I don't do a lot of pure PSAs, but I've known two young men who drowned. From Slate:
Drowning Doesn’t Look Like Drowning
In many child drownings, adults are nearby but have no idea the victim is dying. Here’s what to look for.
... Drowning is not the violent, splashing call for help that most people expect. ...
Or there can be a brief display of distress you miss before the actual drowning starts.
“Except in rare circumstances, drowning people are physiologically unable to call out for help. The respiratory system was designed for breathing. Speech is the secondary or overlaid function. Breathing must be fulfilled before speech occurs. ...
Sometimes the most common indication that someone is drowning is that they don’t look like they’re drowning. They may just look like they are treading water and looking up at the deck. One way to be sure? Ask them, “Are you all right?” 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 get to them and find out why.
In the U.S., young black males drown at terribly high rates, especially in motel pools.
Another group without much water experience are Russians, who drown a lot in rivers during hot spells: only two months of summer, vodka, and whatever you call it (fatalism?) that makes Russia so prone to tragic disasters are a dangerous combination.
There was acse in England, a few weeks back, in which a young black African couple (apparently on a an adulterous affair), both drowned in a hotel swimming pool, just like Steve said, (Steve, the fount of all wisdom), something I never suspected before to be a common pattern.
ReplyDeleteAnyhow, hotel swimming pools are never particularly deep.
How is it possible to drown in 5" of water or so?
How is it possible for two adults to drown simulataneously in that sitaution?
I almost drowned as a kindergartner at a party surrounded by adults.
ReplyDeleteI was playing in the spa and was doing so well that I figured "Hey, I can tackle the next challenge!"
So I grabbed a soccer ball and went straight for the deep end!
I paddled around with my trusty ball in hand and of course, the ball popped out of my arms in the deep end. I remember being very calm and looking around before I went under and seeing a small string that was tied around the pool...part of that string had become untied and was floating several feet away...So I allowed myself to go under and grabbed the end of the string and began tracing the string to the edge of the pool. So now I was in a bit of a better position but still in the deep end with no way of climbing Out of the Pool. So there was a Adult Male sitting in a chair above me and I began crying of all things "Excuse me! Excuse me!" as I was being sucked down and using my legs and the string against the side to keep myself up...
He never realized I was drowning. It was the neighbor in the next yard...who jumped the fence and came and rescued me.
There ya go. I'm alive today and frankly I'm a little shaken telling that story!
In western Washington there's a lot of water -- and a lot of drownings.
ReplyDeleteEvery spring - this happens every year without fail - on the first sunny weekend someone drowns. The weather may be nice, but the water is bone-numbing cold, the rivers are swift and swollen with snowmelt, and there aren't any lifeguards out yet.
Many of our victims are middle-aged and older Anglo folks. There's a price to be paid for the outdoor lifestyle. Most think it's worth it, but we all know someone who died skiing or rafting or something along those lines.
Best worst PSA ever. Some of you have probably seen it before. This is the extended version with the asian and jewish guy.
ReplyDeleteHousing Discrimination (it's bad!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_3mSW8XUZI
Russians on holidays in warmer climes, despite arguably drinking more, are not overrepresented in drowning statistics.
ReplyDeleteMy guess is that in Russia many people drown due to effects of hypothermia, sometimes masked by alcohol. One of sympthoms of hypothermia is mental confusion that prevents victims from saving themselves.
well, maybe russians do drown at a higher rate than others, but alex popov had the world record in the 50 meters for 10 years, and the fastest NCAA swimmer ever is vlad morozov, who swam for USC. so they're learning to swim somewhere.
ReplyDeleteFinns are drowning champions too. If the weather is nice during midsummer, there are always plenty of corpses floating around. Many dive head first into unknown waters with fatal consequences, but most fall out of small boats with their flies unzipped.
ReplyDeleteThis time of the year kids are not used to swimming, they go to the pool or lake and get into trouble. I've seen two near drownings and that motivated me to insist my kids pass all levels of the Red Cross swimming program. Both did it by age 8 and that swimming ability kept me from being helicopter dad when they went swimming, fishing, boating, etc.
ReplyDeleteA related PSA concerns diving safety. Every year I see idiot suburban and out-of-towner youths jumping and diving into parts of the lake that they've never been to before. It just looks to them like it might be deep enough but they haven't checked it out beforehand for actual depth or hidden rocks. They're trying to impress their friends and appear daring, especially after a few beers. Every year some young people break their necks, a very depressing event.
ReplyDeleteRussian rivers and lakes rarely have life guards. The places where many people swim have unexpected currents and eddies, so most drownings are not due to alchohol but to, what essentially is, less advanced zoning and civil regulations, less oversight of potentially dangerous places.. You have more freedom to swim where you want, but you are on your own.
ReplyDeleteI doubt that Russians drown much more. I am Russian and I don't know anyone who did. Fatal liver cirrhosis or heart attacks before 50 - yes, several, but no drownings. I'd expect moderately increased rates due to vodka. Balanced by the fact that 99% can swim and many do it well.
ReplyDeleteDrowning is a bizarre way to go. One factor for certain is the mis apprehension of distance across the water - the far shore is farther and further than you know.
ReplyDeleteThere is a local lake by the name Bush that has several unclaimed bodies. High school kids go down and party and decide to swim point to point - it looks like 150 meters but it is a quarter mile and weedy.
River swimming is its own hazard - it is a given that the current is stronger than it looks. Barges boats and deadheads.
How is it possible to drown in 5" of water or so?
ReplyDeleteIt is possible to drown out of water when the winds blow so that the air is more than 50% water.
There was a story of a bride drowning in a feet of water due to her huge dress. She couldn't be helped since the dress had simply gotten too heavy.
ReplyDeleteSteve, AAWP. That's Avoid Acronyms Wherever Possible.
ReplyDeleteI'm wondering whether water temperature plays a physiological role in the likelihood of drowning. Do otherwise competent swimmers struggle to breathe normally in cold water?
Somewhat related - I know a guy from Croatia, who's spent some time in that country's new beach spots, which apparently are now cool and hip and attract tons of tourists. He says that, at some of the new resorts, there are places that rent out little row-boats that people can take out for a couple hundred yards (I guess there aren't big waves in the Adriatic).
ReplyDeleteSo at one of these beach spots, there's a island out to sea that looks as though it's half a mile away and small, but is in fact very large and at least 5 miles away (my friend would give me this figure in km, of course). And almost every week during the summer, some drunk tourist will rent a boat and get the idea that he's going to row out to the island. About halfway there, he runs out of energy and lies down in the boat, and then the sun and dehydration get him. Sometimes they rescue him in time to take him to the hospital, but often they just die. It doesn't even take that long - evidently, if you're drunk off your ass and in the hot mid-day sun with no shade and no water, you're really never more than a couple hours from dying of dehydration.
This happened several times every summer at this one resort alone. Supposedly it happens to the Czechs the most. Not sure why that would be.
"How is it possible to drown in 5" of water or so?"
ReplyDelete"It is possible to drown out of water when the winds blow so that the air is more than 50% water."
Drowning happens when you can't get ur respiratory tract out of the water. Okay, if it's raining so hard that you can't help inhaling water, I guess I can see that.
But drowning in 5 feet of water in a swimming pool on a sunny day? How stupid do you have to be not to just put your feet on the bottom of the pool and STAND UP? Good grief!
When I was 8 yrs old and couldn't swim, I was in the shallow end of a pool. I slipped into the deeper end. I could reach the top of the water and catch a very short breath by bouncing off the slanted bottom. But each time I reached the top, I only had 1/2 second to gulp some air -- not enough time to yell for help. I continued in this manner for about 45 seconds, each time slipping more and more into deeper water. Each time I reached the surface, I could see the lifeguard, reading a commic book, but I never had time to yell for help. Ever greater panic and urgancy, and lack of oxygen set in. I finally decided my one last chance was to sink really low, all the way to the bottom, bend my knees and kick up really hard toward the side of the pool. This worked and I survived. Steve is correct -- it is easy to drown in a crowded pool with a life-guard -- drowning people often have no chance to yell for help.
ReplyDelete"I've seen two near drownings and that motivated me to insist my kids pass all levels of the Red Cross swimming program. Both did it by age 8 and that swimming ability kept me from being helicopter dad when they went swimming, fishing, boating, etc."
ReplyDeleteGood Job, Dad. I'd only add to keep at it, if necessary. I could never learn to swim properly before age 14, but by then I could swim like a fish. Persevere.
The book version of The Perfect Storm did a good job describing drowning and, as I recall, the two distinct ways that your body will react to drowning. (again, as I recall) One of the ways was almost painless.
ReplyDelete"How is it possible for two adults to drown simulataneously in that sitaution?" - they panicked and started trying to climb over each other. Water is pretty dangerous if you don't know what you're doing.
ReplyDeleteOne summer day in the '90's I was in U.C. Berkeley's lap pool when two black guys showed up. One said to the other, "we blowin' dey minds - they don't think black people can swim!"
ReplyDeleteI witnessed this in a three year old girl. My son and I were visiting; her father and sisters were there and I understood from the father that all the girls had learned how to swim. So there she was, treading water, paddling strongly with hands and feet, her nose under water, only three feet from the edge of the pool, her feet only six inches shy of being able to stand on the bottom. And just as it slowly dawned on me that her eyes were full of fear, her father snatched her out of the water.
ReplyDeleteShe was unharmed but I don't forgive myself that I watched her for half a minute without comprehending her terror and her mortal danger.
When I went to college at William & Mary in the 1970's, you had to pass a swimming test in order to graduate.
ReplyDeleteIt would be great to have saved a littel kid from drowning.
ReplyDeleteSuburban elk,
ReplyDeleteThe misapprehension of distance in water, I believe, goes the other way around. When one is out in the water at the beach the shore looks miles away from in the water, but from the shore, you're only a hundred or so feet away. It has to with the height of your eyes; this is possibly one reason why everything looks so big and far away to kids.
I witnessed Steve save that one person from drowning. It was very Reaganesque.
ReplyDelete"A related PSA concerns diving safety. Every year I see idiot suburban and out-of-towner youths jumping and diving into parts of the lake that they've never been to before. It just looks to them like it might be deep enough but they haven't checked it out beforehand for actual depth or hidden rocks. They're trying to impress their friends and appear daring, especially after a few beers. Every year some young people break their necks, a very depressing event."
ReplyDeleteThis happens at the lakes around here too. Everyone loves to jump off the cliffs, but invariably someone either drowns or becomes seriously injured. Also wake-boarding seems to produce a lot of accidents. The equipment is really heavy even with a life-jacket on.
"But drowning in 5 feet of water in a swimming pool on a sunny day? How stupid do you have to be not to just put your feet on the bottom of the pool and STAND UP? Good grief!"
ReplyDeleteWell, keep in mind your nose and mouth are several inches below where you'd mark your actual height. If you're 5-foot-5 or even 5-foot-6, it's possible your nose and mouth would be under-water if you're standing flat-footed. That, in addition to the fact that (as someone already explained) people who panic together will grab and paw at each other.
The thing is, it shouldn't matter if the water's a thousand feet deep. If you have even a basic understanding of the situation and remain calm, most people should be able to float until help comes - even if you can't swim, for God's sake! Roll onto your back, take deep breaths, and don't panic. With lungs full of air and a calm disposition, our bodies are naturally bouyant! But it's mostly about emotional control. If you know you can't swim, suddenly finding yourself in deeper water than you expected causes you to panic, which causes you to go nuts and thrash around, which burns up energy and oxygen at a frightening rate, and will eventually cause you to swallow or inhale water, which just causes you to panic more. It's like so many other things in life - mind over matter.
This is so true. When I was ten or eleven I was body surfing in the waves at the beach in Wildwood, New Jersey. I was a pretty good swimmer, comfortable in the water. I got caught in a rip current moving directly away from the beach. I exhausted myself in what seemed like just a few moments of swimming against the current. Luckily, some stranger must have seen the terror in my eyes and pulled me sideways out of the rip, which was only a distance of a few yards. Some strange mixture of fear and embarassment kept me from shouting for help. I will never forget how quickly I went from having fun to realizing I was about to die. Just seconds. I hope that man is lighting his cigars with hundred dollar bills today. I never take my eyes off my kids in the water now. By the way, you've been hitting them out of the park lately Steve. Don't exhaust yourself either.
ReplyDeleteIf you have even a basic understanding of the situation and remain calm, most people should be able to float until help comes - even if you can't swim, for God's sake!
ReplyDeleteNot everyone floats easily.
Black people have significantly higher bone density than white people, and often less body fat percentage. This means that they sink much more easily.
I'm a white guy with a naturally muscular build and also a high bone density (I had it measured once). If I'm not overweight, I can easily sink in water if I want to. When I do breast stroke, I have to waste some energy swimming upwards in order to breathe, as I start to sink otherwise as I exhale.
This sort of thing is genetic. One of the tests my father did in the military was tread water for a period of time, I think it was 5 minutes. Despite being an excellent athlete he found it hard, though most everyone was horsing around having a good time in the pool. My guess is that his low bodyfat and most probably, higher bone density made it difficult for him to stay afloat.
Every year some young people break their necks, a very depressing event.
ReplyDeleteI believe the musician Vince Guaraldi lost a son this way. Mill Valley, 1968.
Swimming pools have been getting shallower over the years. Diving used to be a big casual sport, but has pretty much disappeared outside of formal circumstances like the Olympics. So, there's no need for the old 8 foot deep pools. But, kids can still drown in five foot deep pools.
ReplyDeleteObviously, getting wasted is a major risk factor in drowning. So don't get drunk or buzzed around water.
ReplyDeleteStill, people do, so keep an eye out for them.
Jesus was ripped and he floated so I call bs on your I'm too ripped to float story.
ReplyDeleteWho is getting all these little kids buzzed.
ReplyDelete"This sort of thing is genetic. One of the tests my father did in the military was tread water for a period of time, I think it was 5 minutes. Despite being an excellent athlete he found it hard"
ReplyDeleteI was like that. I could beat everyone at everything: running, assault course, boxing etc but swimming, I could barely stay afloat.
From Churchill's My Early Life, a boat trip on Lake Lausanne :
ReplyDeletehttp://www.archive.org/stream/rovingcommissino001321mbp/rovingcommissino001321mbp_djvu.txt
"I went for a row with another boy a little younger than myself. When we were more than a mile from the shore, we decided to have a swim, pulled off our clothes, jumped into the water and swam about in great delight. When we had had enough, the boat was perhaps 100 yards away. A breeze had begun to stir the waters. The boat had a small red awning over its stern seats. This awning acted as a sail by catching the breeze. As we swam towards the boat, it drifted farther off.
After this had happened several times we had perhaps halved the distance. But meanwhile the breeze was freshening and we both, especially my companion, began to be tired. Up to this point no idea of danger had crossed my mind. The sun played upon the sparkling blue waters; the wonderful panorama of mountains and valleys, the gay
hotels and villas still smiled.
But I now saw Death as near as I believe I have ever seen Him. He was swimming in the water at our side, whispering from time to time in the rising wind which continued to carry the boat away from us at about the same speed we could swim. No help was near. Unaided we could never reach the shore.
I was not only an easy, but a fast swimmer, having represented my House at Harrow, when our team defeated all comers. I now swam for life. Twice I reached within a yard of the boat and each time a gust carried it just beyond my reach; but by a supreme effort I caught hold of its side in the nick of time before a still stronger gust bulged the red awning again. I scrambled in, and rowed back for my companion who, though tired, had not apparently realised the dull yellow glare of mortal peril that had so suddenly played around us. I said nothing to the tutor about this serious experience; but I have never forgotten it; and perhaps some of my readers will remember it too."
So don't get drunk or buzzed around water.
ReplyDeleteAnd Churchill quote above proves the point
Always respect water it is dangerous.