What is the difference between a life jacket and a life belt (throw line)?

What is the difference between a life jacket and a life belt (throw line)?

• A. A life jacket provides buoyancy to keep you upright in the water; a life belt is a throwable device designed to assist in retrieval.
• B. They are interchangeable.
• C. A life jacket is for decorative use; a life belt provides buoyancy.
• D. A life belt keeps you upright on the deck.

Answer: (A)

The main idea here is how buoyancy gear is used: wearable flotation versus throwable rescue gear. A life jacket is worn and filled with buoyant material so you stay afloat in the water, with your head supported above the surface and your airway kept clear. It provides continuous buoyancy and, in many designs, helps keep you in an upright or face-up position automatically.

A life belt, or throw line, is a device you throw to someone in the water to help them stay afloat and be pulled to safety. It isn’t worn by the person in the water, and it isn’t a continuous source of buoyancy for them. Its purpose is to extend a line to reach or secure the person so rescuers can assist them.

So the difference is about usage: one is worn for sustained flotation, the other is tossed to enable rescue.