Crewsaver, the British company, just introduced a revolutionary new life jacket with a halo-like hood that’s designed to keep water from entering a man overboard’s mouth or nose. The new spray hood also retains heat and enhances the man overboard’s visibility, making it easier to accomplish a safe recovery.
The new jacket, called the Ergo-Fit+, was just introduced at the big METSTRADE show in Amsterdam. Crewsaver called it the next level in man overboard protection. It will be available in the worldwide market in March.
The hood was inspired by developments the aviation industry. “We work closely with organizations across a variety of sectors to constantly drive forward the safety technology used in our products,” said Negel Parkes, the Crewsaver head of design.
The hood is self-supported. When deployed, it forms a halo above the wearer’s face. A bladder and the hood provide a double-halo internal barrier against water reaching the wearer’s airway.
The Ergo-Fit+ bladder has a sculpted shape and distributes buoyancy around the wearer to maximize support in the water, as well as protecting the airway. When it inflates, it is designed to increase the distance between the waterline and the wearer’s mouth. And the shaping around the shoulders allows the wearer to be mobile in the water and to be able to help in the recovery. Read more:
