How to spot drowning

[TraceyChadwick]

Glad I saw this. Will be taking note of it as well.

[mikeo]

Somewhere there was a link to the USCG magazine "On Scene" that had the full article, but I don't see it. The USCG has updated their web site and the direct link I have doesn't work, but you can google for a copy:

http://www.uscg.mil/hq/cg5/cg534/On Scene/OSFall06.pdf

The story is on page #14. I'll try to attach the pdf to this post.

OSFall06.pdf (local TMC archive)

[Gara]

This is a video of one example, with a very good explanation.   http://mariovittone.com/2011/07/video-of-instinctive-drowning-response/. You can skip the first 25 seconds.

This one ended well. There's a pbs special that highlighted a tragic drowning in a public pool in Boston with dozens of unaware people around, if anyone has that.

[minnmarker]

My Norton antivirus did not like that site.

[Eagleboy99]

1 minute ago, minnmarker said:

My Norton antivirus did not like that site.

Fine on my systems.

[Raleigh]

If my kids are at the lake, the moment they step off the deck they are wearing their PFDs!

[Jobe1850]

Great article.

[FlyYellow]

great post - thx for sharing and definitely not obvious.  

[platon20]

I know this is an old thread but I'm going to chime in anyways.  

I'm a doctor and have treated many kids who drowned or had a near-drowning episode.

When I was in med school I participated in a research project.  My job was to scour hotel pool surveillance camera footage of past drownings.  It was an awful job.  I watched over 100 videos showing drowning episodes.

Do you know how many of those drowning videos showed kids screaming for help or thrashing around in the water?  Zero.  Every single one of those videos showed kids sink under the water without making a sound or showing any kind of obvious sign of distress that people on the surface would recognize.

When I go to a pool (or ocean/lake) now where there are a lot of kids around, I can't fully relax because of what I've seen.  Not only do I watch my own kids but I also try to keep an eye on others as well.  I've already had a couple of episodes where I had to step in and pull up a little kid who was struggling under the water even though their parents were nearby and didn't notice anything wrong.

 

[Brad B]

Shout out to our local water cop that just retired - Cris Conner. He would always tell us that they have never pulled out a drowning victim with a PFD on.

[redrooster]

On 7/12/2022 at 12:44 PM, platon20 said:

I know this is an old thread but I'm going to chime in anyways.  

I'm a doctor and have treated many kids who drowned or had a near-drowning episode.

When I was in med school I participated in a research project.  My job was to scour hotel pool surveillance camera footage of past drownings.  It was an awful job.  I watched over 100 videos showing drowning episodes.

Do you know how many of those drowning videos showed kids screaming for help or thrashing around in the water?  Zero.  Every single one of those videos showed kids sink under the water without making a sound or showing any kind of obvious sign of distress that people on the surface would recognize.

When I go to a pool (or ocean/lake) now where there are a lot of kids around, I can't fully relax because of what I've seen.  Not only do I watch my own kids but I also try to keep an eye on others as well.  I've already had a couple of episodes where I had to step in and pull up a little kid who was struggling under the water even though their parents were nearby and didn't notice anything wrong.

 

This is so true.  

I was a swimmer/ lifeguard/ swim instructor growing up In the pool and at the lake. In the pool during swim lessons all the kids would be on the wall while you worked with one of them, these are ages 3-6.  You were taught to never turn your back and even in 3ft of water because kids slide under like crazy.  No sound, no splashing, just under.  In a pool it's easy to react because it's clear, in a lake not so much.  My 7 year old can swim better than most adults and he is always in a life jacket around lakes. 

[mxmark4]

Yesterday after we pulled our boat out of the water I noticed an older guy comin into the dock. Saw a dog on his boat and paid no further attention to him. While we were in the parking lot wiping  our boat down, I heard a yell for help. Didnt see the old guy so I took off running back down to the dock. His first dog tried to bite me and I found the guy trying to hold another dog in the water. He was obviously tired from trying to tread water holding up a 70 lb dog. I drug the dog out and then he refused to let me pull him out. He crawled up the ramp instead. He said the dog was hurt and he tried to lift him off the boat onto the dock and they both took a dip. Dog had a slight limp but would have been fine to swim IMO. Guy damn near drowned himself trying to keep his dog above water. Everyone was ok but thats the closest incident I had ever been involved in outside the hospital. Had an older lady come in the other day that husband found face down in the water when he quit swimming his laps. We did our part in the ED and sent her upstairs but I dont think she made it.