Swimming aid

Claim 1

A swimming apparatus comprising, in operative combination, a harness for attachment to the torso of a human wearer and an array of buoyant members, said buoyant members operatively held by said harness on the body of said wearer, 1. said array of buoyant members comprising a first lower torso buoyant support member, a second rear upper torso buoyant support member, a first rigid front buoyant head support member, and a second rigid rear buoyant head support member, said buoyant members each comprising a rigid waterproof low density flotation body; 2. said harness comprising a. a first front lower torso buoyant support member holder and said first front lower torso buoyant support member held thereby, b. a second rear upper torso buoyant support member holder and said second rear upper torso buoyant support member held thereby, c. a first front buoyant head support member holder with said first front buoyant head support member held thereby, d. a second rear buoyant head support member holder with said second rear buoyant head support member held thereby, e. a first lower connector member joining the bottom portions of said first front and second rear buoyant torso support member holders, and f. a pair of second upper connector members, each member of such pair operatively joined to a top portion of the first front lower torso buoyant support member holder and to a top portion of the second rear upper torso buoyant support member holder, g. said harness extending downward from said upper connector member adjacent said wearer''s neck to said lower connector member adjacent the crotch of said wearer when the wearer is in an erect position, and wherein h. said first front buoyant head support member holder is movably yet firmly connected to both members of said pair of said second upper connector members by spaced apart front movable head support holder connecting means operatively connected to spaced apart portions of said first front buoyant head support member holder, and each said front buoyant head support member holder extends from said front movable head support holder connecting means in a direction transverse to a line connecting the said front movable head support holder connecting means where connected to said second upper connector members, whereby the front head support member holder extends to contact and support the wearer''s chin when said wearer is in prone position in water, i. said second rear buoyant head support member holder is movably yet firmly connected to both members of said second upper connector members by spaced apart rear movable head support holder connecting means operatively connected to spaced apart portions of said second rear buoyant head support member holder, and said rear buoyant head support member holder extends from said movable rear buoyant head support holder connecting means in a directIon transverse to a line connecting the said rear movable head support holder connecting means where connected to said second upper connector members, whereby the rear buoyant head support member holder extends to contact and support the rear of wearer''s head when said wearer is in water in supine position; and 3. said array of buoyant members arranged so that a. said first rigid front lower torso buoyant support member held by said first front lower torso buoyant support member holder extends from the bottom thereof for only a portion of the length of said first front lower torso buoyant support member holder from its top towards its bottom and said lower torso buoyant support member having a center of buoyancy located closer to the bottom of said first front lower torso buoyant support member holder than to its top whereby to be applied against the front of the hips of the wearer when in prone position, and b. said second rear upper torso buoyant support member held by said second rear upper torso buoyant support member holder extends from the top thereof for only a portion of the length of said second rear upper torso buoyant support member holder towards the bottom thereof, with the lower extremity of said rear upper torso buoyant support member above the center of buoyancy of the front lower torso buoyant support member when wearer is in erect position.