We did this back in college at Sir Sandford Fleming. One night we had a "class" at the community centre pool. We jumped into the water with rubber boots, hip and chest wadders, pfds, lifejackets and floater coats. We practiced all sorts of different self and assisted rescue scenarios.
BTW water in your boots and wadders will not sink you. IF your boots/wadders fill with water the water inside is not denser than the water outside. Getting out of the water into a boat is not easy, but you will not, can not sink because of water in your boots. No one is going to break the Olympic freestyle swimming record in wadders either, but as long as you don't panic self rescue is possible.