A little reminder for all

[Aces]

I wasn’t sure where to post this

Things can happen so fast. These guys were very lucky.
I seen several incidents like this back in Tofino.

Father and son happy to be safe after capsized boat rescue at Crescent Beach

‘Realize this, you got lucky’: police officer

www.peacearchnews.com

 

[kaelc]

Perfect spot to put it.

I’d say thank god, but thank RCMSAR and the rescue centre. The picture of him in all black is chilling and a reminder to me to put my floater jacket on my dry bag and bring it tomorrow. Need to figure out a floater jacket for my son as well.

I am glad I have a handheld with gps and dcs, only thing is I need to wear it more often. https://amzn.to/4eQsgia #ad

Finally ordered 4 of these automatically activated strobes this evening after reading the article and seeing him with his son. I had been meaning to order them for over a year. https://amzn.to/4icQVA2 #ad

 

[seachicken]

Man, this stuff was on my mind today as I was registering PLB's for work stuff, had me thinking about getting some for at home. This post really drives it home. Honestly when I'm away at work I loose track of lots of local news back home so thanks for posting this. Glad everyone is safe.

 

[casper5280]

I've got strobes and whistles on all my lifejackets and floater suits and floating ditch bag beside the cabin door. All things I hope I never have to use. I fish alone quite a bit so I also made a deal with the family years ago that if they ever caught me fishing alone not wearing my floater suit or inflatable life vest I would sell the boat.

 

[chille51]

What's everyone's take on dry suits for all day fishing in the winter or rain? Not full on floater, but a dry suit + a PFD vest. I'm thinking more likely to actually be wearing it if you go in accidentally, then a full float coat or suit. Can layer up underneath for warmth. I've never actually been in one though, they are advertised as "all day comfort", but do they live up to the claim? I always have at least a Mustang inflatable on if I am in the boat, even in flat calm conditions in the middle of a summer day. I simply don't boat without some sort of floatation, I'm not a strong swimmer. And nobody is if they get knocked out on the way in.

 

[Gong Show]

What's everyone's take on dry suits for all day fishing in the winter or rain? Not full on floater, but a dry suit + a PFD vest. I'm thinking more likely to actually be wearing it if you go in accidentally, then a full float coat or suit. Can layer up underneath for warmth. I've never actually been in one though, they are advertised as "all day comfort", but do they live up to the claim? I always have at least a Mustang inflatable on if I am in the boat, even in flat calm conditions in the middle of a summer day. I simply don't boat without some sort of floatation, I'm not a strong swimmer. And nobody is if they get knocked out on the way in.

I've worn drysuits for diving and sailing.
Be careful of your intake, you don't want to be farting in a drysuit.
They do help with floatation at the expense of freedom of movement.

 

[Flounder_pounder]

This one hits close to home, thanks for the post! We pass through Boundary Bay often on our trip(s) to the SGI. @kaelc if you find a good floater jacket for your son, let me know. I'm looking for something for my son for our Winter boating. Cheers!

 

[chille51]

Be careful of your intake, you don't want to be farting in a drysuit.

Well there goes that idea ;

 

[Gong Show]

Pepperoni and beer?
Why would you ever combine those two while fishing?

 

[Flashman]

What's everyone's take on dry suits for all day fishing in the winter or rain? Not full on floater, but a dry suit + a PFD vest. I'm thinking more likely to actually be wearing it if you go in accidentally, then a full float coat or suit. Can layer up underneath for warmth. I've never actually been in one though, they are advertised as "all day comfort", but do they live up to the claim? I always have at least a Mustang inflatable on if I am in the boat, even in flat calm conditions in the middle of a summer day. I simply don't boat without some sort of floatation, I'm not a strong swimmer. And nobody is if they get knocked out on the way in.

I use a Musto HPX dry suit, it's intended for offshore sailing. Full Gore-Tex with neck and wrist seals. It works. 100% totally waterproof including standing in boots full of water all day. It's breathable, comfortable, never clammy. I did kayak self rescue training in it, basically swimming and flopping around trying to climb back in a capsized kayak for hours. Only got enough water in one wrist to wet a couple inches of one cuff of the sweater I was wearing under it. I wear a PFD with it, but given experience with the kayak self rescue thing, I would have zero concern ending up in the water with the suit alone.

It's a god send for cold days in an open boat, totally stops the wind. With the hood and a good set of glasses/goggles there's almost no exposed skin. You can inflate it a bit to offer even more wind protection when running.

If you get a dry suit, find one with a very good hood. A lot of them are for white water kayakers and rescue crews who wear helmets. The giant wrap around hood on mine is one of the best features for bad weather and an open boat. Suits designed for sailing would be the place to look.

On the down side they're crazy expensive. The current version of the one I have is $4k. Helley Hansen has one that's a lot less, the Ægir Ocean Dry Suit. I also worry about damaging the gore-tex fishing, hooks, gaff, rod butt chafing the fabric etc.

 

[chille51]

I use a Musto HPX dry suit, it's intended for offshore sailing. Full Gore-Tex with neck and wrist seals. It works. 100% totally waterproof including standing in boots full of water all day. It's breathable, comfortable, never clammy. I did kayak self rescue training in it, basically swimming and flopping around trying to climb back in a capsized kayak for hours. Only got enough water in one wrist to wet a couple inches of one cuff of the sweater I was wearing under it. I wear a PFD with it, but given experience with the kayak self rescue thing, I would have zero concern ending up in the water with the suit alone.

It's a god send for cold days in an open boat, totally stops the wind. With the hood and a good set of glasses/goggles there's almost no exposed skin. You can inflate it a bit to offer even more wind protection when running.

If you get a dry suit, find one with a very good hood. A lot of them are for white water kayakers and rescue crews who wear helmets. The giant wrap around hood on mine is one of the best features for bad weather and an open boat. Suits designed for sailing would be the place to look.

On the down side they're crazy expensive. The current version of the one I have is $4k. Helley Hansen has one that's a lot less, the Ægir Ocean Dry Suit. I also worry about damaging the gore-tex fishing, hooks, gaff, rod butt chafing the fabric etc.

Thanks. One of the reasons I asked is because I noticed Trotac has some of the Mustang ones on for basically half price for the whole Black Friday thing. Tempted, but I might wait to see how much winter fishing I end up actually doing before I invest.

 

[jackfish]

Thanks for sharing this article Aces. Thankful that the pair had their lifejackets already on, and a cell phone that was usable, and our awesome rescue teams did their thing.

As for the drysuit idea: Those cost a small fortune. This father/son pair sounded to be in a small cheap boat. I'm guessing they wouldn't be laying out a few thousand dollars for drysuits, and keeping up with the growing young lad every other year.

For me, often fishing alone in a not so big boat, I carry my PLB and a second portable radio strapped to my inflatable vest. Admittedly, my cell phone is often plugged in charging so if I unexpectedly went into the drink I wouldn't have access to my phone. PLB seems like a price point that many could afford, and you only need one for a boat. Could PLB prices come down if we started buying them in mass quantities? The technology in the devices is life saving, but really not that complicated. No reason they are $400, other than economies of scale.

 

[chille51]

Thanks for sharing this article Aces. Thankful that the pair had their lifejackets already on, and a cell phone that was usable, and our awesome rescue teams did their thing.

As for the drysuit idea: Those cost a small fortune. This father/son pair sounded to be in a small cheap boat. I'm guessing they wouldn't be laying out a few thousand dollars for drysuits, and keeping up with the growing young lad every other year.

For me, often fishing alone in a not so big boat, I carry my PLB and a second portable radio strapped to my inflatable vest. Admittedly, my cell phone is often plugged in charging so if I unexpectedly went into the drink I wouldn't have access to my phone. PLB seems like a price point that many could afford, and you only need one for a boat. Could PLB prices come down if we started buying them in mass quantities? The technology in the devices is life saving, but really not that complicated. No reason they are $400, other than economies of scale.

Yeah, to be clear I wasn't suggesting the dry suit specifically for these two going out in a tinny to set crab traps. It just made me wonder if it was a good idea for myself, for winter fishing. Only place I am growing is around the waist!

 

[kaelc]

Ocean Rodeo has dry suits that go on sale under $1000 but their mid level on is quite nice. Looks nice enough to wear into Trotac, or the pub in Ukee

 

[Gong Show]

The craziest thing about drysuits is that if you do not have a good lifejacket and fall overboard in a full drysuit, there is a real danger of death if you invert and your legs/boots fill with air.
If you have not practiced this situation in a pool or in the water, it can lead to panic and death.
If a drysuit gets a rip or hole, they can be dangerous.

There are lots of good clothes out there for nasty weather, then there is full on survival outfits.
Survival suits are made of neoprene so that your whole body floats and this minimizes the chance of inversion.

To do the VanIsle 360 and Southern Straits races, I took the survival at sea course a couple of times over the years.
You jump in a pool with you gear as part of the course, it is very illuminating and I strongly suggest the course if you are putting yourself into harm's way by solo fishing in dark/cold/nasty weather.