🔍 Key Concepts

• Immersion suit purpose – protection from cold shock and hypothermia, plus built‑in buoyancy • Effect of trapped air in a suit or bladder on your ability to jump, climb, or escape a vessel • SOLAS / manufacturer guidance on when to inflate additional buoyancy devices

💭 Think About

• Think about what could happen if the bladder is already full of air while you are still on deck, on a ladder, or going down an embarkation device. • Consider how buoyant you already are inside an immersion suit even without inflating the bladder—what is the bladder mainly intended to help with? • In which moment is it safer to increase buoyancy: while still on a moving/tilting ship, or once you are clear in the water?

✅ Before You Answer

• Check how extra buoyancy might affect your stability and balance while boarding a survival craft or going down an embarkation ladder. • Consider the risk of being unable to submerge your head or control your position if the bladder is inflated too early. • Verify from training material that manufacturer/SOLAS instructions focus on inflating auxiliary bladders only after a certain key event.