A life jacket is designed to help someone float and keep their heads above water wherever they may be swimming or near water. They are usually found in swimming pools, boats, airplanes, and large ships and are usually placed in areas that are within easy reach to both crew and passengers, and pedestrians that may come into contact with water.
It is important that people wear life jackets when engaging in water sports such as rafting, water skiing and boating. By design, they are very buoyant, meaning that they will float by themselves on the water without any direction from the wearer.
Life jackets are composed of a core that is buoyant and then covered with strong and durable synthetic fibers. They are also covered in bright colors, mainly red or orange, and can be easily spotted by rescue personnel in case of a water related emergency.
The earliest recorded use of life jackets point to Norwegian seamen who would use simple chunks of cork or wood that would help people float in case they were to fall overboard while at sea.
The life jackets that we are familiar with were invented by Captain Ward, a British Lifeboat Institution inspector in the 1954. He made a vest that was filled with cork to provide buoyancy for anyone stuck in the water unexpectedly.
There are a lot of different types of life jackets on the market today, but most of them are made from a foam based core. However other versions include air chambered ones as well as those that are designed to inflate from deep under water. The foam ones are the easiest to make and wear, and the air chambered models are generally found on planes and large ships.
These kinds of life jackets are designed with a vinyl based soft and durable material that enclose air chambers. They can be self inflating or automatic and are much more buoyant than their foam counterparts. The ones designed for deeper water are usually referred as wet or dry suits.
Underwater life jackets are made for divers and underwater swimmers to help them maintain buoyancy. There are special versions for water sport participants such as water skiers and kayak racers as well and also provide a great level of floating capacity.
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