# Eucumbene Drowning



## blaggon (Jan 14, 2008)

a report in the latest fishing world mag claims a 43 yr old man has drowned in lake Eucumbene after a boat capsize, the man was WEARING WADERS and two other men in the boat were unable to 
support him when his waders filled with water..
after reading reports and seeing vids of tests carried out hereabouts i had pretty much decided the supposed danger of wearing waders was shown as being a myth.
wtf ? :?


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## johnny (Aug 12, 2007)

Waders do fill with water but Eucumbene is very cold lake that can chop up in those cold winds.There are many types of wader.I have rescued and seen wader wearers capsize tinnies being foolhardy,drunk,3 men to one side etc...accidents do happen to the most cautious of fishos as well.Cold prevents hands moving to undo waders also.
Thankyou for the cautionary tale,
johnny


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## paffoh (Aug 24, 2006)

Ok, I have some information on this ( Second hand ) :

My Australia Post parcel delivery man came not long ago with a replacement Stohlquist PFD for myself, he knows I always get fishing related stuff so sticks around in awe while i furiously tear open the packages. Once he spied the PFD he informed me that his friend was on the boat in Question ( A prominent Canberra horse trainer ) and mentioned that one of the men drowned due to wearing waders. The boat flipped at speed and sent them all into the water, one of them had trouble staying afloat and unfortunately drowned.

These men were not all wearing waders and none were wearing PFD's. The videos and magazine articles that I have seen busting this so called wader myth all used PFD's of some sort ( Type 1 or 3 ) and a wading belt.

http://www.whitbyseaanglers.co.uk/weari ... -kayak.php

Take heed...


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## yankatthebay (Dec 14, 2007)

There was a post about this a while ago (3 months I am guessing), but I cant find it in a normal search. Something about them heading home and hitting a submerged object and flipping. The guy with waders drowned. But it would depend on the type of waders and the time you needed to be in the water to have an affect I think. I have seen my dad in leg waders have one fill up in a stream and watched him get swept down the river (was only shallow and small so it was more funny to us than dangerous, but convinced him to get breathable chest waters after that).


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## craig450 (May 11, 2007)

Very sad and unfortunate indeed,
That lake has claimed way too many lives and we still have people out in boats without PFD's, it really is shocking to see the amount of people ive witnessed heading out in overloaded boats, or no pfds, waders, alcohol, or going flat out in a area with lots of submerged trees.
Ive seen that lake go from completely calm to 1m high waves within 30mins, extreme caution must be taken even on the nicest days.
I spoke to a ranger at Lake Eucumbene early last year who claims that 90% of people that he or the police have found dead in the lake were wearing waders, i dont know if the wearing waders is a myth or not, but going by that i choose not to wear them in a boat or the yak.


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## 30HA (Apr 24, 2008)

I don't know how it was ever called a myth anyway as anyone who has ever worn them can plainly see that if you fall in or wade too far they are going to fill up and make you heavier. I'm not saying it is a guaranteed death trap but it is going to make it more difficult to get out of the water especially if you panic also.


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## granpop (Mar 23, 2007)

Think a bit guys - a bucket of water immersed in water still weighs the same. Waders full of water are not going to 'weigh you down', what they will do is impede your movement. The shock of filling with water will cause a certain amount of panic which impedes logical thinking. Further, mountain lakes are extremely cold = rapid onset of hypothermia. Alcohol in bloodstream also lowers metabolism = even more rapid onset of hypothermia. Vinyl chest waders (Hornes, etc) are extremely loose and will fill with water quickly. I have both breathable waders and neoprene waders and have topped them without them filling with water.


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## rawprawn (Aug 31, 2005)

granpop said:


> Think a bit guys - a bucket of water immersed in water still weighs the same. Waders full of water are not going to 'weigh you down', what they will do is impede your movement. The shock of filling with water will cause a certain amount of panic which impedes logical thinking. Further, mountain lakes are extremely cold = rapid onset of hypothermia. Alcohol in bloodstream also lowers metabolism = even more rapid onset of hypothermia. Vinyl chest waders (Hornes, etc) are extremely loose and will fill with water quickly. I have both breathable waders and neoprene waders and have topped them without them filling with water.


That's right they only become a problem when trying to get out of the water, they don't make you sink any quicker. I can just slip the straps off my shoulder and be out of mine in a flash. In theory once off you can partially empty them out by holding them upside down to empty then fill them with some air and use them as flotation. Of course there are many factors in this e.g. how cold the water is etc.


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## blaggon (Jan 14, 2008)

it certainly is a tragedy, though an interesting subject and some thought provoking responses here, i guess it pays to be careful, mebbe the thing is to wear a pfd and you should be ok regarding this.
have sometimes thought about this when out prawning on my own in the darkest of nights whilst wearing waders = step into a deep hole and be gone forever lol


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## water_baby (Oct 26, 2005)

our venerable wader wearing guru DGax65 put up a link to a video by JimSammons i think. it was an experiment on wearing waders in the yak. i have done it, and will do it again. they are comfy, dry and easy to wear. and they are not dangerous.

i would think the moral of this particular story is - dont speed in a boat without a PFD on and then expect to survive when a crach occurs, wearing waders or not :shock:

not, wearing waders in the water will kill you :?

if you still have concerns about the waders, look the video up on youtube and spend 10 minutes exploding a myth, with a beer in hand. or better still, walk your waders into a pool and let them fill up (with a mate around just to be safe). wear your pfd and belt, and enjoy mythbusters live inyour mates pool 8)

**EDIT** here it is


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## Guest (May 14, 2008)

Sad to hear about any fishing fatality.

I reckon when yak fishing you would be insane to wear waders, even if they didnt make you sink they would make it very difficult to re-enter your yak in deep water.

I'd go with full length wetsuit neoprene to keep warm and still remain nimble in and out of the ater. Much safer for yakking.


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## DGax65 (Jun 7, 2006)

Waders *CAN* be safely worn while kayaking. Of that I have no doubts. I've seen many instances of kayakers wearing waders performing self-rescues. This isn't a blanket statement. Proper precautions must be taken when engaged in water sports.

Don't wear loose, baggy clothing when kayaking. Loose clothing can act just like a drift chute in moving water (surf/river). It doesn't matter whether you're wearing loose waders or a baggy jacket; they have more surface area for moving water to act upon. Wetsuits are ideal when in the water, but aren't great when on the yak. A damp wetsuit and a cool breeze is a great recipe for a miserably cold day of paddling. I prefer snug-fit wader pants and paddling jacket. These work well for the 99% of the time that I'm on the kayak, yet still allow me to move effectively in the water.

Wearing a PFD significantly increases your chances of survival.

Dress for the expected water/air temperature. Cold water will rapidly sap your strength and make it difficult to perform a self-rescue.

Practicing self-rescues is important. You don't want your first re-entry attempt to be 2 miles offshore in cold choppy water.

Keep a radio and signaling devices on your PFD.

Drinking and kayaking don't mix.


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## Dodge (Oct 12, 2005)

granpop said:


> Vinyl chest waders (Hornes, etc) are extremely loose and will fill with water quickly. .


I have a pair of Hornes for surf fishing in winter and always use the built in waist cord to seal as Arpie says in her reply


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## theclick (Jun 25, 2007)

Someone lend me some waders and some dive equipment and i'll test it in my pool


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## Peril (Sep 5, 2005)

arpie said:


> Same with surf re-entries & getting back into or onto your yak - practise with them before the emergency occurs, so that you know how to react in the proper manner & hopefully avoid another fatality.


How come my extensive programme of practising mounting my kayak has only ever met with ridicule?


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## water_baby (Oct 26, 2005)

were you wearing waders Dave? this is the important part :lol: otherwise its not training, its fun ;-)


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