PSA: Drowning Doesn’t Look Like Drowning

by admin on 07. Jul, 2010 in Miscellany

The big picture
Creative Commons License photo credit: Micah Sittig

Would you know a drowning person if you saw one?

This article (from Aviation Survival Technician First Class Mario Vittone) explains that there’s no sound, no flailing, no splashing.

And of course, a person can get in trouble in just seconds.

Drowning Doesn’t Look Like Drowning

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3 Responses to “PSA: Drowning Doesn’t Look Like Drowning”

  1. BruceS 08. Jul, 2010 at 9:21 am #

    I took a Blue Cross lifeguard course in the ’80s, and none of this ever came up. We had to swim laps, tread water, “save” partners and instructors, practice CPR, swim/tread with only arm use and with only leg use, etc., but they never told us this description of a drowning victim. It’s a bit chilling to realize I could have let someone drown because I didn’t know what to look for.

    FWIW, a lot of the description matches how I am in the water at times. I’ll tread with just the minimal arm movement, alternating between mouth just above and just below the surface, head tilted back, and eyes closed. I had no idea I was mimicking a drowning victim, but then again I guess few people seeing me like that would have seen me as a probable drowning victim either.

    Reply
  2. admin 08. Jul, 2010 at 9:38 am #

    My brother and I were both just saying that we were trained as lifeguards and don’t remember any of this stuff.

    The huge difference between you and a person drowning is that if someone asks whether you’re ok, you can say yes. So that’s the first step, I think. Ask.

    Reply
  3. Kevin 21. Jul, 2010 at 8:11 pm #

    The folks at Boing Boing obviously get their ideas from Rob:
    http://www.boingboing.net/2010/07/20/drowning-doesnt-look.html

    Reply

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