When you’re around large bodies of water, it’s always a good idea to keep your valuables secure. Should you lose your keys, phone or camera in the drink however, this gadget will provide a bit of insurance and make recovery easier. Called the Waterbuoy, it is essentially an airbag on a keychain that inflates when submerged in water. It keeps whatever you have attached to it from sinking into the depths and a built-in LED flasher makes it easy to spot.

The Waterbuoy can prevent up to 1kg (2.20 lbs) of weight from sinking, which will easily cover most consumer gadgets – though SLR cameras may require a few of them. Many gadgets will survive a shallow dunk in the water, especially if they’ve got that Golden Shellback waterproof coating and this clever lifesaver ensures your gadgets don’t plumb the depths, that will cause their certain death. The floatation device contains a high-strength rubber balloon and a high-intensity LED beacon that can be seen as far away as 250m (820 ft) at night – which could be very handy if there’s a strong current.

The device apparently reacts immediately and will stay inflated for 24 hours, so you’ve got plenty of time to retrieve it – even on really tricky recovery missions. The Waterbuoy is also splashproof, so you don’t have to worry about it inflating when it rains – though it is a one-time-use-only device, so testing it in your beer is probably a waste.

The Waterbuoy is available from Firebox.com for £11.95 ($17.50) or Amazon.co.uk for £9.99 (14.50).

Sources:
WaterBuoy and Firebox.com and Amazon.co.uk