White Glacier Survival Suit is Disrupting the Life-Saving Tech Sector

[By: White Glacier]

With little change in the technology behind neoprene survival suits since the 1960s, the team behind White Glacier’s Arctic 10+ survival suit has made the most significant breakthrough in product innovation in years and are set to disrupt the market for life-saving equipment. 

Survival suits are an integral part of a sea-faring vessel’s safety equipment and a matter of life or death in cold water. Nevertheless, many still choose a cheaper product as a means of ticking the box from a compliance perspective. 

Diego Jacobson, CEO at White Glacier, and his team have developed the Arctic 10+, a next-generation survival suit that offers worldwide confidence in safety, comfort and survivability. 

Certified as an immersion suit with the United States Coast Guard, European Marine Equipment Directive and Transport Canada. The Arctic 10+ surpassed vigorous testing at the North Pole, achieving compliance for the Polar Code. It is the survival suit of choice for French luxury exploration ship, Le Commandant Charcot, a part of the Ponant fleet. 

The Arctic 10+ has been designed with survivability in mind, not mere compliance with existing regulations. It exceeds all current requirements for buoyancy, warmth (CLO), fire resistance, jumping from a height into water, and comfort. 

“As polar exploration ships, deep sea fishing vessels and superyachts continue to be built at a rapid pace and with the capacity to reach further and further into extreme oceanic environments, the technology to keep seafarers safe must not be an afterthought,” said White Glacier’s Founder and CEO Diego Jacobson.  

“Expecting that standardised immersion suits will offer optimum survivability is not arbitrarily true. In fact, it’s a risk to assume the technology of yesteryear will be right for today’s needs,” Jacobson added. 

“In the waters of the Antarctic, for example, temperatures can drop below zero degrees, kept liquid by the high salt content. Exposure to water at these temperatures will be lethal in minutes,” Jacobson said. 

White Glacier exceeds the International Maritime Organisation polar compliance with their Arctic 10+ survival suit. Jacobson affirmers “the mandate as it stands is that there should be adequate thermal protection for all passengers and crew. The Polar Code does not yet specify what a polar immersion suit will be, but that is coming.”

The focus on the application for immersion suits justifiably jumps in the mind to images of icecaps and freezing conditions. However, any water lower than around 25 degrees Celsius can put you at risk of hypothermia, especially when conditions are exacerbated by wind chill. 

Having one suit that can effectively manage temperature and exposure in all latitudes has advantages over cheaper alternatives with fewer features.  

The built-in splash tent effectively converts the Arctic 10+ into a thermally protected, personal life raft. The habitat creates a transparent barrier that protects against wind, rain and sea conditions, allowing access to bare hands, while allowing a level of freedom and comfort that can de-escalate the feeling of panic and exposure. 

This level of calm meant that during testing, the Arctic 10+ was described by users as ‘being in a comfy sleeping bag on a waterbed’. Being calm and relaxed heightens survivability. 

A distinct feature of White Glacier Arctic 10+ is a comfortable and effective system for temperature regulation.  If in temperate waters, one can open the suit from within, remove your arms and refresh yourself in a controlled manner. The suit can then be closed again for protection as weather conditions change.

The Arctic 10+ represents the next generation of safety for superyachts, with a future-proofed level of compliance survivability and compliance. 

Developed by Jacobson and the team at White Glacier, with more than 30 years of military and civilian contracting experience, they can meet and exceed the required production capacity to meet any orders from the navy, coast guard, cruise and superyacht industries. 

For a demonstration, further information or to place an order visit www.whiteglacier.com or for a product catalogue click here.