By the time PJ Ornott got there she supposedly would have been dead in the water maybe 45 minutes. In 79-degree water with her body not producing heat, that would probably be similar to room temperature. So about 3-6 hours. Not likely in 45 minutes.
Of course, if it’s a mannikin it could be stiff as a board immediately, to be passed over as if it had rigor mortis even though rigor mortis was impossible for the actual scenario...
Come now, don’t take it so seriously, I’m just curious, I recall when the nursing home where my mother was in the last few months of life, called me to say come as soon as you can...
She was still alive when they called.
It took LESS than an hour to get there. When my sister and I arrived, she had passed on and when I touched her on the thigh, she was already stiff, which gave me a shock.
It was in March, in a tropical region of Australia. Warm day, not hot.