I have a one man raft so I wear the PFD all the time even though I’m a strong swimmer and comfortable in the water from surfing. Waders and cold water shock would make it pretty hard to swim. I’ve swam in a few huge eddies with my wetsuit and fins and was amazed by the power of the down-current at seam where the back flow hits the main current. Even with fins I couldn’t keep my head above water.