Innovative Scuba Snorkel Vest / Life Jacket for Floatation and Safety, Adults and Kids Sizes

I bought two of these--an XL and an "Adult" size. The first thing that struck me was that they were sturdier than they looked in the images (in the images they look almost translucent and I was a little worried that they would be flimsy, but the fabric actually seems pretty tough and the seams seem solidly constructed). I filled them fully with air and left them for 24 hours. They were both still very firm the next day, with no noticeable air loss (there might have been a little loss but whatever it was was negligible). Another odd thing about the images here is that each product size seems to have the same images, but I think the first image is the XL and the second image is the "Adult" size. Someone else mentioned that the adult size had a large head opening, and it does seem disproportionately larger than on the XL size, but I think they did that to make the airbag part of it smaller and I assume that will work better in the water (not sure because we've not tried them for snorkeling yet). Overall I'm very pleased with the quality and look of them.It is very easy to blow them up--they have a pop-up valve that works well--you press it down with your teeth as you blow and then it pops back up to lock the air in. The one quibble I have is that it is a little difficult for me to get the end of the value into my mouth when the vest is on (the stem seems slightly too long), but it's possible to do by pulling the vest away a bit (just awkward). The whistles are loud and shrill but you have to angle them just right to get good sound. I would recommend these if you want a reasonably-priced snorkeling vest. I wanted these for snorkeling but also as an emergency back up for boats and ferries on a South American trip. In some places the boats don't have life vests and these are light and fold into a relatively small size, and I suppose could work as a last resort emergency flotation device. Obviously NO SINGLE CELL airfilled product like this should be depended on as a personal flotation device--it pops and you'll have nothing to float upon! If you need a real life vest buy a U.S. Coast Guard approved PFD (life vest).

Purchased this for our cruise so we could snorkeling on the islands. It packed flat, was easy to inflate, and fit well. I'm a 5'1 female and had no issue with it riding up because of the adjustable straps. The inflate tube is easy to use once you realize that you have to pull down on the top piece before blowing into it. Once that was explained to me (directions not included) it inflated in 30 seconds. Deflation is just as fast. It was very easy to clean so that we could pack it back away once the vacation was over. I love that I can vary the amount of air into the vest to float or sink a little more. All in all a great buy!

This is a very good vest, but one thing keeps it from getting 5 stars. The inflation tube is too long, and invariably ends up poking you in the chin. I'm about to try and shorten it about 1- 1.5 inches (25-40mm) myself, and it will be perfect!

I got this for a snorkeling trip to Grand Cayman. Many forums said that with the salt water, you don't have to worry about floating. I'm not the greatest swimmer, and I preferred to enjoy myself rather than worry about swimming. Honestly, I usually felt like a dork putting it on in front of a beach full of people, but I'm really glad I got this. There were times when I just wanted to deadfloat above something (like a school of fish or some rock formations), and I didn't have to do a thing. There were also a few times when some big waves came in and went right over me -- didn't have to worry. And, the mask I borrowed from a friend was either digging into my forehead or constantly fogging up, so I was fussing with that thing at least every five minutes. Being able to just let the vest keep me afloat while I dealt with the mask was great.For sizing, I got the XL, because description said the L was only good for buoyancy up to 190 lbs. I'm 6ft tall, about 230 lbs and have a 36" waist. The adjustable waist strap is ~51 inches long -- enough to connect the buckle on one side and have the slack come all the way back to the other side. It would be nice if the waist strap had a 2nd adjuster to keep the slack out of the way. The adjustable crotch strap is ~62 inches. For me, about 18 inches of that was extra/slack. And that strap did have the second adjuster so that the slack was stowed away. I may have been able to get away with a Large instead, but better safe than sorry. Like most other reviews, I'll agree than the crotch strap was, literally, a bit of a pain. Anytime you were upright in the water, the vest was riding up, no matter how tight the strap was. For me, I just had it adjusted for comfort, and once I was back in horizontal swimming mode, I pulled the vest into place (and pulled the strap out from where it wasn't welcome).Material quality seems pretty high to me. Everything is pretty durable. Dried very quickly after getting out of the water. Inflation and deflation were quick and simple. I didn't ever have to have the vest 100% inflated (because of the salt water) -- was usually at about 50% or 75% inflation. Kept me afloat without issue. Folded up nice and flat so it didn't take up room in the suitcase. It was a good choice.

This life vest worked great and I actually bought two of them, one for me and one for my stepson. That is until the bottom strap on mine tore away from the vest on my second use of it. I was on a cruise also so by the time I got back, I couldn't return the vest. $25 down the drain.

I ordered the "Adult" size of this vest, which is described as fitting an Adult (100-190 pounds). I weigh 130 lbs 5'6". This vest was too large. The opening for the head was particularly large and seemed like it would be too loose and not stay in place properly when used. Otherwise, the vest seemed fine, especially for the price. I had not problem returning it and found another vest in a local store that was better fitting.

The snorkel vest made me feel safe in the water so I could focus on watching the fish rather than swimming. My weight is barely within the adult range, so when the vest wasn't fully inflated, it slid around a bit, but it wasn't a problem. When I needed to inflate it, it fit snugly. I won't go snorkeling without it.