Posted on 07/09/2010 8:16:57 AM PDT by ventanax5
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 youre 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. Were fine, what is he doing? she asked, a little annoyed. Were 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 couldnt 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: thats 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 hadnt made a sound. As a former Coast Guard rescue swimmer, I wasnt 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.
(Excerpt) Read more at mariovittone.com ...
Important parenting (grandparenting?) information ping!
Good point, While it wasnt a factor in my situation, cold water (near normal freezing point 30-40F) is a killer. It sucks the energy out of you. Lesson for all, wear a preserver unless the water is a reasonably warm temperature. In the Baltimore inner harbor a water taxi flipped in February warm day and most riders drowned due to the cold water. The survivers climbed the bottom of the flipped taxi.
I went back out after catching my breath with a small kids preserver in my hand and had no trouble with the waves crashing on me. Why? After each crash the preserver told me which way was up and I didnt need as much energy to get to air. I figured even if I dropped the preserver I had enough reserve energy to get to it. Without it I had none as every BTU and more was going to my survival.
Yes, thanks for the ping!
We own a pool and have had many a pool party. It is always exhausting for me because no matter how many times I tell parents to never take their eyes off their kids, they always do. So I watch like a hawk. Hubby has to entertain guests and serve food so I can keep tabs on what’s going on. Not only is there the drowning concern, but jumping in on each other (that’s happened several times), running, falling and/or pushing each other in. I’ve banned a few kids from any more swimming right in front of their parents, because they refuse to follow rules.
A lot of activity, horseplay and craziness around the pool makes it easy to miss a kid in trouble too.
bttt
bump
Isn’t that the truth.
Last year, my 3 yr. old son slipped on a step in my sisters pool as I was just coming up to it. He made no noise as he struggled to keep his head up. The adult on duty, an older relative, was just sitting down and missed his slip because his eyes were down. My older kids were playing in another part of the pool. If I didn’t see it, I don’t know what would’ve happened. This was one week after we lost our miscarried baby boy.
That’s pretty freaky, it does sound like a current. My only other drowning experience was when I was four. I stepped off into the deep with no swimming ability. I don’t remember anything from that age nevermind whether I thrashed or not. My cousins pulled me out. All my posts here are their fault.
THX THX.
I’m thankful you’re still with us too... Thanks for sharing.
BFLR
You and your loved ones are in my prayers.
My oldest son was picking up nickels in the deep end when he was 2. He started swimming at 15 months. Our other three were late to the swim game. They all were almost 2 when they learned.
Youngest of my Waterbabies... now all grown up!
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Yeah, let's all just wait around and watch until we see some real blood or until the victim goes under for good...no sense getting off your ass if it just "appears" like someone's in trouble.
As such, I can vouch for it.
Please read it, don-o.
g_w
Thanks for the ping. You can never be too careful or observant.
Little Jeremiah, if you are ever caught in that situation again, blow a bubble to see which way is up.
Same as skiing, spit to see which way is down.
I almost died at three years old in a big old pond. I was with three people on a raft. The raft overturned, and everyone went down. It was a 30-foot pond. Everyone thought they were diving in to get the youngest (me), so I just went down. Believe it or not, it was peaceful. Guess I was too young to be afraid. BTW, my mom who was eight-months pregnant pulled me to the surface.
You teach the baby to flip over in a pool. They can do that. That way their noses are up over their body.
On the beach, it’s up to God.
Thanks for the ping!
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