
Drowning Doesn’t Look Like Drowning - Tomte
http://mariovittone.com/2010/05/154/
======
robhawkes
Just thinking about this terrifies me...

When I was 18 I was effectively drowning at sea after (stupidly) swimming out
to a bouy (100m from shore) with my friends. I had a panic attack on the way
back for some reason and immediately lost control of my movement and voice --
I basically went into autopilot, though I was aware of what was happening. I
thought I was flailing around but in hindsight I think I must have looked
quite calm above the water, with my arms and legs moving like crazy under the
water. In reality I was doing something akin to doggy-paddle, swallowing water
in vast amounts and barely catching a breath. I couldn't raise my arms to wave
for help and I tried screaming to my friends who I could see 20m or so in
front of me. In my head I was screaming as loud as I could but all that came
out of my mouth was a barely audible squeak. Somehow I managed to finally get
out a cry for help between gulps of water and one of my friends turned round
to come and get me. Even when he finally reached me I still wasn't safe as I
had zero control over my limbs so he basically had to swim with my body weight
and his combined, 50m or so back to the shore. I remember a couple of moments
where he said that I was dragging him under and I was petrified that we
wouldn't be able to make it back together (at this point no one else know what
was happening). Fortunately he's a very strong swimmer and we made it back
without any physical damage. I was so exhausted that I couldn't walk for quite
some time afterward, nor speak much really.

It remains the single most frightening moment of my life by far and I am 100%
certain that I would have died that day had my friend not have turned around
to see what I was doing. I've never swum in the sea since out of a combination
of respect and pure fear of what can happen. I am ok with enclosed pools
though as I'm comfortable knowing that I have something nearby to hold onto
and other people around to notice things.

If you feel uncomfortable with a swim at sea then just don't do it. It's not
worth it!

~~~
barsonme
I remember once I was swimming across a lake with a friend in high school and
part way through I felt just so exhausted. Like, my arms and legs just didn't
want to work.

It's a bit different of a feeling than when you're tired while running or
wrestling (the two sports I played in HS) -- it's like you just cannot move.
Even in those sports I never felt as _dead_ as I did trying to swim across the
lake.

It probably wasn't as scary as your experience, but it was absolutely
terrifying, especially since -- like you said -- above water you seem fine,
but under you're frantically swimming trying to stay above water.

~~~
robhawkes
That sounds very similar to what I experienced, it was exactly like my limbs
went dead and just didn't want to move properly, even though I was telling
them to. Practically zero deliberate control. Glad you got yourself out of it
ok though! It's a horrible thing to have to experience.

~~~
barsonme
Uh-huh. Scary stuff. Glad you made it out too! :)

------
adwf
I almost drowned once in a public swimming pool. I was kicked in the diaphragm
by an inconsiderate swimmer while turning and lost my breath, started the
typical drowning response.

The worst part about it was that I was only a meter or two from the edge of
the pool, but for the life of me, I just _could not_ orient myself to move
forward and grab it. All my body was capable of was splashing my arms on top
of the water and thrashing my legs to bob up and down vertically and get my
breath. Thankfully, pools aren't too deep and I eventually managed to regain
my senses, drop to the bottom and push off to the wall.

I was an older teenager at the time, so maybe I had a few more wits about me
than younger kids, but it's surprising how little it takes to drown.

~~~
cloudjacker
> All my body was capable of was splashing my arms on top of the water and
> thrashing my legs to bob up and down vertically and get my breath.

Yeah but this article is about how drowning doesn't look like that at all

~~~
zyxley
Uh, that's literally exactly how the article describes it.

> 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.

> Look for these other signs of drowning when persons are in the water: ...
> Appear to be climbing an invisible ladder.

> 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.

------
lfowles
Also see [http://spotthedrowningchild.com/](http://spotthedrowningchild.com/)

~~~
popularrecluse
That link really stressed me out.

~~~
dracul104
No kidding. The longer I took the more I felt like someone was actually going
to drown. I eventually clicked the right kid after like 20 seconds, but I
wasn't even positive when I clicked.

------
rdtsc
I almost drowned in the ocean. Yeah it didn't look like drowning. It would
have looked like someone bobbing up and down, maybe diving to look under
water. There were people on the beach sunbathing and playing, they didn't
notice. My wife saw and understood what was happening and yelled for help. So
she saved my life.

~~~
teekert
What I wonder is, if you don't have any control over your own movements
anymore, how likely are you to also drown the person that is trying to save
you? Is that something that can happen?

~~~
lfowles
From what I've read, it can be common practice to punch the drowning person to
stun them and stop flailing limbs.

~~~
benaiah
The simplest way to get a drowning person off you is to go down. With your
arms at your sides, push up, like the reverse of when you're trying to lunge
out of the water. As soon as the drowning person's head goes below water they
will let go and you can come back for another attempt.

Don't punch them, it's less effective and can knock them unconscious, which
can complicate the rescue.

Source: was a trained and certified lifeguard and swim teacher in my teens.

~~~
lfowles
Better source than mine, listen to this guy!

------
infogulch
> 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._

------
mrfusion
I feel like we really have the technology available to prevent a lot of
drowning. Maybe it's a sensor worn on the head that can send off an alarm
after being submerged for x seconds.

Maybe a drone or fixed cameras running computer vision algorithms.

Those are just some example solutions. I'm sure you could come up with more
after giving it some thought. I just would like to see something like this.

Or if nothing else how about public service ads that educate people what to
look out for.

~~~
Tomte
We have lifeguards. Less sexy (well, in a strictly technology-enthusiastic
context), but proven in use.

~~~
mrfusion
The comments in this thread would suggest otherwise though.

~~~
koolba
Life guards are a lot like teachers, the ratio of eyeballs to swimmers
matters. A 100 to 1 ratio is impossible for any one person to track.

------
partisan
Having almost drowned due to a leg cramp in a crowded pool with a lifeguard
just about 4 feet away from me, I can tell you that drowning most definitely
does not look like drowning. Especially, when it is a proud/embarrassed
teenage who doesn't want to have to be saved in front of a crowd. No one
noticed and I made it out on my own, but it could have gone another way very
easily.

------
codemogul
I am eternally grateful to a properly trained triathalon course observer who
saw the signs and rescued me.

I was halfway through the swim portion (first segment) of a triathalon that
required wetsuits. Coming from warmer climes, I didn't own one so I was fitted
for a tri-suit at a pro shop two days before the event. I trained a few times
with it in a gym pool to get used to it, and I thought everything was good for
race day.

But it turned out it was slightly too tight, and I could not quite inhale
sufficiently. Half-way across the Delaware river I remember remarking to
myself that the waves were crashing over me; I was spending more time swimming
under water than on the surface.

I wasn't terrified, I just felt really weird. It wouldn't make sense - all
this training and I can't keep my head above the water?

I don't remember passing out, but an observer was watching me from a kayak,
and he hauled me to a rescue launch. I hadn't inhaled any water, all they had
to do was yank open the zipper on my suit.

I guess I turned from blue back to pink and everybody had a good laugh, but I
couldn't thank that observer in the kayak enough.

I take a moment every now and then to thank those people who are trained and
vigilant, standing station and ready to save us when we least expect it.

------
amelius
My sister almost drowned as a 2-year-old kid. She was standing on the bottom
of a 5ft pool. From above the surface, she looked like somebody just standing
there, seemingly without being in distress. Other people in the swimming pool
were making the usual noise, so everything seemed normal. Fortunately, my mom
discovered her in time and she alerted me to get her out of the water.

------
pacaro
For "______ doesn't look like (Hollywood) ______"

See also choking, childbirth, and many others

~~~
knodi123
this is a fun game. Let me think.

hypnotism, sex, knockout punches, and computer hacking too

~~~
monk_e_boy
Taking a bullet.

~~~
CPLX
The naked human body.

Also, New York apartments.

------
snorkey
Once I went out snorkeling and had a hard time getting back because of the
current. I exhausted all my energy trying to fight the current and was really
running out of breath while panicking. Even though I had a snorkel, I was
afraid I was going to drown since I was really pushing the limit of how fast
you can breath through that tube. Fortunately I regained some presence of mind
to just relax a little until I calm down and then try a slightly different
route.

------
dang
Since this story had significant attention less than a year ago
([https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9947237](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9947237)),
this repost counts as a duplicate.

[https://news.ycombinator.com/newsfaq.html](https://news.ycombinator.com/newsfaq.html)

~~~
mmaunder
Yeah. Thought it was a metaphor for startups. Also see:
[http://spotthedrowningchild.com/](http://spotthedrowningchild.com/)

------
gerbilly
Not specifically about drowning, but here are some notes on ocean safety when
near the shore.

\- Never turn your back to the ocean. You see tourists doing this all the time
to pose for pictures, only to get walloped by a wave. This is especially
dangerous when venturing out onto rocks or piers.[1]

\- Waves come in sets. About every 7th-10th wave can be much bigger than the
other waves. So you may mistakenly think yourself safe near the shore if you
base yourself on the last few waves you've seen.

\- One cubic meter of water weighs one ton, so even a smallish wave contains a
lot of energy.

\- When swimming, watch out for "shorebreak" or waves that break right on the
beach. These can pile-drive you right onto the bottom and knock you out or
even break your neck.[2]

[1]:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwwGtU_MlYY](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwwGtU_MlYY)
[2]"
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kv1hQXCVxDw](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kv1hQXCVxDw)

------
bgeeek
Neary drowned aged 4 in a lake.

I can vividly remember seeing rusty bikes and other things at the bottom of
the lake, yet I cannot remember anything about the person that dived and saved
my life.

Best advice I can give you - never turn your back on your children near water.
It may sound obvious, but it only takes a split second and they are gone.

------
e0m
Here's the video they mention in the article advanced to the point of the
drowning response:
[https://youtu.be/X1mVcSUttX4?t=38s](https://youtu.be/X1mVcSUttX4?t=38s)

------
mrfusion
Can any recommend a good video of article about this to post on Facebook and
such?

This one is good but I don't think it would work for all the people I know
with short attention spans and limited ability to read multiple long
paragraphs.

~~~
schoen
As lfowles pointed out elsewhere in comments, a portion of this was turned
into a game

[http://spotthedrowningchild.com/](http://spotthedrowningchild.com/)

which still has some of the same text, but with heightened drama and
motivation.

------
qaq
Almost drowned in a sea as a kid with my whole family on the beach (none could
tell anything was wrong), on the bright side learned to swim dog style on the
spot.

------
TACIXAT
This is from 2010... Useful info, but the post has definitely made its rounds.

------
hbrid
Great read and I've passed it on, it may come in useful for me or someone I
know some day. Just want to ask a few questions: 1-What triggers this
response? Are you just swimming casually when all of a sudden this kicks in?
2-For those who have experienced drowning, what stopped you from swimming
normally? I've always been a good swimmer and hardly ever had problems in the
water. There was one year when I was 9 in a wave pool in Rhodes, there were no
more Rubber Rings so I swam in, I was out of my depth and I got hit by a wave
I miss timed, and couldn't correct my timing so I started to panic realising I
was about to drown, luckily a woman close by saw this and pulled me
up...drowning scares the hell out of me.

~~~
outworlder
I'm interested in this as well.

I have had a few very close calls, but never had the drowning response, even
when severely out of breath and panicking.

------
cLeEOGPw
> 3\. Drowning people _cannot wave for help_. [...]

> 4\. [...] Physiologically, drowning people [...] cannot stop drowning and
> perform voluntary movements such as _waving for help_ , [...]

Hmm.

~~~
pegasus
Re-worded in a less ambiguous way: "cannot stop drowning _to_ perform
voluntary movements such as waving for help".

------
danharaj
[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperreality](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperreality)

