Drowning - It Doesn't Look Like Drowning

[Pogo]

From one of my email lists.....

"Are you alright?" is a question to ask anytime you see someone who has stopped an activity. For instance, while kayaking/canoeing ask "Are you alright?" anytime you see a fellow paddler on the shoreline. 99% of the time they are just taking a break. the other 1% could be dehydrated and getting delusonal or approaching collapse. (especially applies to racing)

On the water, the playing field, bike or hike trail, mall walker, car on the side of the road etc etc. Asking "Are you alright?" could save a strangers life.

Drowning Doesn't Look Like Drowning
by MARIO on MAY 18, 2010
BOATING SAFETY,COAST GUARD,GCAPTAIN
The new captain jumped from the cockpit, fully dressed, and sprinted through the water. A former lifeguard, he kept his eyes on his victim as he headed straight for the owners who were swimming between their anchored sportfisher 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 the sand bar. "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. "Move!" he barked as he sprinted between the stunned owners. Directly behind them, not ten feet away, their nine-year-old daughter was drowning. Safely above the surface in the arms of the captain, she burst into tears, "Daddy!"

How did this captain know, from fifty feet away, what the father couldn't recognize from just ten? 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, had 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 knows what to look for whenever people enter the water. Until she cried a tearful, "Daddy," she 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.

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. There is very little splashing, no waving, and no yelling or calls for help of any kind. To get an idea of just how quiet and undramatic from the surface 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 ten percent of those drownings, the adult will actually watch them do it, having no idea it is happening (source: CDC). Drowning does not look like drowning – Dr. Pia, in an article in 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 the 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, and 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.

This doesn't mean that a person that 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, throw rings, etc.

Look for these other signs of drowning when persons are n 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 – Vertical
Hyperventilating or gasping
Trying to swim in a particular direction but not making headway
Trying to roll over on the back
Ladder climb, rarely out of the water.

So if a crew member falls overboard and every looks O.K. – don't be too sure. 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 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 get to them and find out why.

[rrp1950]

I learned valuble info today. Thanks.

[G-Man]

Thank you so much! I learned something new and will definitely be valuable in the future.

G-Man

[lendre89]

I Have lifeguarded openwater, amusement parks and city pools and I am yet to have a patron who was in serious trouble make any noise...If you see someone with wide eyes that means they are truly starting to panic. there is like the article says very little arm movement above the surface of the water.

[nixstix]

Very, very good Information- Thanks, I want my wife and kids to read this too.

[OrangeQuest]

Wow! Thanks for sharing, I didn't know any of it. I do now.

[Absolut]

Great info! This is something every parent should read.

[tmds3]

Thanks for sharing, great useful info

[Cruisin_Cuda]

Thanks for sharing, great useful info

x2 that's good to know out on the water!

[karstopo]

Good info. Thanks for sharing

[Dank]

Good post - thanks for that...reminds me of my lifeguard days at the Y...

[CANADA]

Great post Pogo..

[habanerojooz]

I've witnessed this first hand. Several of the symptoms that Pogo mentioned were exhibited... silence, no splashing, unable to speak, etc.

Long ago, my brother and I were wading the surf and he ventured beyond the 2nd bar and got more than he bargained for in the next gut. I'm standing in chest deep water on the 2nd sand bar and he's only 12' away from me. I happened to look over to him and noticed that he appeared to be struggling. I called out to him. His eyes were wide open and he couldn't answer me. There was no splashing and no noise. Then I realized that he was in a severe panic and on the verge of the unspeakable. All of this occurred within approximately 1 minute. I quickly made my way towards him and I extended my rod tip to him and told him to grab it and I pulled him back to the 2nd sandbar.

Writing about this gives me the chills. I've never spoken to my brother about that incident but it's something that we'll both never forget.

Thanks for posting this Pogo. You may have saved a future life by sharing this information.

[larry long shadows]

Thanks Pogo great info

[MRSRIDE]

Excellent information!!!

This should be a sticky.

[larry long shadows]

One more note the same note goes for choke-n..One time I was at a friends house and we were all setting around eating BBQ and drinking beer..One of my friends lil boy walked in to the room and was standing in door way not saying a word with a funny look on his face. All of a sudden my friend jumped up ran across the room grabbed that lil kid slapped him on the back couple times nothing then he did it a second time... this time he spit up a chunk of meat.. I ask him what made him think he was chokeing he said it was his eyes and the fact he was not talking. Me not ever have-ing any kids I would have never know he was choke-n or what to do.. I told my friend he is my Hero

[jmac]

Great post! Thx

[MRSRIDE]

One more note the same note goes for choke-n..One time I was at a friends house and we were all setting around eating BBQ and drinking beer..One of my friends lil boy walked in to the room and was standing in door way not saying a word with a funny look on his face. All of a sudden my friend jumped up ran across the room grabbed that lil kid slapped him on the back couple times nothing then he did it a second time... this time he spit up a chunk of meat.. I ask him what made him think he was chokeing he said it was his eyes and the fact he was not talking. Me not ever have-ing any kids I would have never know he was choke-n or what to do.. I told my friend he is my Hero

So true, if someone is really choking they won't be able to speak so always ask them "are you choking" or if you can hear them gasping for breath/coughing then the airway is open and they may just be panicking, tell them to breath through their nose and relax.

CPR classes are offered every where, take one.

[Testacleeze]

From one of my email lists.....

"Are you alright?" is a question to ask anytime you see someone who has stopped an activity. For instance, while kayaking/canoeing ask "Are you alright?" anytime you see a fellow paddler on the shoreline. 99% of the time they are just taking a break. the other 1% could be dehydrated and getting delusonal or approaching collapse. (especially applies to racing)

On the water, the playing field, bike or hike trail, mall walker, car on the side of the road etc etc. Asking "Are you alright?" could save a strangers life.

Drowning Doesn't Look Like Drowning
by MARIO on MAY 18, 2010
BOATING SAFETY,COAST GUARD,GCAPTAIN
The new captain jumped from the cockpit, fully dressed, and sprinted through the water. A former lifeguard, he kept his eyes on his victim as he headed straight for the owners who were swimming between their anchored sportfisher 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 the sand bar. "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. "Move!" he barked as he sprinted between the stunned owners. Directly behind them, not ten feet away, their nine-year-old daughter was drowning. Safely above the surface in the arms of the captain, she burst into tears, "Daddy!"

How did this captain know, from fifty feet away, what the father couldn't recognize from just ten? 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, had 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 knows what to look for whenever people enter the water. Until she cried a tearful, "Daddy," she 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.

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. There is very little splashing, no waving, and no yelling or calls for help of any kind. To get an idea of just how quiet and undramatic from the surface 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 ten percent of those drownings, the adult will actually watch them do it, having no idea it is happening (source: CDC). Drowning does not look like drowning – Dr. Pia, in an article in 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 the 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, and 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.

This doesn't mean that a person that 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, throw rings, etc.

Look for these other signs of drowning when persons are n 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 – Vertical
Hyperventilating or gasping
Trying to swim in a particular direction but not making headway
Trying to roll over on the back
Ladder climb, rarely out of the water.

So if a crew member falls overboard and every looks O.K. – don't be too sure. 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 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 get to them and find out why.

I used this for one of our Tool Box talks at work and thought it might be good to remind everyone else. Be safe.

Ryan

[Mr. Green]

Great read, thanks for sharing! This is definitely true. While at the academy, during the swimming portion of training, I had to dive 13' to retrieve a brick from the pool floor. My first attempt was unsuccesful. It was hard to see the brick and somehow I lost sight more than halfway down so I resurfaced, took a couple quick breaths (big mistake) and back down I went. I got the brick and for some reason didnt kick off the botom, I just turned and swam up. Felt like an eternity and I was running outta air and felt a little panic. By the time I surfaced I was completely ojtta air and felt exhausted. I was in the middle of the pool and didnt have enough energy to swim to the edge. My classmates and instructor were just sitting around the edge staring. I could see them all but I was so busy trying to breathe and tread water that I couldnt speak or motion to them. Finally a classmate asked if I was ok. With no response the instructor finally threw a rope in...

[SmokeWagonDan]

Very good information, and after you read it, you know how true it is. Thanks for sharing.
SWD

[bboren]

I will never look at people in the water the same. Thanks for the info. that is why I am always reading these post, to help educate me further on subjects that we all think we know about.

[Sand Trout]

Fantastic post. Thanks for sharing it.

[benno]

I will remember this the rest of my life!! and share this with everyone... Great post!!

Ben

[GUMB0]

I am going to share this with the HOW group on Thursday. Thank you pogo.