About this product
A rescue can is the torpedo-shaped float used on surf beaches and open water. The lifeguard enters the water with it trailing on the shoulder line, swims out through the break, and pushes the can to the casualty – who takes hold of the handles along its side while the guard tows them back.
The rigid shape is what makes it a surf tool. A flexible tube folds when a wave hits it and has to be fought through white water; a rigid can holds its form and can be pushed straight through. It also presents several handles at once, so a casualty in a state of panic finds something to grab without the rescuer having to place them – and, critically, has something to hold that is not the rescuer.
That last point is the whole reason this equipment exists. A drowning person grabs and climbs, and the rescuer goes under. The can goes between the two of them. Approach with the can extended, let the casualty take it, and only then start the tow.
This is professional equipment for trained people. The training – how to approach, how to break a grab, how to tow, how to land someone through surf – is what makes a rescue safe, and no float substitutes for it. Where it belongs is on supervised beaches, at hotels and resorts with beach frontage, with boat crews and at open-water events.
Keep it where it can be picked up at a run. Rinse the salt off, keep it out of long sun, and check the line, the strap and the body for cracks each season.
Rescue Can Buoy - Lifeguard Torpedo Float with Tow Line