Amen. Waders are not for kayaks.
Plenty dangerous in a kayak or canoe.
Neoprene chest waders are the standard uniform for salmon and steelhead fishing in winter. They are form fitting and do not allow water in over the top. You can wear a strap across you chest to make sure. They are plenty warm and you can wear poly pro underneath. Good in the rain, good for wading, good for cold weather.
I paddled with a friend on the Sacramento R in the fall during the salmon run on a 4 day trip. He got focused on the fish and was wearing hip waders and kept forgetting to wear his lifejacket. The river is cold and has some current all the time. I got tired of asking him to put on a lifejacket. I never paddled with him again.
I’ve never heard Haystack called Chief Kiawanda Rock. It’s actually off Cannon beach and although they may have been farther out, the rock isn’t near a half mile from shore.
That being said, I can’t imagine why anyone would wear waders on a kayak? When I was a kid I would wear them duck hunting, (walking the bay and wading out to get ducks) with a belt around my chest to at least slow the water entry if I fell.
Cheap rain pants would do as good of a job, be safer on a kayak and cheaper.
I have worn hip boots on the water quite a bit both duck hunting and working, and even went in one November storm over 25 years ago. With the hip boots I was able to kick them off quickly when I found myself in the water.
From the time I turned 15 till my mid 50’s I lived in waders. Duck season runs from early October to late January in the Northeast. I used to spend weekends, holidays and all my vacation time on the water. The only thing that makes waders dangerous is when they are misused. If the person donning them remembers to wear a wader belt, the only water he will take on when over his head is between his waist and armpits. ( this is easily squeezed out when getting back on your craft). I have had my canoe rolled over by over excited dogs and first time paddlers running over submerged stumps in the dark. Lessons learned each and every time and a second chance at better prep for the next trip only because of proper safety equipment
.
Learned something new. Never heard of wader belts.
Interesting that the PFDs didn’t act like a wader belt does to prevent water entry.
When wading for fishing, or duck hunting there is always a chance of going in. I believe I probably would have first gotten the idea in some 1970’s edition of field and stream or outdoor life! lol Also in those days waders were all rubber. Neoprene wasn’t a thing you saw back then so the rubber ones could really gulp in the water if you went in.