1. And parents – children playing in the water make noise. When they
get quiet, you get to them and find out why.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.
Look for these other signs of drowning when persons are in 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.