Summer time is almost here! It’s starting to get hot out, so let’s shed some layers, grab your floaties and find a pool to chill out in. This is the perfect time to relax and soak up the sun but you need to be on high alert when it comes to children and adults who can’t swim. Drowning should be easy to spot, right? Wrong. Click the link below to find out more.
Drowning acted out in the movies could be seen and heard from miles away as the victims thrash around and scream for help as they struggle to stay above water. Real-life drowning is much quieter and hard to spot. The statistics to back this are staggering, it’s so undramatic that half of the kids who drown do so within 25 yards of a parent and even 10% of those happen while a parent is watching.
A group called Lifeguard Rescue has created a series of videos called “Spot the Drowning” to help the public learn and understand what drowning really looks like. These are actual pool rescues, while watching the footage, see if you can find the swimmer in trouble before the lifeguard jumps in. Sometimes it’s easy to spot and the other times its terrifyingly not.
What to look for: The struggle will often involve the victim’s arms moving rapidly up and down and legs back and forth. This may appear as regular swimming motions for most but the lifeguards sometimes call this “climbing the ladder”. The victim will begin to hyperventilate as their head sinks lower and lower. Once underwater and gasping for air this would be a great example of how someone can be unable to call for help while drowning.
No matter where you are, the purpose of this group and these videos are to spread the importance of keeping a close eye on those who can’t swim/weak swimmers in the water. Everyone for the most part does a fantastic job at this but it only takes a few seconds for something to go wrong. This information is not trying to train you to become a lifeguard yourself. If you spot someone having trouble in the water, the U.S Swim School Association recommends that you “throw, don’t go”. This means you should toss something in the water like a kick board or a beach ball instead of jumping in. If you do have to jump in, go from behind to lessen the likelihood that the person will grab onto you and pull you under as well.