A waistcoat style jacket which is inserted with special closed cell foam to assist with buoyancy, and designed to help a swimmer stay afloat.
Also known as a PFD in some parts of the world, this is a type of life jacket designed primarily with sporting use in mind. They are generally only designed to hold a conscious person afloat, and are generally shaped to allow greater freedom of movement than a full lifejacket.
name given to any buoyant vest or jacket that does not have the righting action of a lifejacket - with the head up, but does provide buoyancy, for example a dinghy sailing vest.
a foam-filled jacket that gives positive buoyancy the moment it is immersed
Usually a vest or jacket, a buoyancy aid is made from foam and helps you float so you can rescue yourself more easily. It differs from a lifejacket in that it will not keep your head above water if you're unconscious.
Buoyancy aids are a specialist form of Personal flotation device (PFD) used most commonly by Kayakers and Canoeists. They are designed as a flotation aid to swimmers who have bailed out of their canoe or kayak, rather than a life-saving device and they have several key design differences to other PFD's.