Inflatable buoyancy aid

Abstract

The present invention relates to a buoyancy aid for use on the upper part of the torso comprising a dorsal part and a ventral part and comprising at least one inflatable flotation tube. At least a part of the at least one inflatable flotation tube is present in the ventral part and at least a part of the at least one inflatable flotation tube is present in the dorsal part and a part of the at least one inflatable flotation tube in the ventral part is adapted to be folded into at least one pocket in the lower part of the ventral part when the vest is not inflated and such that the folded parts of the inflatable tube will unfold from the at least one pocket and extend in a downward and / or upward direction when the vest is inflated.

Description

[0001] INFLATABLE BUOYANCY AID

[0002] FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0003] The present invention relates to life saving equipment for water sports such as kite surfing, wind surfing, surfing and the like.

[0004] BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0005] In water sports such as kite surfing, wind surfing, surfing and the like it is for safety reasons desired that people exercising those sports use a life jacket or buoyancy aid to avoid drowning in case of accidents. However, traditional life jackets and most of the buoyancy aids are not suitable as they may restrict the users’ freedom of movement. This causes some of the practitioners to skip the lifesaving equipment.

[0006] For surfers, it is annoying that most of the lifesaving equipment covers the stomach region as they lay on the stomach on the surfboard. A life jacket or buoyancy aid covering that region hampers the movement on the surfboard and causes general unpleasantness when paddling. On the other hand, in order to have sufficient buoyancy it is desired that the majority of buoyancy is placed on the person’s front, to position the wearer’s face out of water to allow breathing.

[0007] To remedy some of those challenges, an inflatable buoyancy aid has been developed. Inflatable buoyancy aids use a gas cartridge, typically a carbon dioxide cartridge, to inflate the buoyancy aid, and thereby sufficient buoyancy is created to keep a person above water. After use, the buoyancy aid is deflated, the cartridge is replaced, and the vest is ready for use again. Examples of such inflatable buoyancy aids and life jackets are shown in the patent application US 2023 / 0373601 A1.

[0008] For a significant group of users, it is important that the life jacket looks cool and that it cannot be seen on the vest that it can be inflated. Therefore, life jackets, where the inflating part can be packed away, has been proposed. However, when a vest is used in water, the water can cause traditionally closing mechanisms such as Velcro to become lose, unfolding the inflating part unintentionally with the loss of coolness for the user. Hence there is a need for a new buoyancy aid or life jacket that overcomes the challenges of existing solutions.

[0009] SUMMARY OF INVENTION

[0010] An object of the present invention is to provide a buoyancy aid for use in e.g. surfing, paddling, and kayaking, where the user wearing the buoyancy aid experiences great comfort.

[0011] An object of the present invention is also to provide a buoyancy aid where it is still possible to continue an activity such as surfing, paddling, swimming, or kayaking even if the vest is inflated.

[0012] The buoyancy aid may be adapted to serve as a swim vest or a life jacket. Thus, in the following the buoyancy aid may also be referred to as a vest.

[0013] A further object is to provide an inflatable buoyancy aid, allowing users to dive underwater and perform activities as if they were not wearing any buoyancy aid.

[0014] The present invention relates to a buoyancy aid for use on the upper part of the torso, in particular the thorax part of the torso, such as the upper part of the thorax, comprising a dorsal part and a ventral part, said buoyancy aid comprising at least one inflatable flotation tube wherein at least a part of the at least one inflatable flotation tube is present in the ventral part and at least a part of the at least one inflatable flotation tube is present in the dorsal part and wherein a part of the at least one inflatable flotation tube in the ventral part and / or the dorsal part is adapted to be folded into at least one pocket in ventral part and / or in the dorsal part when the vest is not inflated and such that the folded parts of the inflatable tube will unfold from the at least one pocket and extend in one direction when the vest is inflated.

[0015] The one direction is preferable a downward direction, i.e. a direction towards the users stomach, however, it may also be an upward direction, i.e. towards the users head e.g. from the dorsal part such that the inflated tube may serve as a collar. The terms downward direction and upward direction should be understood in relation to the wearer, and refer to a direction which is substantially parallel with the length of the wearer i.e. the length from the wearers feet to his head, or in a similar manner the terms downward direction and upward direction may also be seen as directions which are substantially parallel with the spine of the wearer. Thus, when the inflatable flotation tube is inflated in a downward direction it will substantially cover regio epigastrica and regio umbilicalis at least partly, which may also be considered as the central stomach region of the user. In some embodiments the inflatable flotation tube, when inflated will also cover regio hypochondriaca and regio lateralis at least partly, When the inflatable flotation tube is inflated in an upwards direction it will support the collum or cervix, i.e. the wearers neck region.

[0016] In an embodiment the buoyancy aid is mainly for use on the upper part of the torso and comprises a dorsal part and a ventral part. By the term “the upper part of the torso” is meant that the buoyancy aid in non-inflated condition only covers the chest region, in particular the upper chest region, such that the buoyancy aid goes around the chest musculature and covers the upper chest. The buoyancy aid comprises at least one inflatable flotation tube and at least a part of the at least one inflatable flotation tube is present in the ventral part and at least a part of the at least one inflatable flotation tube is present in the dorsal part. A part of the at least one inflatable flotation tube in the ventral part is adapted to be folded into at least one pocket in the lower part of the ventral part when the vest is not inflated and such that the folded parts of the inflatable tube will unfold from the at least one pocket and extend in a downward direction when the vest is inflated.

[0017] As most of the buoyancy aid is to be worn on the upper part of the torso, i.e. upper chest region, it provides a pleasant feeling of freedom for the wearer, as the buoyancy aid will not hinder the wearer in performing activities e.g. laying on the stomach on a paddleboard or the wearer may swim, even if the vest is inflated. The buoyancy aid is preferably be worn on the thorax part of the torso and in some embodiments even worn on the upper part of the thorax, facilitating the wearers movement, such that the wearer can move his arms without hindrance. After inflation, the buoyancy aid covers only the dorsal and the ventral part of the body, i.e. covers only an area with the body’s circumference when viewed from the front or back, and does not expand wider than the wearer body, allowing a user to swim undisturbed, e.g. when performing a correct crawl stroke, and moving the arms along the side of the body.

[0018] The buoyancy aid may include versions which are “T-shirt” like without zippers or other closing means, and, in an embodiment the buoyancy aid comprises a continuous ventral part and a continuous dorsal part, where there are three openings in the buoyancy aid between the ventral and dorsal parts, so that the user can put on the buoyancy aid by putting the head and arms through the openings. In this embodiment a part of the inflatable flotation tube in folded and un-inflated state may be stored in a pocket in the ventral part of the buoyancy aid and the pocket may extend over a major part of the ventral part. The buoyancy aid comprises an opening between the ventral part and the dorsal part for the wearer to put his head through and the inflatable flotation tube extend around the opening between the ventral part and the dorsal part such that a part of the inflatable flotation tube is able to support the wearers neck in the dorsal part when the buoyancy aid is in inflated state. Thus, in an embodiment of the buoyancy aid according to the invention a part of the inflatable flotation tube in folded and un-inflated state is stored in a pocket in the ventral part of the buoyancy aid and the buoyancy aid comprises an opening between the ventral part and the dorsal part and the inflatable flotation tube has an opening such that the inflatable flotation tube can extend around the opening between the ventral part and the dorsal part.

[0019] Thus, in some embodiments the buoyancy aid may be pulled down over the head, however in an embodiment of the buoyancy aid the ventral part is divided into a first side and a second side by a closure device, said buoyancy aid further comprising an inflatable flotation tube extending from the first side to the second side of the vest via the dorsal part and wherein a part of the inflatable tube in the first side and the second side of the vest is folded into pockets at the first side and the second side of the vest when the vest is not inflated such that the folded parts of the inflatable tube will unfold from the pockets and extend in a downward direction when the vest is inflated.

[0020] The first and second sides of the buoyancy aid can cover the right and the left side of the chest of a user or wearer, or in some embodiments only a part of the wearers chest, such as the upper part of the chest, i.e. the thorax or the upper part of the thorax. The terms “user” and “wearer” may be used interchangeably.

[0021] To ensure sufficient buoyancy when inflated, the buoyancy aid also includes at least one inflatable tube. The terms “inflatable tube” and “inflatable flotation tube” are used interchangeably in the following. Although the vest may include more than one inflatable flotation tube, it is normally preferred that the vest includes one inflatable flotation tube. By having one inflatable tube it is easier to ensure that the tube is inflated when required and it is also easier to deflate the tube.

[0022] The buoyancy aid, which is for use on the upper part of the torso, in an embodiment comprises a dorsal part and a ventral part where the ventral part is divided into a first part (e.g. covering the right side of the chest) and a second part (e.g. covering the left side of the chest) by a closure device, said buoyancy aid further comprising an inflatable flotation tube extending from left side to right side of the vest via the dorsal part and wherein a part of the inflatable tube in the left side and the right side of the vest is folded into pockets in the left side and the right side of the vest when the vest is not inflated such that the folded parts of the inflatable tube will unfold and extend in a downward direction when the vest is inflated.

[0023] In an embodiment of the buoyancy aid, the inflatable flotation tube in folded and un-inflated state is stored in the pockets in the first side and the second side of the ventral part, said pockets being preferably closed by Velcro or press buttons, and preferably each folded part of the inflatable tube is held by one or more elastic strings to ensure that the folded part of the inflatable flotation tube does not un-intentionally slip out of the pocket.

[0024] When the buoyancy aid in non-inflated condition is worn by a user it will cover the upper part of the body or torso i.e. the thorax, such as the upper part of the thorax, and, the front side or ventral part of the vest will mainly cover the breast region and dorsal part of the vest will mainly cover the upper back. Thus, the stomach region will not be covered with the buoyancy aid which is an advantage when the user is laying on the stomach, e.g. on a surfboard or a paddleboard or wearing sport specific equipment, such as e.g. harness for wind / kitesurfing or spray deck in kayaking.

[0025] Although the inflatable tube may have many different shapes, e.g. rectangular with an opening for the head, in an embodiment the inflatable tube is preferably a U-shaped tube and preferable the inflatable tube extends from the ventral first side to the ventral second side of the vest via the back or dorsal part. In this manner, the inflatable tube may also serve to support the neck of a user when inflated, by means of the part of the inflatable tube present in the dorsal part of the vest thereby providing better buoyancy.

[0026] In an embodiment of the buoyancy aid, a part of the inflatable flotation tube in folded and un-inflated state is stored in pockets in the left side and the right side of the ventral part of the vest. i.e. the breast side. The pockets are closed when the folded inflatable tube is placed in the pockets. The pockets are preferably closed by means of Velcro, but may alternatively be closed by means of e.g. magnets or press buttons. In case the inflatable flotation tube is a substantially an U-shaped tube and extends from the ventral left side to the ventral right side of the vest via the back or dorsal part of the vest, the pockets in the ventral part and / or the dorsal part may be constituted by one long pocket extending from the ventral left side to the ventral right side of the vest via the back or dorsal part. In case there is two or more flotation tubes may be placed in two or more pockets.

[0027] Moreover, when the parts of the inflatable tube are folded in the pockets, the folded parts are preferably held and supported by one or more elastic strings. This serves to ensure that the folded parts of the inflatable tube remain in the pockets of the vest, when not inflated. The elastic string may also serve to ensure that the folded parts remain in the vest if a situation appears which do not require inflation of the buoyancy aid, e.g. if the wearer fall into the water. On the other hand, when the folded parts of the inflatable tube are inflated the elastic strings will be pushed away by the inflatable tube expanding.

[0028] To improve the comfort for the user and also aesthetics the inflatable flotation tube is covered with cloth when the inflatable flotation tube is not inflated, preferably the cloth is selected from nylon, polyester, neoprene or similar material which is water tolerant, waterproof or water resistant material. When the inflatable flotation tube is inflated it may also be covered with cloth or fabric. At least the materials used in the buoyancy aid must be able to withstand contact with salt water.

[0029] The buoyancy aid may also comprise a version where it only covers parts of the torso when inflated, such that the wearer can use his arms freely, thus, in an embodiment the buoyancy aid when inflated is adapted for covering the torso by means of the ventral and the dorsal part and the inflated flotation tube, such that the ventral and dorsal part of the buoyancy aid covers chest and upper back and the inflated flotation tube covers at least the stomach region. This is an advantage in comparison to known swimming belts with inflatable bladder, where you pull a string up around the neck to make the bladder cover the chest and stomach. In the buoyancy aid according to the invention such extra and sometimes risky actions are not required.

[0030] When the vest is inflated the inflatable tube with the folded parts will expand and un-fold and the elastic strings will be pushed away. When the inflatable tube is deflated the foldable parts of the inflatable tube can be folded back and be held in the pockets on the ventral side of the vest by means of elastic string and closure of the pockets. The pockets and the elastic strings also serve to facilitate that the folded part will expand in downwards direction towards the user’s stomach region when inflated. In some embodiments, where the pockets e.g. are closed with press buttons, ripcords, magnets, or burst-open zippers the elastic strings may be omitted. On the other hand the mentioned closure means may be omitted in a buoyancy aid where the pockets comprise elastic strings.

[0031] As mentioned, when the inflatable tube is inflated the tube including the folded parts will expand and the folded parts will generally expand downwards, i.e. towards and over the stomach region. Thus, the sentence: “the inflatable tube will unfold and extend in a downward direction when the vest is inflated” means that when a user wears the vest and inflates it, the folded parts of the inflatable tube will expand downward towards the user’s stomach region. This is in contrast to known inflatable buoyancy aids in which the inflatable parts will expand in several directions. By only having the inflatable tube expanded over the stomach region together with breast and neck region the vest will not hinder the activity of the user to any significant extent. This means that the user or wearer will be able to swim both breaststroke, crawl and backstroke and continue his activity.

[0032] In an embodiment of the buoyancy aid, the inflation of the inflatable tube can be activated by a tube or cord accessible on the ventral part of the vest. Thus, a user wearing the vest can simply activate the inflation of the vest by means of an easy accessible tube or cord, the tube or cord may be equipped with a handle which may facilitate the activation. In other embodiments the vest may be equipped with activation devices which automatically inflates the inflatable flotation tube when the vest comes into contact with water.

[0033] In embodiments of the buoyancy aid the inflatable tube is inflated by gas from a gas cylinder. A gas cylinder may inflate the inflatable tube very fast, e.g. within 5 seconds or even about a second. Although the gas can be selected from several types of gas, such as oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon dioxide, in an embodiment the gas is carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is cheap and easy accessible, e.g. as a gas cylinder with 10 or 12 g carbon dioxide suitable for use in inflatable vests. The gas cylinder may be replaceable, and e.g. have a connection part with thread for easy replacement, which will also make it easier reusing the vest after inflation with gas from a gas cylinder.

[0034] The gas cylinder may be mounted in the dorsal part of the vest, e.g. in a pocket, such that the gas cylinder will not hinder the wearer’s ability to move while wearing the vest.

[0035] The user can also inflate the inflatable tube in the buoyancy aid manually by a mouth or oral inflation tube. Thus, it is possible to inflate the vest even if the system with gas cylinder should fail.

[0036] The inflated gas can be drained out of the inflatable tube, such that the parts or the inflation tube can be folded and placed in the pockets in the ventral part of the vest. Preferably, the gas is drained via the mouth inflation tube, and by activating a vent device e.g. a built-in vent device.

[0037] The buoyancy aid has a closure device in the ventral part and the closure device makes it easier for the user to put on or take off the vest. The closure device is selected from Velcro, a buckle, a click buckle, a zipper, buttons or a combination. For the purpose of achieving an optimal closing in an embodiment the closure device is a combination of a click buckle and a zipper.

[0038] In an embodiment, the buoyancy aid comprises a webbing belt, which will improve the security properties of the vest. The webbing belt is preferably adapted to go around the torso in the ventral and the dorsal part, and may form the connection between the ventral and the dorsal part of the vest, and the webbing belt may enable size adjustment. In an embodiment the webbing belt is attached to and lockable with a click buckle in the closure device.

[0039] To provide a buoyancy aid which meets the requirements for buoyancy aid, the vest provides a buoyancy of at least 50N, such as at least 70N. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0040] The invention will now be described with reference to a drawing in which:

[0041] Fig 1. shows a buoyancy aid according to the invention from the ventral side;

[0042] Fig 2. shows a buoyancy aid according to the invention from the dorsal side;

[0043] Fig 3. shows the closure device of the buoyancy aid;

[0044] Fig 4. shows the vest with the inflatable flotation tube unfolded; and

[0045] Fig 5. illustrates how the inflatable flotation tube is folded into the pocket.

[0046] The figures are only intended to show the principles of the invention, and details, which do not form part of the invention, may be omitted. The same reference numbers are used for the same parts.

[0047] Figure 1 illustrates an embodiment of the buoyancy aid 1 from the ventral side 2, i.e. the side covering the breast portion. The buoyancy aid 1 shown in figure 1 is in the un-inflated state. The vest 1 comprises a webbing belt 4 made of nylon and a cloth 6 made of neoprene. The cloth 6 may also be made from polyester, polyurethane or other water- resistant material, similar the webbing belt 4 may be made from other materials such as neoprene. The ventral side 2 of the vest also includes a closure 5, which in this embodiment is a zipper and a click buckle (the latter is not visible in figure 1).

[0048] The buoyancy aid 1 also includes a handle 11 for activating a gas cylinder for inflating the inflatable flotation tube. The handle 11 is held in place on the ventral side 2 of the vest by a strap 12. As it can be seen in figure 1 , the inflatable flotation tube is not visible when the vest is in the un-inflated state (the inflatable flotation tube is e.g. visible in figure 3 where the buoyancy aid is in inflated state).

[0049] On the ventral side 2 the buoyancy aid 1 also have a cover 22 covering a mouth inflation device (the mouth inflation device is not visible in figure 1).

[0050] Figure 2 illustrates the buoyancy aid 1 from the dorsal side 3, i.e. the part of the vest covering the back portion of the wearer. The majority of the dorsal part 3 is constituted by the cloth 6 extending over the shoulder of the wearer to the webbing belt 4 to which the cloth 6 is attached at the lower part of the vest. The dorsal side of the vest also comprises a pocket 7 for housing a gas cylinder 14. The gas cylinder 14 is connected to a cord 13 which is connected to the handle 11 on the ventral side of the buoyancy aid. The cord 13 and the gas cylinder is connected by means of an activation mechanism 15. Both the gas cylinder and the activation mechanism are standard devices (in this embodiment a 12 g CO2 gas cylinder and a UML Micro Manual Inflator).

[0051] Figure 3 shows the closure 5 of the buoyancy aid 1 in further details. The closure is a combination of a zipper 8 and a click buckle 9, where the click buckle is attached to the webbing belt 4. The webbing belt 4 and the click buckle 9 serve to ensure sufficient strength and safety of the buoyancy aid 1 . The zipper 8 is attached to the cloth 6, and mainly serves to ensure the user comfort. As seen in the inserted picture, the webbing belt is adjustable by means of the click buckle 9.

[0052] Figure 4 shows the buoyancy aid 1 when the inflatable flotation tube 25 has been inflated. Although the inflatable flotation tube 25 shown in figure 4 extends downwards from two positions on the ventral side 2 of the vest it is in principle one tube. The tube part 25a extending downwards from the ventral side next to the closure 5 extends up in the vest in the cloth material 6 and is covered by the cloth to the dorsal side (neck portion) and down to the ventral side on the opposite side of the closure 5 where a part 25b of the inflatable flotation tube extends down from the ventral side 2. Although, only the parts 25a and 25b of the inflatable flotation tube 25 are visible, and only when the inflatable flotation tube 25 has been inflated the inflatable tube 25 takes up a large part of the vest, but a part of the inflatable tube is still covered with the cloth so it is not visible. In embodiments the inflatable flotation tube 25 may be covered with fabric, e.g. in a desired color. When the vest 1 is in the un-inflated state the parts 25a and 25b of the inflatable flotation tube 25 are folded into the vest 1 into non-visible pockets and covered by the cloth 6 and therefore not visible.

[0053] As it can be seen in figure 4, the handle 11 has been activated and been used to pull the cord 13 to activate the inflation by the gas cylinder on the dorsal side of the vest. Figure 4 also shows the mouth inflation device 21 mounted on the ventral side of the vest, in this embodiment the mouth inflation device is a standard component for inflatable vest (Halkey Roberts 740 oral-tube-series). The tab 28 at the bottom of the parts 25a and 25b of the inflatable flotation tube can e.g. be used to pull the parts 25a and 25b out of the pockets in the vest 1 and they can optionally facilitate folding of the parts.

[0054] Figure 5 shows the buoyancy aid 1 in the state where it has been inflated and the parts 25a and 25b of the inflatable flotation tube is extending out of the vest 1 in a downward direction. Figure 5 illustrates how the parts 25a and 25b of the inflatable flotation tube can be folded into the pockets in the cloth 6 of the vest when the inflatable flotation tube 25 is deflated, i.e. the tube is drained of gas. As it can be seen the extending parts 25a and 25b of the inflatable flotation tube 25 can be folded along folding lines 26 marked in the parts 25a and 25b and be placed in non-shown pockets in the lower part of the vest 1 and be covered by the cloth 6. To ensure that the folded parts 25a and 25b of the inflatable flotation tube remains in the pockets, the parts 25a and 25b are equipped with Velcro tape 27 which can engage with a Velcro tape in the pockets in the vest.

[0055] In the particular embodiment, when the inflatable flotation tube 25 is deflated and folded into pockets in the cloth 6, two elastic strings (not shown) are used to hold it in place. A guide for showing the correct placement of the elastic band is provided on the inflatable flotation tube 25.

[0056] Although the present invention has been described with reference to embodiments of a buoyancy aid comprising one inflatable flotation tube, it is clear that in other embodiments the buoyancy aid may comprise more than one inflatable flotation tube. Also, different materials and gas cylinders can be used for the buoyancy aid.

[0057] List of references:

[0058] 1. buoyancy aid

[0059] 2. ventral part

[0060] 3. dorsal part

[0061] 4. webbing belt

[0062] 5. closure

[0063] 6. cloth

[0064] 7. pocket for gas cartridge

[0065] 8. zipper 9. click buckle

[0066] 11. handle for activating inflation

[0067] 12. strap for handle

[0068] 13. cord 14. gas cylinder

[0069] 15. activation mechanism

[0070] 21. mouth inflation device

[0071] 22. cover

[0072] 25. inflatable inflation tube 26. folding lines

[0073] 27. Velcro

[0074] 28. tab

Claims

CLAIMS1 . A buoyancy aid for use on the upper part of the torso, in particular the thorax part of the torso, such as the upper part of the thorax, comprising a dorsal part and a ventral part, said buoyancy aid comprising at least one inflatable flotation tube wherein at least a part of the at least one inflatable flotation tube is present in the ventral part and at least a part of the at least one inflatable flotation tube is present in the dorsal part and wherein a part of the at least one inflatable flotation tube in the ventral part and / or the dorsal part is adapted to be folded into at least one pocket in the ventral part and / or in the dorsal part when the vest is not inflated and such that the folded parts of the inflatable tube will unfold from the at least one pocket and extend in a downward direction towards the users stomach region and expand over the stomach region, such as the wearers central stomach region, and / or upward direction covering the users neck region when the vest is inflated.

2. A buoyancy aid according to claim 1 where the ventral part is divided into a first side and a second side by a closure device, said buoyancy aid further comprising an inflatable flotation tube extending from the first side to the second side of the vest via the dorsal part and wherein a part of the inflatable tube in the first side and the second side of the vest is folded into pockets at the first side and the second side of the vest when the vest is not inflated such that the folded parts of the inflatable tube will unfold from the pockets and extend in a downward and / or upward direction when the vest is inflated.

3. A buoyancy aid according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said buoyancy aid comprise a continuous ventral part and a continuous dorsal part, where there is three openings in the buoyancy aid between the ventral and dorsal parts, so that the user can put on the buoyancy aid by putting the head and arms through the openings.

4. A buoyancy aid according to claim 1 ,2 or 3, wherein the inflatable flotation tube in folded and un-inflated state is stored in the pockets in the first side and the second side of the ventral part, said pockets being closed by closing means selected from Velcro, press buttons, magnets or press-open zippers,.

5. A buoyancy aid according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the inflatable flotation tube in folded and un-inflated state is stored in the pockets in the first side andthe second side of the ventral part, each folded part of the inflatable tube is held by one or more elastic strings.

6. A buoyancy aid according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein a part of the inflatable flotation tube in folded and un-inflated state is stored in a pocket in the ventral part of the buoyancy aid and the buoyancy aid comprises an opening between the ventral part and the dorsal part and the inflatable flotation tube has an opening such that the inflatable flotation tube can extend around the opening between the ventral part and the dorsal part.

7. A buoyancy aid according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the buoyancy aid when inflated is adapted for covering the torso by means of the ventral and the dorsal part and the inflated flotation tube, such that the ventral and dorsal part of the buoyancy aid covers chest and upper back and the inflated flotation tube covers at least the stomach region, and the buoyancy aid will not hinder the activity of the user to any significant extent.

8. A buoyancy aid according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the inflatable flotation tube is inflated by gas from a gas cylinder, preferably the gas is carbon dioxide preferable said gas cylinder is replaceable.

9. A buoyancy aid according to claim 8, wherein the gas cylinder is mounted in the dorsal part of the buoyancy aid, preferably in a pocket.

10. A buoyancy aid according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the inflation of the inflatable flotation tube can be activated by a tube or cord or by a mouth inflation tube, said tube, cord or mouth inflation tube being accessible on the ventral part of the buoyancy aid.

11. A buoyancy aid according to claim 10, wherein the inflated gas can be drained out of the inflatable tube, preferably the gas is drained via the mouth inflation tube.

12. A buoyancy aid according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the buoyancy aid is reinforced with a webbing belt, preferably the webbing belt is adapted to go around the torso in the ventral and the dorsal part, preferable the webbing belt is attached to and lockable with the click buckle.

13. A buoyancy aid according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the buoyancy aid provides a buoyancy of at least 50N, such as at least 70N.5

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