Safety Tips from Arizona Childproofers: CAN YOU TELL WHEN SOMEONE IS DROWING???

Arizona Childproofers wants EVERYONE to be safe in the water. Drowning can happen in a pool at a home OR a friends house, in a public pool, at the beach or at the lake. Drowning can happen anywhere there is water. The more aware we are of what to do, what to watch for, and how to react, the more lives will be saved.

Below is an excerpt for a blog written by Mario Vittone

The new captain jumped from the deck, fully dressed, and sprinted through the water. A former lifeguard, he kept his eyes on his victim as he headed straight for the couple 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 10 feet away, their 9-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 50 feet away—what the father could not 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, 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 know 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 No. 2 cause of accidental death in children, ages 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 some of those drownings, the adult will actually watch the child do it, having no idea it is happening.

Recognizing the signs of someone who is drowning is crucial in order to take quick action and potentially save their life. Here are some signs that someone may be drowning:

Silence: Contrary to what you may see in movies or TV shows, drowning is often a silent process. The person may not be able to yell or call for help.

Difficulty breathing: The person may be struggling to breathe, gasping for air or have their mouth at water level.

Vertical position: The person may be in a vertical position in the water with their head tilted back, which is an instinctive attempt to keep their mouth above the water surface.

Bobbing up and down: The person may appear to be bobbing up and down in the water and unable to stay afloat.

Glassy or closed eyes: The person may have glassy or closed eyes.

Hair in face: The person's hair may be covering their face, making it difficult for them to see or breathe.

Panic or confusion: The person may appear panicked or confused, and may be flailing their arms and legs.

Noisy breathing: The person may be making a "gurgling" or "gasping" sound.

If you suspect someone is drowning, it's important to act quickly and call for help. Never attempt to rescue someone without proper training or equipment, as this could put both you and the victim in danger.