A ring-shaped flotation device designed to be thrown to a person in the water to provide buoyancy and to prevent drowning. It differs from an innertube because it is often made of solid buoyant material (rather than being air-filled) and is colored to maximize visibility in the water. It also may have a provided line to pull the casualty holding onto it.
The term "life buoy" is most common in British English. In American English these are better known as "life preservers".
The following tags are aliased to this tag: life_preserver_(ring) and lifesaver (learn more).
This tag implicates swim_ring (learn more).
