🔍 Key Concepts

• Immersion suits are designed for cold water survival, not comfort or style • How fit and seal affect both thermal protection and mobility • The relationship between an immersion suit’s buoyancy and the requirement to wear a lifejacket

💭 Think About

• Think about what happens if cold water can easily enter the suit. Would a very tight suit or a properly sized but not tight suit work better, especially for mobility and sealing? • Consider typical guidance: do people usually wear immersion suits directly over bare skin, or over normal clothing? What does extra clothing do for insulation? • Ask yourself whether any one piece of equipment normally allows you to ignore other required lifesaving gear, especially for flotation and visibility.

✅ Before You Answer

• Verify what standard guidance says about how an immersion suit should fit (snug vs tight vs loose) • Check whether regulations or manuals say you should wear clothing underneath the immersion suit for added insulation • Confirm whether training materials say an immersion suit replaces a lifejacket or is used in addition to required lifesaving appliances, and think about what a puncture would realistically do to its performance