Wader belts

A tragic story - and a reminder that wader belts should always be worn…

Article published Nov 12, 2005

Angler drowns in Missouri
By ERIC NEWHOUSE
Tribune Projects Editor

CRAIG ? Despite the best efforts of rescuers, a fisherman slipped into the Missouri River Friday afternoon south of Great Falls and drowned.

Cascade County Coroner Bob Edwards said the 57-year-old man was from Calgary. His name was not released Friday evening.
“He had hooked a fish and, in an effort to dislodge it, dropped his pole, slipped and lost his footing,” Fish, Wildlife & Parks Game Warden Bryan Golie of Cascade said. “Then his waders began to fill up,” Golie said. “But they float, and they’re on the surface, holding your head down.”
Golie was driving up the frontage road toward the Dearborn River when he saw Cascade County Sheriff’s deputies and emergency medical technicians on the riverbank. A volunteer firefighter told him that someone in waders had fallen in and had been seen floating downstream with only the tips of his boots showing.

Edwards said the victim’s wife recounted that she was standing on a nearby bank when her husband slipped. She hollered at her husband to swim to shore, but then she ran for help when he submerged. The victim’s wife said she knocked on several doors at nearby houses before finding a man working in his yard, according to Edwards. Edwards estimates the fisherman had been in the water anywhere between 45 minutes and an hour before he was found.

Golie drove downstream for a few miles, flashers blinking, and then drove along the grassy shoulder of the frontage road, peering into the water. “This bend catches a lot of boats, and it’s about the right distance downstream,” he told a reporter who happened to be working on assignment with the warden Friday afternoon.

Suddenly, his truck slammed to a stop. “That’s him,” he exclaimed, grabbing his radio to call for an ambulance. The fisherman was floating face down in the shallow water, with the current pushing his waders into the embankment. Golie ran down the bank and pulled the victim out of the water. He was dragging him up the riprap when the ambulance arrived. Medics worked to revive the man with oxygen and cardiopulmonary resuscitation, but there was no pulse or sign of life.

Still, they called for Mercy Flight, which met the ambulance on Interstate 15 south of Cascade. As deputies blocked the northbound interstate, the chopper touched down and a doctor raced to the ambulance. But it was too late. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene, and Mercy Flight returned home empty.

“We knew the approximate river speed and the time of the accident, which were the two things we had going for us,” Golie said later. “But time was the factor which was not in our favor,” he said. “I wish we’d been there sooner.”

The couple was on a weekend fly-fishing trip to Great Falls, Edwards said. He said the victim’s wife told him that her husband enjoyed fishing the Missouri River and would visit the area six to seven times a year.

Tribune reporter Chelsi Moy contributed to this story.

20+ years ago, I hit loose gravel & fell into a deep hole in the Chagrin River & obviously came out alright, although took the entire trip home to warm up…month was November. I attribute my being here now to my wading belt. Back then, we seldom saw folks wearing them. I consider it a CRUCIAL piece of equipment.
Mike


This site’s about sharing!

That is the kind of story that you should print out and hand to anyone you meet who isn’t wearing a wading belt.

Regards,

Alan.

No excuse for not having one…you can go to the Dollar Store and get a 72" Luggage Strap with a quick release buckle for…you guessed it $1…trim to size.

“Then his waders began to fill up,” Golie said. “But they float, and they’re on the surface, holding your head down.”

Huh??

Any water in his waders would be buoyancy neutral in water. The air in his waders allegedly accounted for his drowning. Wearing a wading belt would trap air in his waders preventing buoyancy neutral water from replacing the pre-existing air.

Did his waders fill up with air because he was not wearing a wading belt?

“Huh??”

I think you are basically correct though it can work both ways…there are other threads discussing this…

Personally, having been in the situation on the fast flowing Deschutes…I think the point to be made is that trapped air in the foot part of the wader is not good.

I slipped and went over backwards with my wader belt buckled very loosely…that allowed the water to rush in…I’m on my back with my head pointed up stream…the air gets trapped in my feet…my feet raise to the surface which makes it very difficult to keep my head elevated…stayed calm so things turned out ok…much farther downstream…maybe the air worked out and I got to the neutrality mentioned…anyway I think if my belt had been tight the water could not have gotten in so rapidly and I could have walked …bounced the bottom much easier to shore or shallower water…waders were neoprene by the way.

Hope this helps somebody.

A very sad story!

But, I don’t see how a wading belt would have helped him. The problem seems that his waders floated the lower part of his body and kept his head underwater.

People wrongly think a wading belt will save you in this situation. It will not! I have read of tests with waders in controlled conditions in a swimming pool. The testers intentionally filed the waders with water and found that the problem with neoprene waders is that they float the lower part of your body and that makes it hard to keep your head above water. Breathables with air trapped in them by a wader belt will do the same.

The only piece of equipment that will keep your head above water is a PFD! You might consider a PFD an essential piece of equipment.

I’m not saying don’t to wear a wader belt. It will keep your waders from filling up if water gets over the top and that can make it difficult to walk out of the water, even cause you to fall when trying. That will put you in a dangerous situation where you may need a PFD to survive. besides it’s very uncomfortable to have water inside your waders. I am saying, don’t rely on a wader belt to save your life!


Joe

Read one person’s experiment re: this.

He went into a pool with and without a wading belt.

With a belt he had no problem maneuvering or climbing out of the water.

Without a belt his waders filled with water and the weight made it VERY difficult to climb out of the water.

It is very difficult for any air to enter one’s waders while in the water since the pressure tends to compress the waders against your legs and body. I guess some could enter when you tip over. As to why someone would float feet up or head down it would have to be a matter of density with the heaviest or most dense portions of the body floating at the bottom.

Even from a hypothermia perspective it seems smarter to wear a belt. I do.

Jim Stocks
Tyler,Tx

Huum,
It would seem to me that a combination of PFD and belt would be best. You might want to read this from the PFBC:
[url=http://sites.state.pa.us/PA_Exec/Fish_Boat/newsreleases/nwwadesafe.htm:bec96]http://sites.state.pa.us/PA_Exec/Fish_Boat/newsreleases/nwwadesafe.htm[/url:bec96]


Eric “nighthawk”

American veteran and proud of it!

[This message has been edited by nighthawk (edited 14 November 2005).]

A major part of the issue when you fall in moving water while wearing waders without a belt is the waders act like an anchor - think about the drift socks that are used to slow down very large boats. Combined with the cold water, buoyancy issues and general panic, the odds start to stack up against you. A belt will prevent lots of water from entering your waders - and hampering your ability to get up.

As a certified diver and former member of the county rescue and recovery team, I can tell you I’ve never pulled out a drowning victim who was wearing a PFD - or a wader belt. Can’t say the same about some less fortunates.

Few years back I saw a video, demonstrating what to do, if you get in trouble on a stream while wearing waders. This is another of those 6P’s Principals.

P1: Get your butt down in the water with your head, and legs up on the surface ( V shape). Think of your buttocks as the keel and you are a boat, the keel helps to keep you upright in the water.

P2: Extend your arms straight-out to the side (as Outriggers) on the surface, to help keep you from rolling over. This will help to keep you stabilized in the water.

P3: Keep the feet and legs pointed down stream, they will act as a bumper if you meet with boulders or other obstructions. This position, will also give you a view of possible exit points.

P4: Try to position yourself in the current to be on the inside of any bend in the water, this is where the current is slow, and the bottom is more likely to be shallow, and will be your exit from the water.

P5: When you finally beach your buttocks on the bottom, do not try to stand up immediately. Instead unfasten the belt and suspenders (remembering to keep your butt resting on the bottom) and work the waders down your legs. This will remove the water inside the waders enough for you to crawl onto shore, on your hands and knees.

P6: Once you are finally on dry land (with the waders around your ankles) you can stand up, and remove the waders.

Memorize these rules until they become 2nd nature to you, at all times on the stream, you may even want to practice a few times.

Remember…

PRIOR
PLANNING
PREVENTS
PUTRID
POOR
PERFORMANCE

[This message has been edited by Steven H. McGarthwaite (edited 16 November 2005).]