Why did you wait?
The actual time that I noticed his struggle and my decision to jump in and my meeting the eyes of the lifeguard all happened within seconds of each other. I'm sure the way I told it sounded like I was casually standing by, but I wasn't.
Also, just as this article points out I wasn't aware of the real signs of a possible drowning. Like I said, I thought maybe he was playing under the surface as kids are want to do.
I hope your question was more inquisitive than critical and if I'm over reacting, I apologize.