Inflatable PFD

Inflatable Personal Floatation Devices

The sea is a bountiful place in many ways; full of fish to admire or catch and wondrous sights to see. But it is also a dangerous place that taketh as much as it giveth and if you go out on to the water you give yourself into the care of the whims of the weather and water. But there are things you can do, precautions you can take, in order to make sure even dark-skied stories have happy endings. The cornerstone of every safe trip out on to the water and the one things you certainly should never leave without, is the inflatable personal floatation device. Or, as people might also know it; the life-jacket.

There are any number of emergency situations on a boat or ship where a personal floatation device can be a literal life-saver but all of them have one obvious thing in common: you’ve entered the water without meaning to, possibly in rough weather, and you will not be able to get back on to either a boat or dry land in the next few minutes. An inflatable life jacket can then be inflated with the pull of a cord and inflated further as needed by blowing on to a mouthpiece. Personal floatation devices are commonly sold in bright and obvious colours and will feature additional kit such as a whistle or light to attract attention. To make sure the personal floatation device is in good condition, check it regularly. The gas canister that initially inflates the life jacket is especially important here.

Inflatable floatation devices rely on lighter-than-water gas to provide buoyancy, and need to be inflated properly for best effect. Sometimes you don’t have the time to do so and a buoyancy device that requires action to be undertaken in order to work might not work well for children or people liable to panic. And finally, you may be unconscious by the time you hit the water, depending on what went wrong to get you there. For these people there are personal floation devices that don’t need inflation. Besides a personal floatation device, it can also be a good idea to invest in additional boating and water sports protective gear such as shoes that provide extra grip, or protective goggles so you can always see what you’re doing.