tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post2798810827903575268..comments2024-03-28T16:22:14.888-07:00Comments on Steve Sailer: iSteve: Water safety PSAUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger39125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-3052162434613987192013-06-09T04:26:10.903-07:002013-06-09T04:26:10.903-07:00So don't get drunk or buzzed around water.
An...<i>So don't get drunk or buzzed around water.</i><br /><br />And Churchill quote above proves the point<br /><br /><b>Always respect water it is dangerous.</b>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-12026678242573597552013-06-07T14:42:49.723-07:002013-06-07T14:42:49.723-07:00From Churchill's My Early Life, a boat trip on...From Churchill's My Early Life, a boat trip on Lake Lausanne :<br /><br />http://www.archive.org/stream/rovingcommissino001321mbp/rovingcommissino001321mbp_djvu.txt<br /><br /><i>"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. <br /><br />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 <br />hotels and villas still smiled. <br /><br />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. <br /><br />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."</i>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-54457436855764184442013-06-07T12:10:21.911-07:002013-06-07T12:10:21.911-07:00"This sort of thing is genetic. One of the te..."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"<br /><br />I was like that. I could beat everyone at everything: running, assault course, boxing etc but swimming, I could barely stay afloat.<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-48119009027229441392013-06-07T08:14:45.199-07:002013-06-07T08:14:45.199-07:00Who is getting all these little kids buzzed.Who is getting all these little kids buzzed.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-55550226864341668732013-06-07T08:12:35.146-07:002013-06-07T08:12:35.146-07:00Jesus was ripped and he floated so I call bs on yo...Jesus was ripped and he floated so I call bs on your I'm too ripped to float story.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-52054853254065643722013-06-07T02:24:23.415-07:002013-06-07T02:24:23.415-07:00Obviously, getting wasted is a major risk factor i...Obviously, getting wasted is a major risk factor in drowning. So don't get drunk or buzzed around water. <br /><br />Still, people do, so keep an eye out for them.Steve Sailerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11920109042402850214noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-3769820857037720592013-06-07T02:22:22.972-07:002013-06-07T02:22:22.972-07:00Swimming pools have been getting shallower over th...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.Steve Sailerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11920109042402850214noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-48867144575489074552013-06-06T18:25:45.254-07:002013-06-06T18:25:45.254-07:00Every year some young people break their necks, a ...<i>Every year some young people break their necks, a very depressing event.</i><br /><br />I believe the musician Vince Guaraldi lost a son this way. Mill Valley, 1968. smead jolleynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-8112728043237561812013-06-06T17:55:33.969-07:002013-06-06T17:55:33.969-07:00If you have even a basic understanding of the situ...<i>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!</i><br /><br />Not everyone floats easily.<br /><br /><a href="http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/71/6/1392.full" rel="nofollow">Black</a> people have significantly higher bone <a href="http://depts.washington.edu/bonebio/bonAbout/race.html" rel="nofollow">density</a> than white people, and often less body fat percentage. This means that they sink much more easily.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-42871113664423768592013-06-06T16:08:49.989-07:002013-06-06T16:08:49.989-07:00This is so true. When I was ten or eleven I was b...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.John Mnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-10410906173940525972013-06-06T14:16:32.199-07:002013-06-06T14:16:32.199-07:00"But drowning in 5 feet of water in a swimmin...<i>"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!"</i><br /><br />Well, 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. <br /><br />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.<br />MKPnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-39367271403883676642013-06-06T13:45:11.699-07:002013-06-06T13:45:11.699-07:00"A related PSA concerns diving safety. Every ..."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."<br /><br />This 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. anonyiasnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-73469047175659115682013-06-06T13:38:46.284-07:002013-06-06T13:38:46.284-07:00I witnessed Steve save that one person from drowni...I witnessed Steve save that one person from drowning. It was very Reaganesque. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-4798115525706536452013-06-06T13:23:45.867-07:002013-06-06T13:23:45.867-07:00Suburban elk,
The misapprehension of distance in ...Suburban elk,<br /><br />The 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.Deckinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-61028028393708205982013-06-06T12:15:20.449-07:002013-06-06T12:15:20.449-07:00It would be great to have saved a littel kid from ...It would be great to have saved a littel kid from drowning.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-28293533901417240072013-06-06T12:04:50.669-07:002013-06-06T12:04:50.669-07:00When I went to college at William & Mary in th...When I went to college at William & Mary in the 1970's, you had to pass a swimming test in order to graduate. Paul Mendeznoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-46368172342035639532013-06-06T11:47:50.255-07:002013-06-06T11:47:50.255-07:00I witnessed this in a three year old girl. My son ...I 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.<br /><br />She was unharmed but I don't forgive myself that I watched her for half a minute without comprehending her terror and her mortal danger.Ellinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-22436288722999730462013-06-06T11:26:40.144-07:002013-06-06T11:26:40.144-07:00One summer day in the '90's I was in U.C. ...One 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!"mel bellinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-85694507859440319212013-06-06T11:14:13.597-07:002013-06-06T11:14:13.597-07:00"How is it possible for two adults to drown s..."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.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-17972921541522531262013-06-06T10:47:27.337-07:002013-06-06T10:47:27.337-07:00The book version of The Perfect Storm did a good j...The book version of <i>The Perfect Storm</i> 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.JeremiahJohnbalayanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-12422052934394446762013-06-06T10:37:49.395-07:002013-06-06T10:37:49.395-07:00"I've seen two near drownings and that mo..."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."<br /><br />Good 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.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-13759926845170625912013-06-06T09:26:38.109-07:002013-06-06T09:26:38.109-07:00When I was 8 yrs old and couldn't swim, I was ... 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. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-85341465491382753242013-06-06T09:18:29.094-07:002013-06-06T09:18:29.094-07:00"How is it possible to drown in 5" of wa..."How is it possible to drown in 5" of water or so?"<br /><br />"It is possible to drown out of water when the winds blow so that the air is more than 50% water."<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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!JSMnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-5516979126830086152013-06-06T09:06:25.727-07:002013-06-06T09:06:25.727-07:00Somewhat related - I know a guy from Croatia, who&...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).<br /><br />So 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.<br /><br />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.MKPnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-88969179708535699552013-06-06T08:43:40.519-07:002013-06-06T08:43:40.519-07:00Steve, AAWP. That's Avoid Acronyms Wherever Po...Steve, AAWP. That's Avoid Acronyms Wherever Possible. <br /><br />I'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?FirkinRidiculousnoreply@blogger.com