Apparatus and associated methods relate to a pop-up vest, illustratively implemented as a flotation apparel item comprising a water sport apparel item, an inflatable Personal Flotation Device (PFD) configured in the water sport apparel item, and an inflation trigger configured to inflate the PFD. The water sport apparel item may comprise a shirt, t-shirt, wetsuit or rash guard. The water sport apparel item may be adapted to include a plurality of ribs to provide structural support to the PFD. The inflation trigger may be a pull tab configured to inflate the PFD when desired. The inflation trigger may be a sensor configured to automatically inflate the PFD when the sensor is wet. An exemplary pop-up vest implementation may be configured with a water activated light to improve visibility. Some pop-up vest designs may comprise a whistle permitting the user to raise awareness of their location.