Water Safety - drowning can be quick and silent "Drowning doesn't look like drowning" article

[JoBrodie]

Some of you will be holidaying with children near water and if so I'd urge you to read (or re-read) this article so that you can be aware of what to look out for in case someone gets into difficulty.

"Drowning doesn't look like drowning" article
In 10 percent of drownings, adults are nearby but have no idea the victim is dying. Here’s what to look for.

Films and television have taught us that drowning is a loud, shouting, 'help, help' kind of thing but unfortunately real drowning is often very quiet and calm (the person is likely unable to speak or communicate / respond to 'are you ok?' let alone splash). I was astounded when I read this article a few years ago - I had no idea it was mostly like that.

Be like the meerkats and if possible have a lookout on land (as you'll see from the article, being in the water isn't always a guarantee someone will spot it).

See also the 'Float to live' guidance from the RNLI Lifeboats.

1. Tilt your head back (ears in the water)
2. Relax and breathe normally.
3. Move your hands and legs to help you float.
4. It’s OK if your legs sink (we all float differently).
5. Practise floating in a supervised pool before you go on holiday.

Drowning Prevention Week (a campaign from the Royal Life Saving Society UK) is happening from 13-20 June 2026, with resources for families and schools.

Jo

Bumping, thank you for sharing

THANK YOU for posting this. Around 12 years ago, I read an article just like this on MN. 4 days later I took my Dd to a public swimming pool. She was 6, having swimming lessons, lifeguards on duty & I was right there. It was absurdly crowded, do wrnt she went down & didn’t come up the Lifeguard didn’t see. If I'd not read the article I'd still have thought drowning was like the movies. It's not. She's downstairs gaming now thanks to MN. Please share widely.

Good insightful post

Thanks for this OP. A good friend died when we were teenagers by drowning. I still feel the rules and awareness aren’t what they should be but RNLI does such great work.

how can i read the article

Are you getting a paywall or another message that the article won't open? Clicking the blue link in my first message opens the article straightaway for me... what device are you trying to read it on?

There's another copy of the article https://gcaptain.com/drowning/ (gCaptain is where the article was originally published in 2010 and they republish it annually, and Slate (my original link) republished it too.

Jo

And the last couple of years there were articles about the colours of swimwear , some make the swimmer nearly invisible in water .

Bumping

I was shocked about the colour of swimwear. For a while all the kids’ suits were vibrant mixed but I think it’s slipped back again. All the swimwear suppliers should have the photo on their websites.
I’ll try and find it.

Here we go…

This is excellent I had absolutely no idea. Thanks for sharing.

I remember the article @PrizedPickledPopcorn mentioned and haven't found that one but found a different article which shows a similar photo, and includes what the swimsuit looks like both under calm water, and under disturbed* water. Neon pinks and orange seem the most visible, white and pale blue the least https://www.racmn.com/blog/swim-suits-and-underwater-visibility

*the disturbance wouldn't necessarily come from the person in difficulty, but from other people around them who might have no idea what's going on.

.......

While we're at it :)

If staying in a hotel make sure everyone knows if they should turn left or right out of the room in an emergency, for the nearest exit.

Those little flat button batteries can cause huge problems if a child swallows one (even if it's 'dead'). If a button is missing from a toy and you can't find it in clothing / bedding / pram etc, treat as a medical emergency until a scan proves otherwise https://www.google.com/search?q=NHS+button+batteries&udm=14

Jo

That the photo that’s under review, @JoBrodie . There’s a company that has children’s suits patterned with several of the visible colours so they are visible in all conditions.

Ah, yes - I see it's appeared :-) Thanks. I think I originally saw a graphic that's more like this (there are several examples on Google) which compared visibility in pool water and ocean water. Pink and orange neon colours work better in both situations https://lvpools.com.au/swimwear-visibility-in-pool-and-ocean-water-safety-and-style-matters/

This is a helpful 50s video (slightly blurry pool CCTV which shows the child being saved, all good) https://www.tiktok.com/@aquanest.swimming/video/7628757833760181526

It actually took me a couple of watches to spot exactly what was going on despite the fact that the video even has an arrow ⬇️ pointing (!) to the child in 'aquatic distress' (struggling to stay above the water, probably panicking and unable to direct themselves to the side of the pool) who, if they hadn't been rescued incredibly promptly, was very likely to drown.

When I was 9yo , my DSis (12yo) swam up behind me and put her hands on my shoulders and jumped up and down using my shoulders to propel herself.

I lost my footing , face in the water , couldn't scream, shout or hit her due to water drag .
It was probably seconds but it felt like forever .

No-one else in the pool knew what was happening , two kids larking about in a swimming pool.
I can swim, it hasn't put me off but I don't like a busy pool
It can happen so quickly