the river with my neoprene waders i go deeper than my waist and notice that the waders seem to compress around me, tightening up around me.  i would think that would help water intrusion at least a little bit.  fjs are really not much different than neoprene waders with feet cut off.

i tend to wear my waders in the bay, delta and lakes, but i never fish too far out of range of pbers when i'm solo like that.

i haven't tried to go into the surf with it yet but i'm willing to give it a shot to see the results.  i know a few surf fishermen who wade into the surf with waders, sometimes fairly deep.

it's just not idiot proof like the wetsuit is. Wetsuit put on= no worries. Drysuit or wader combo= putting it on right and also putting on the right insulation underneath. IMO both work. To each his own.

Z

I think thats the bottom line....me =idiot....me prefer idiotproof. Complete honesty, I'm not big on wearing a pfd and I get hot quick in a paddle jacket.  I'll wear em if its hairy out but if the sun is shining, the swell is down and the fishing is good (which is most of teh time I'm on the water cause I'm a fair weather yakfisherman  ) that stuff is sitting in the tankwell. If my yak ever goes down.....again..... I have the safety gear accessible in the well. If I ever go over and can't get back in or get my gear then I have the suit for hypothermia protection and flotation.  Kind of a win win for me.  

For me waders = system....I think the circumstances gotta be pretty catastrophic for an aspect of the system to fail but I'd wind up being the poster boy for wearing a wetsuit on the ocean  

When I say waders I'm not talking about kokatat dry suit or dry pant & top combo. Those things kick azz. jim