I am not a strong swimmer in fact, a really crappy one so I have never learned to know when others might be drowning since I'm just as likely to be the person drowning. With kids though, at least it's good to know what the visual indicators are that they might be drowning.

Main point of article: people that are actually drowning don't look like they are drowning to regular (non-lifeguard) people as it is deceptively calm and not like on TV, so look for particular signs.

https://www.soundingsonline.co...t-look-like-drowning

Drowning Doesn’t Look Like Drowning

The new captain jumped from the deck, fully dressed, and sprinted through the water. A former lifeguard, he kept his eyes on his victim and headed straight for a couple who were swimming between their anchored sportfish and the beach. “I think he thinks you’re drowning,” the husband said to his wife. They had been splashing each other, and she had screamed, but now they were just standing neck-deep on a sandbar. “We’re fine, what is he doing?” she asked, a little annoyed. “We’re fine!” the husband yelled, waving him off, but his captain kept swimming hard toward him. “Move!” he barked as he sprinted between the stunned owners. Directly behind them, not 10 feet away, their nine-year-old daughter was drowning. Safely above the surface in the arms of the captain, she burst into tears and screamed, “Daddy!”

How did this captain know — from 50 feet away — what the father couldn’t recognize from just 10? Drowning is not the violent, splashing call for help that most people expect. The captain was trained to recognize drowning by experts and years of experience. The father, on the other hand, learned what drowning looks like by watching television.

If you spend time on or near the water (hint: that’s all of us), then you should make sure that you and your crew know what to look for when people enter the water. Until she cried a tearful, “Daddy,” the owner’s daughter hadn’t made a sound. As a former Coast Guard rescue swimmer, I wasn’t surprised at all by this story. Drowning is almost always a deceptively quiet event. The waving, splashing and yelling that dramatic conditioning (television) prepares us to look for is rarely seen in real life.
drowning2

The Instinctive Drowning Response, so named by Francesco A. Pia, Ph.D., is what people do to avoid actual or perceived suffocation in the water. And it does not look like most people expect it to. When someone is drowning there is very little splashing, and no waving or yelling or calling for help of any kind. To get an idea of just how quiet and undramatic drowning can be, consider this: It is the number two cause of accidental death in children age 15 and under (just behind vehicle accidents). Of the approximately 750 children who will drown next year, about 375 of them will do so within 25 yards of a parent or other adult. In 10 percent of those drownings, the adult will actually watch them do it, having no idea it is happening.

Drowning does not look like drowning. Dr. Pia, in an article he wrote for the Coast Guard’s On Scene magazine, described the instinctive drowning response like this:

Except in rare circumstances, drowning people are physiologically unable to call out for help. The respiratory system was designed for breathing. Speech is a secondary or overlaid function. Breathing must be fulfilled before speech occurs.

Drowning people’s mouths alternately sink below and reappear above the surface of the water. The mouths of drowning people are not above the surface of the water long enough for them to exhale, inhale or call out for help. When the drowning people’s mouths are above the surface, they exhale and inhale quickly as their mouths start to sink below the surface of the water.

Drowning people cannot wave for help. Nature instinctively forces them to extend their arms laterally and press down on the water’s surface. Pressing down on the surface of the water permits drowning people to leverage their bodies so they can lift their mouths out of the water to breathe.

Throughout the Instinctive Drowning Response, drowning people cannot voluntarily control their arm movements. Physiologically, drowning people who are struggling on the surface of the water cannot stop drowning and perform voluntary movements such as waving for help, moving toward a rescuer or reaching out for a piece of rescue equipment.

From beginning to end of the Instinctive Drowning Response, people’s bodies remain upright in the water, with no evidence of a supporting kick. Unless rescued by a trained lifeguard, these drowning people can only struggle on the surface of the water from 20 to 60 seconds before submersion occurs. (Source: On Scene magazine: Fall 2006 page 14)

This doesn’t mean that a person who is yelling for help and thrashing isn’t in real trouble — they are experiencing aquatic distress. Not always present before the instinctive drowning response, aquatic distress doesn’t last long, but unlike true drowning, these victims can still assist in their own rescue. They can grab lifelines, reach for throw rings, etc.

Look for these other signs of drowning when persons are in the water:

Head low in the water, mouth at water level

Head tilted back with mouth open

Eyes glassy and empty, unable to focus

Eyes closed

Hair over forehead or eyes

Not using legs

Hyperventilating or gasping

Trying to swim in a particular direction but not making headway

Trying to roll over onto the back

Appears to be climbing an invisible ladder

So, if a crewmember falls overboard and everything looks okay, don’t be too sure. Sometimes the most common indication that someone is drowning is that they don’t look as if they’re drowning. They may just look as if they are treading water and looking up at the deck. One way to be sure? Ask them, “Are you alright?” If they can answer at all, they probably are. If they return a blank stare, you may have less than 30 seconds to get to them. And parents — children playing in the water make noise. When they get quiet, you need to get to them and find out why.

Thanks for sharing, swimming season approaches. It is a good topic to learn about. There is at least one video that shows things from a life gard's vantage that might demonstrate this. I will see if I can find it.

Edited to add:

This isn't what I remembered, but the content is similar: spotthedrowningchild.com

I worked as a lifeguard all through college, and had a couple saves on kids in distress. My training was spot-on. Everyone I saw in distress was performing the same textbook maneuver: no forward progress, body vertical, head tilted back and low in the water, arms moving up and down trying to "push" on the water.

This is a good overview (although to make it more universal, #1 should probably say something like "facing the nearest place of safety", such as the side of the pool, nearby boat, shore, etc.):

What you see above is exactly what I remember from my childhood as I struggled in water over my head. Had it not been for a very attentive aunt, there is zero chance I would be here now.

It’s not like the movies where they splash around and call for help...I just stared into her eyes from about 10 yards away...in fact I don’t even remember being scared, more like in shock. Just trying to keep my head above water and doggie-paddle back towards the dock.

Thanks for all that. I had never seen it discussed before.
I’m not a very good swimmer and probably won’t ever be able to rescue anyone, but it’s definitely good to be able to recognize it for others.

The picture RogueJSK posted is spot on.

In my younger days I made more water rescues then I can remember. Almost all were kids. More then half were in water a normal adult could stand in. Some had other adults close by that had no idea what was doing on.

NOT A SINGLE ONE EVER WAS ABLE TO YELL FOR HELP OR WAVE THEIR ARMS ABOVE THE WATER.
NOT A SINGLE ONE. EVERY SINGLE ONE DID HAVE THEIR HEAD TILTED BACK BARELY ABLE TO GET A BREATH.

What you see on tv and in movies is not what a real swimming in distress looks like.

After the first few swim lessons, I have always had an afinity for water. Thinking back to any time the bottom wasn't where I expected it to be, in that first moment of panic of not touching, head back and start climbing was the response. It isn't easy to calm down and remember to keep the air you have and swim. To see it defined as "instinctive drowning response" makes a lot of sense.

One of the things that is hard to teach is "respect for" and "comfort in" water. My son struggled to learn to swim. Getting him to relax and float was the key to unlocking it for him. Once he mastered that, he was excited to learn more. He still isn't a strong swimmer, but his anxiety is drastically reduced. The rest will just take time and experience.

Again, kudos for a great topic at a timely point.

As a recreational sailor I have seen this information many times. However; I thank you for the info/reminder of this post. It may save a child's life.
Rod

Thank you for this. I don’t know how one lives to my age and never heard of this, but thinking back to my own experiences when I’ve been “surprised” in the water and not found bottom or whatever, this really rings true.

Thank you again.

Thanks. Just forwarded the link to our Sailing Club newsletter editor to publish. Always good to be reminded!

quote:

Originally posted by Ronin1069:
...in fact I don’t even remember being scared, more like in shock. Just trying to keep my head above water and doggie-paddle back towards the dock.

Thank you for this. I imagined David's last moments as shear terror and wanting to know why Daddy wasn't coming to help him. This provides a little solace.

quote:

Originally posted by sigfreund:
Thanks for all that. I had never seen it discussed before.
I’m not a very good swimmer and probably won’t ever be able to rescue anyone, but it’s definitely good to be able to recognize it for others.

You may be more help in a water rescue than you know, even if you aren't a strong swimmer. Remember, REACH - THROW - ROW - GO. Swimming out to a drowning victim is the last option. Only used if there are no others. A drowning person will attempt to climb on top of you and drown you in the process. I've even heard of some rescuers forced to swim out actually knock the victim unconscious to ensure the safety of both the victim and rescuer.

Reach Throw Row Go with flotation. If you must go bring something with you that floats and if possible approach the victim from behind.

When you approach from behind you can reach around their body with the float and the ladder climbing action will grab the float and not you.

Once a lifeguard always a lifeguard. I can never relax around the water anymore. I am always looking.

I was taught in a life guard class to dive under the water about six feet from the victim and spin them away from you by their feet. It's remarkably easy to do and puts you in control. As posters before this have stated, this is the last option.

I almost drowned... while in the navy... less than 5 feet away from the shore of a small lake.

I started bobbing up and down and my friends who saw me thought I was kidding so they started throwing pebbles at me.

I let me myself sunk to the bottom and walked back to shore.

Than you for posting this. I was a lifeguard back in my teen years but those are perishable skills and a reminder is very welcome.

quote:

Originally posted by Sock Eating Golden:
You may be more help in a water rescue than you know, even if you aren't a strong swimmer.

Yes, I should have added “by swimming” to my statement about not rescuing anyone. I’m familiar with the other (more highly) recommended methods, but that’s also a good reminder.

quote:

Originally posted by Apphunter:
Reach Throw Row Go with flotation. If you must go bring something with you that floats and if possible approach the victim from behind.

When you approach from behind you can reach around their body with the float and the ladder climbing action will grab the float and not you.

+1, and realistically if you have not been trained "go" will most likely result in an additional victim.

Great reminder. Happy some learned it for the first time; that means the post was effective. Great job.

I bookmarked this thread back in, well, May.

Finally got around to reading it. Wow, good stuff and should be mandatory reading for anyone who goes near water.