Are Inflatable PFDs approved for all boating activities?
No. Fully inflatable PFDs are not approved for high speed applications such as riding a PWC, waterskiing, or tubing. Inflatables are not approved for white water activities. For these activities, the user needs buoyancy while in the water. It is not reasonable to expect that the wearer would stop, deflate the chamber, rearm the inflator, and repack the PFD after each water entry.
