A tragic reminder to never wear waders on a kayak.

A 19-year-old kayak fishermen drowned over the weekend. First thing I noticed when I saw in the picture was he was wearing waders and rubber boots while kayaking. He was a young guy, probably new to kayak fishing and I imagine no one ever told him to never do that.  When recovery divers found his body he had taken off his PFD, presumably while trying to remove his waders that filled with water.
Please take note and tell your new kayak fishing friends that this just should never happen. Seriously you’d have better odds surviving in a bathing suit than waders. I’ve also been seeing lots of people wading without a belt in the surf and rivers.
    My heart goes out to all of his friends and family. Obviously a super vibrant guy.

A 19-year-old kayak fishermen drowned over the weekend. First thing I noticed when I saw in the picture was he was wearing waders and rubber boots while kayaking. He was a young guy, probably new to kayak fishing and I imagine no one ever told him to never do that.  When recovery divers found his body he had taken off his PFD, presumably while trying to remove his waders that filled with water.
Please take note and tell your new kayak fishing friends that this just should never happen. Seriously youÂ’d have better odds surviving in a bathing suit than waders. IÂ’ve also been seeing lots of people wading without a belt in the surf and rivers.
    My heart goes out to all of his friends and family. Obviously a super vibrant guy.

I was “that guy” wearing waders when I first got seriously into kayak fishing about 10 years ago. In hindsight, I’m really grateful that a few of the OGs in this group convinced me it was a bad idea...


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I’ve also been seeing lots of people wading without a belt in the surf and rivers.

Well now I know what that heavy-duty belt that came with my waders is for. I've never used them in a kayak, nor would I; well actually I've never used them, period, but if I do, hey, maybe you saved my life, thanks!

Waders should NOT be used on a kayak. NEVER! EVER!

There is a SALE On REI for 3mm farmer Johns for $79 dollars.
That is 50% off. THere should be no excuse.

Stay safe guys.
Here is the link!
https://www.rei.com/product/114947/nrs-30-john-wetsuit-mens?fbclid=IwAR0H7FbiJehl8D9rZ2VdB-_rZ5qgwgKlJzgXwAGu3Y0dhrXyqJ3cFEvidG0

A 19-year-old kayak fishermen drowned over the weekend. First thing I noticed when I saw in the picture was he was wearing waders and rubber boots while kayaking. He was a young guy, probably new to kayak fishing and I imagine no one ever told him to never do that.  When recovery divers found his body he had taken off his PFD, presumably while trying to remove his waders that filled with water.
Please take note and tell your new kayak fishing friends that this just should never happen. Seriously youÂ’d have better odds surviving in a bathing suit than waders. IÂ’ve also been seeing lots of people wading without a belt in the surf and rivers.
    My heart goes out to all of his friends and family. Obviously a super vibrant guy.

I was “that guy” wearing waders when I first got seriously into kayak fishing about 10 years ago. In hindsight, I’m really grateful that a few of the OGs in this group convinced me it was a bad idea...


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+1 lots of invaluable safety information here for those who want to find it/hear it

There is a SALE On REI for 3mm farmer Johns for $79 dollars.
That is 50% off. THere should be no excuse.

Stay safe guys.
Here is the link!
https://www.rei.com/product/114947/nrs-30-john-wetsuit-mens?fbclid=IwAR0H7FbiJehl8D9rZ2VdB-_rZ5qgwgKlJzgXwAGu3Y0dhrXyqJ3cFEvidG0

Thanks for the heads up! 

I still run into people that are adamant about waders being safe.  They float.   

The closest I've come to dying while fishing was on the Feather river flyfishing for steelhead.  I had on a pair of breathable waders and a heavy and wide belt that was on tight.  I crossed a tailout and was climbing out on the far side and slipped.  The waders filled up and I was drug towards the hole with a big eucalyptus snag in it.  The water wasn't even waste deep but I couldn't stand up due to the weight.  I tossed my wading staff to another fishermen that ran over to help, he managed to barely catch the end of it and swing me to the bank and out.  Had he not caught the staff I was toast.

Now I wear a life jacket when fishing big or fast water.  Heck, I have even worn a helmet a time or three while fishing the Pit as well.

May he rest in peace.

I think it's way easier to preach safety then actually doing it. My guess is there's a lot of us who have huge respect for the ocean and how powerful it is simply because we had a bad run-in with it and got lucky. That was certainly my case in my younger years boogie boarding / surfing. Out alone, got sucked out... luckily someone spotted me.

Not to mention, this hobby is really inviting to young bucks. If I was ~20 and I had $2k to drop on a kayak, I'd probably get the best and the baddest boat thinking i could skimp on the classes / good safety gear.

As kayak fishing gets more popular, we have to make sure we embrace a culture of safety and educating / helping newbies.

Have not been out yet but I purchased a farmer John wet suit before thinking about going out. Just need to get a nice radio .I know just because I can float doesn't me I'm gonna be ok . Read everything here and lots of you tube vids to prepare for my first trip.

There has not been a definitive report on what actually happened that I have heard or can find.

I’m not saying yea or nay. Make your own decision:

Even if waders are acceptable in the ocean, do people actually cinch their belt tight enough that water can not go in? I personally have never worn one on a kayak, but I've done my fair share of surf fishing and I've only tighten it enough for comfort and that's stand-up fishing. I would imagine it'd be uncomfortable having a tight belt while sitting on a kayak, no?

There has not been a definitive report on what actually happened that I have heard or can find.

I’m not saying yea or nay. Make your own decision:

This is the kind of advice that gets new people killed.  The key in both these is the tight wading belt but that isn’t emphasized at all, just mentioned well after the fact and long after most people stop watching videos. They see him go in, self rescue, and call it good.

These videos are varying degrees of irresponsible,  Also, that guy in the “waders of death” video is a smug douchebag and I want to punch him.

Yup, in the ocean, you can't stand up and if you are in waders, you will sink, unless you can shed them off in a few seconds; which is impossible.
I wore waders once in Del Valle and fell in. My PFD was a good one and kept me afloat till help arrived and I made it back to shore and "drained" myself.

Rule number one I follow when out in the big blue.....Don't go out alone!
Rule Number two.....Carry a radio.

Since I am proned to departing my kayak at all times (yes been in the drink at least once a year since 2007) I am always trying to stay safe.

That "Dushbag" is Jim Sammons, and actually a great person who preaches safety and responsibility. The point of the video was to show the truth about waders, not the BS being spread here. Waders when worn properly, will NOT pull you under, But, they will make it very difficult to exit the water when worn improperly and fill with water. This unfortunate young man was using the wrong type of waders for a kayak and quite possibly was not wearing them properly.
Because most people don't wear their waders properly (or even the proper size) they are not the best choice for kayaking. But I have seen seasoned anglers out on questionable days in shorts and t shirts Then again, a dry suit can also create the same hazards. I have seen many of these weekend experts wear their drive suits with zippers open and even a couple that have over cut the neck gasket for comfort. I know of one OG who had a nice new Drisuit at a GS event who nearly went hypothermic when he went int the water. Come to find out, he hadn't worn the proper insulation underneath. 
Waders, of the proper type and proper size when worn correctly would not be the worst choice on the water.

I also noticed that he was wearing waders when I first saw the picture. DEFINITELY had to do with it. It's not so much floating but trying to SWIM. Even with the belt your basically trying to swim with an umbrella. No wind, fall next to your kayak in a swimming pool, no problem, roll it in the ocean with just a bit of wind and get separated by ten feet, PROBLEM. Even without the added drag it is easy for the wind to push the boat faster than you can swim. When I go solo I always connect myself to boat with a leash.
I don't mean this as blame, it's a total tragedy, but in terms of learning from this, and I do think the videos in the thread are deceiving and not particularly useful for ocean kayaking.
Yeah if done with just the right type and just the right size with just the right belt and some experience waders can potentially not kill you, how about you just go with the safe and better option, farmer john and booties.