Sploshing about in the plunge pool (or, safety in waders)

The Haig-Brown Fly Fishing Association of Victoria, B.C.

Its a wet Victoria Day morning, a perfect time to think about getting a dunking, and to put together collective wisdoms generated by the Club's May meeting in the Commonwealth Pool. Everything you ever wanted to know about what happens if you fall out of your float tube, and were afraid to try. Well, not everything, because jumping or tipping into the 5m plunge pool filled with teenagers diving from 8m, and nymphs of all ages taking aquatic yoga classes, is not quite the same at taking the wrong step at the top end of Spring Pool in early March. Please, please bear in mind, then, the over-riding qualifier that these experiments were conducted under absolutely ideal conditions, with buddies and life-savers on hand. Neverless, all participants and observers in this fun event agreed that something was learned, and that we should share our thoughts with everyone willing to listen. With no particular attributions, here is what they had to say:

1. Waders, neoprene and Goretex, were surprisingly bouyant, with or without waist belts. Even when open and filling with water there was bouyancy. We did not float upside down. "The most startling revelation was - you do not sink! Neoprenes float -and even Gore-tex waders have neoprene feet. You could lay on your back and not move a muscle, and you would float". This may be of comfort to the float tuber who flips out, but may be very misleading to the river wader.

2. Waist belts definitely slowed the ingress of water. They should always be worn. But, rather than deliberately trap air, the waders should be allowed to exhaust as much air as possible, before the belt is tied. Simply wade in to belt depth before tightening the belt. One very noticeable benefit was the improved leg movement thus achieved -especially important if you have to swim for it.

3. All agreed that lifejackets of some form should be worn, and worn properly. Even deflated, gas-pressurized horse collars seemed to offer bouyancy where it was needed, behind the neck. But as one dry spectator noted, we did not inflate these collars, so did not test their efficacy. Judging from what happened with waterproof jackets, they may well impede movement and even recovery from a difficult position, especially if worn loosely. Indeed, loose clothing was a menace, catching water in the hood, bubbling up around the neck, and generally getting in the way while trying to swim. One further point on inflatable horse collars: wear them outside everything. If a collar inflates under, say, a fly vest, the resulting pressure on the chest can be suffocating, and even crack a rib (this gleaned from other souces, needless to say.) If someone has found the perfect lifejacket, we would all like to know about it.

4. "It was very difficult to get out of the pool with all of your clothing on - and I wore everything I would normally wear including fleece pants, dri-fit shirt, regular shirt, windstopper fleece and hooded jacket. Because the waterproof cuffs were tight, the Gore-tex jacket held enormous amounts of water in the arms." Now think of this situation in the Cowichan River in winter.

5. "It was very, very, tiring to get back onto the tube. It would be much easier to simply push the tube into the shore. It is tough to flip a Super Fat Cat tube leaning over one side - you have to have some help. It's easy to fall out the back, but watch it if you do. Because your weight is no longer on the seat, the sides of the
boat spring outwards tightening the stripping apron making it almost impossible to get undone. If you only slide half-way out, you could become trapped upside down under the boat. This is an uncomfortable feeling."

6. "I try as much as possible to put all my gear in the tube pockets, eliminating the vest or reducing its contents to a minimum."

7. "Take a tip from kayakers. Sit in your float tube with eyes closed and locate the apron and seat releases with your fingers. On land, turn the inflated tube upside down and do the same thing by running your hands around the inside rim. Try sliding out without the releases first - most times this will work -I think". "It's very easy to re-enter the tube by coming up underneath it through the center." " The biggest concern may be doing up the “crotch” seat strap back up while sitting in the tube. I’m sure that with some practice a system could be worked out but I know from experience, it is almost impossible to do up, once out on the water, if the strap is adjusted correctly initially."

8. Re float tubes (not U-boats) "The only escape was to swim out of the tube once it had turned over and my legs were over my head. It was very difficult for me to right the tube again. I could quite easily get back into the tube after swimming out of it. The easiest way for me was to undo the crotch-strap and swim into the tube from below. Once I had emerged inside the tube and pushed my arms over the sides, it was quite easy to raise myself up and sit down again. It may be a little more difficult with fully loaded fishing vest, two or three rods, rod holders etc etc etc."

9. "There is a serious safety problem with the design of the Outcast U-tubes. The apron across the front of the tube has two clip fasteners attached to the front of the U-tube and two Velcro fasteners to attach the rear of the apron. In two out of three cases at the pool, the front clips did not disengage when an angler tipped forward out of the tube. As a result, he or she is hung up on the apron with the tube upside down on top pressing down. The so called "quick release" fastener in front is useless because the two ends of the tube spread out owing to water pressure and make the clip very difficult to release. The solution is to convert one of the front clips to a Velcro fastener to ensure that it releases automatically when pressure is exerted on it. Club members should check their own float tubes, whatever make, and see if the same design flaw is present and correct it."

10. "Tubes do not spread apart from water pressure once the angler has exited; they spread because there is no weight in the tube, which forces them together in the first place. The apron is adjusted with the angler in the sitting position which forces the tubes closer together. Otherwise the apron would be too loose.

Another form of quick release needs to be investigated, possibly a magnet set-up or Velcro. I have reservations about the Velcro because if pulled on, without first trying to separate the two different halves correctly, it almost has a “locking” affect making it tougher to pull apart.

" The seatback folding forward also appears to be a hindrance when trying to climb back into the tube once it has been righted. All of a sudden there is another three to four inches of height to climb over. It would be difficult to lift the seatback up once the angler is in the sitting position. Unclipping the backrest side straps may allow the angler to force the backrest to lie flat with the seat cushion, for easier access."

To sum up, don't take your gear for granted. Even under ideal conditions, some surprises may in store. A surprise in the middle of a stormy lake would be less than fun. And if you have any further advice or experiences, do share them with your friends.

Doug Pollard

Some more helpfull tips:

THOUGHTS ON FLOAT TUBE SAFETY

STAYING CALM AND NOT PANICKING IS MOST IMPORTANT.

FLOAT TUBES

It would appear that these devices are difficult to tip over without assistance or very aggressive behavior.

Weather and water conditions are definitely factors to be considered. These conditions are hard to duplicate in the environment of a swimming pool.

Stripping aprons appear to be an area of major concern, particularly how they are fastened to the tube. With the pressure of an anglers body weight leaning on the apron when the unit is upside down, it is almost impossible to relieve enough pressure to release the apron securing lines.

Once the apron is removed there seems to be no problem swimming out from under the tube or turning it over and swimming under to get back in.

The biggest concern may be doing up the “crotch” seat strap back up while sitting in the tube. I’m sure that with some practice a system could be worked out but I know from experience, it is almost impossible to do up, once out on the water, if the strap is adjusted correctly initially.

It appears that if the angler holds on to the tube it can be used as a flotation device to assist in getting to shallower water or shore.

“U” STYLE TUBES

These devices also appeared to be difficult to tip, see note above under Float Tubes.

Stripping Apron observations the same as above.

From Wilf’s observations;

Tubes do not spread apart from water pressure once the angler has exited; they spread because there is no weight in the tube, which forces them together in the first place. The apron is adjusted with the angler in the sitting position which forces the tubes closer together. Otherwise the apron would be too loose.

Another form of quick release needs to be investigated, possibly a magnet set-up or Velcro. I have reservations about the Velcro because if pulled on, without first trying to separate the two different halves correctly, it almost has a “locking” affect making it tougher to pull apart.

The seatback folding forward also appears to be a hindrance when trying to climb back into the tube once it has been righted. All of a sudden there is another three to four inches of height to climb over. It would be difficult to lift the seatback up once the angler is in the sitting position. Unclipping the backrest side straps may allow the angler to force the backrest to lie flat with the seat cushion, for easier access.

WADERS

Waders, both Neoprene and Breathable/Lightweight were represented.

Observations indicated that in still waters, it is almost impossible to sink, even with no floatation device.

When exiting the water, after “falling in”, it appeared that the Neoprene’s had filled more easily and held more water than the other styles.

I’m not sure if any wading belts were worn and would be interested in any observations by those who did and was there a comparison done between wearing a belt and not wearing a belt.

It also appeared that some types of jackets and fishing vests were a hindrance upon first entering the water. They appeared to float up around the angler’s head obstructing vision and hindering swimming attempts.

PERSONAL FLOATATION DEVICES

A few different styles were seen being tried.

I didn’t see anyone go into the water and then inflate the device, so unless someone has a personal observation from another experience, no information was collected.

Some devices were seen being tested in the water but were already inflated when the users entered the water.

It seemed that most were effective and times taken to right the angler from the face down position to floating safely face up, varied from device to device and angler to angler.

A normal “Vest Style” device seemed too cumbersome to use.

The “Suspender Style” devices look like they need to be worn on the outside of any clothing to be most effective.