Many shipwrecks in history are heartbreaking and highlight the importance of wearing life jackets, but is wearing a life jacket foolproof?
According to Paddling California, more than 80% of boating drowning victims are because they did not wear life jackets, but if you wear the wrong life jacket, your head may be soaked in water, leading to drowning.
So, what kind of life jacket should you choose to be the safest?
First, you need to understand the working principle of a life jacket. It keeps a person's head above the water by increasing buoyancy. Buoyancy usually comes from three aspects: filling foam material, inflation, and a mixture of foam and inflation.
Life jackets can be roughly divided into five types: Type 1 offshore life jacket, Type 2 near-shore buoyancy vest, Type 3 floating aid, Type 4 throwable device, and Type 5 special equipment.
Of these, offshore life jackets (pictured below) are the most reliable and suitable for open waters and the sea because they provide the greatest buoyancy, allowing most unconscious people to lie face up in the water and maintain body temperature as much as possible. The disadvantage is that these life jackets are usually heavy and a bit uncomfortable to wear.
In contrast, near-shore buoyancy vests (below) are best used in calm waters and are ideal for fishing or boating. They do not provide as much buoyancy as Type 1, but are more comfortable to wear. The downside is that they are not suitable for long periods of time in rough seas.
The last three types of life jackets are less commonly encountered by the general public, such as the Type 3 flotation aid (below). They are light and comfortable to wear, but they also have less buoyancy than Types 1 and 2, so the user may need to tilt their head back to avoid burying their face in the water.
In terms of materials, life jackets are mainly divided into nylon and neoprene. The former is usually cheaper, while the latter often provides more buoyancy.
Next is the size. If the life jacket is too small, the wearer may have difficulty moving. If it is too large, the jacket will easily fall off and floating will become difficult.
For adults, the size is determined by the chest circumference, so the correct way is to measure the chest circumference first, and then choose a life jacket of the corresponding size, But please note that the size of children's life jackets is based on weight.
