It can be very difficult to see someone in the water during rough weather. Waves even a few feet high can easily obscure a head . Your lifejacket is a nice bright orange, has a light, whistle and reflective strips, but even this may not be enough. Many yachts are fitted with Dan buoys - basically a floating flagpole, that can be thrown into the water near a man-overboard, so they can be found easily.

Even better than that would be to have an inflatable Dan buoy attached to an inflatable lifejacket, so when someone falls in the water, they have a bright flag (and light) several feet above their head. The device can be inflated as part of the normal activation of the lifejacket, though a bigger compressed air cylinder will be needed.
-- MadnessInMyMethod, Oct 26 2008

The inspiration hands_20in_20the_20...20security_20jacket
There was a anno by Benfrost in this idea that I thought was worth expanding to full size [MadnessInMyMethod, Oct 26 2008]

A Dan buoy http://www.sailgb.com/p/jonbuoy_danbuoy/
[MadnessInMyMethod, Oct 26 2008]

seems logical + (maybe, if it doesn't pull one over)
-- xandram, Oct 26 2008


The Dan stave needs to be telescopic or sprung, and deploy auomatically. It also needs to be thin .... if the surface area is too great, it will act as a sail, and may serve to tow the survivor away from the area they parted company with their transport, thus complicating the search.

The unit needs to be very compact - perhaps worn on the back of the lifejacket - and after deployment is tethered by a length of strong line.

It needs a quick-release so it can be jettisoned so as not to interfere with air/sea rescue. The cord might get wrapped around the prop of a rescue launch.

The buoy needs a killswitch; if it can't be recovered and has to be discarded, it must be capable ofhaving its light deactivated, and then rapidly sunk, so as not to confuse other searchers in the area.

Using the mast as a radio antenna would give a much greater range to a distress transponder signal.
-- 8th of 7, Oct 26 2008


(+) May I suggest lighting it up to be seen even more easily in the dark or spray?
-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, Oct 26 2008


I'm all for it, as a diver who makes an effort to be findable. Though even as a stripped down fishing pole size, it will act as a sail. And telescopic, etc, will be prone to failure unless regularly maintained or replaced. The ocean is hard on technology.
-- normzone, Oct 26 2008


Oh Danny boy, oh Danny boy, the ships, the ships are calling...
-- xenzag, Oct 26 2008


// prone to failure unless regularly maintained //

Build it in a hermetic plastic pack, and swap it out every few years, same as distress flares and transponders.

Something like a fishing rod, but self-deploying. The area isn't great, but in strong winds it will pull a bit .... the force may be small, but water has no limiting friction, so the survivor will move steadily to leeward (unless there's a compensating current).

Could this be put to use ? A small sail of fluorescent material, metalised to act as a radar target, and would allow the survivir to move in a predictable direction ?
-- 8th of 7, Oct 26 2008



random, halfbakery