Drowning is one of the leading causes of unintentional death worldwide. However, despite the fact that all people strive to prevent drowning, it is not always clear that a person is drowning because he lacks the strength and time to attract attention to himself. If you learn to recognize the signs that someone is drowning, learn how to administer first aid, and exercise caution in the water, you can prevent drowning.
Steps
Signs that a person is drowning
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Start taking action as early as possible. It doesn't matter whether the person is drowning or just panicked. If you suspect a problem, it is important to get the person help as early as possible. This will reduce the risk of accidental drowning or brain damage from being underwater for too long.
Help the person on your own. If there is no specially trained rescuer nearby, try to help the person yourself. In many countries, people are required by law to help drowning people as long as it does not endanger their life.
Help the person get closer to land. If the person is conscious and has not yet gone underwater, try throwing him a life preserver or handing him some other object that he could grab onto. This way you won’t risk your life and help another person survive.
Enter the water and pull the person towards the non-sinking object. If the person is unable to grab a life preserver or pole or is unconscious, approach or swim to the person. It is important to remember that a person panics, which can cause physical harm to you or make it difficult to help you.
- It is best to approach the person from behind. If a person panics, they may grab onto the rescuer tightly, causing both to drown. Talk to the person, say that you are nearby. Swim up from behind and say this: “I will save you. Please don’t panic.”
- The easiest way is to grab a person under the arms and drag him to land.
- Avoid physical contact with a panicking person if possible. Such a person will grab onto any floating object, including you. This is not a problem if you have a three-year-old child in front of you, but even a thin and short woman can easily drown an adult. Bring a non-sinkable item with you if possible.
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Get the person out of the water. When a person grabs an object, pull him to dry land. This will allow you to give him medical assistance (for example, artificial respiration) and wrap him in a towel to avoid shock.
Learn to differentiate the signs of drowning from the signs of panic in the water. While both can be dangerous, learning to correctly recognize the signs that a person is drowning will allow you to recognize a particularly dangerous situation early and take action.
Remember the signs of panic in the water. A person who experiences panic in water often behaves in the same way that, in the opinion of many, a drowning person behaves. Panic in water is also serious, but most often panic does not last long, and a person can help himself by grabbing a limiter or life preserver. Signs of panic in the water include the following:
Remember the signs of drowning. Contrary to what is shown on TV and in movies, the signs of drowning are often subtle and may not seem serious. This is explained by the instinctive reaction of a drowning person, described by Dr. Francesco Pia. The human reaction consists of actions through which a person strives to prevent suffocation in water. The ability to recognize the signs of the instinctive reaction of a drowning person will help you notice in time that a person is drowning and help him. Drowning man:
Learn to recognize the signs of a drowning child. Approximately 20% of drownings occur in children under 14 years of age. The signs of drowning in children are similar to the signs of drowning in adults, but there are more signs in children. Eg:
Learn to recognize the signs of a child drowning on land. Drowning on land is rare and is characterized by the fact that a small amount of water enters the child's respiratory tract, which interferes with the normal functioning of the respiratory system. If you notice the signs of such drowning in time, you can protect your child from serious problems. Look out for the following signs:
Helping a drowning person
Water safety
Learn to swim. Take swimming lessons with everyone in your family until everyone is a good swimmer. This will reduce the risk of accidental drowning, especially in children.
As sad as it sounds, for about 20 thousand Russians the long-awaited summer ends with death on the water, as they write in the protocols, “as a result of drowning.” And as statistics show, those who know how to swim and those who cannot, become victims of open water in equal numbers. To reduce these sad numbers, let's remember the basic rules of providing first aid to victims on the water.
But first, let's talk about why a person drowns. Often, even people who can float well on the water drown because they get lost in an unexpected situation (convulsions, being thrown onto a rock by the surf, a whirlpool, a strong current, hypothermia, fright from large fish or jellyfish), forgetting that their bodies are lighter than water, which means that with minimal effort they can for a long time stay on the surface of the water.
Remember: in order to stay on the water before the rescuers arrive, you don’t have to frantically row to the shore, choking on the waves created by your own efforts. It is enough just to lightly (preferably while lying on your back) rake up the water with your hands and feet.
Particular vigilance should be exercised when swimming in open waters by older people (they can, overestimating their physical capabilities, swim far from the shore and become exhausted) and people with heart disease (heart spasms can occur in response to any unforeseen situation).
Conventionally, there are 2 types of drowning: wet and dry. In case of wet drowning, a person, making convulsive movements, draws in water, which prevents the flow of air. With dry drowning, the vocal cords spasm and they close. In this case, water does not enter the lungs, but air does not pass into them either. In this case, the victim loses consciousness in a matter of minutes and immediately sinks to the bottom.
In the case when the drowning person is conscious, your task is to prevent him from falling under water again. A lifebuoy, an inflatable mattress, or any floating log or board will be a good help in this situation. If none of the above is at hand, the rescuer must support the drowning person himself.
To prevent the drowning person from frantically grabbing the rescuer and dragging him along with him, you need to swim up to him from behind and grab him by the hair or grab him under the armpits, turn him on his back and transport him to the shore, keeping his head on the surface. Having reached the shore, you must immediately check the victim for a pulse and breathing.
If the victim is conscious when removed from the water, and his pulse and breathing are preserved, it is enough to lay him on a flat, dry surface (his head should be down). Then it needs to be rubbed with a dry towel, preferably given hot coffee or tea (an adult can be given a little alcohol), wrapped warmly and allowed to rest. In case of severe hypothermia, it is recommended to rub the victim’s body (especially limbs) with camphor alcohol, vinegar, vodka or ammonia.
If the victim is unconscious when removed from the water, and the pulse and breathing, although preserved, are far from normal, it is necessary to throw back his head, push his lower jaw forward and lay him down so that his head is lowered low. Then, with your fingers wrapped in a handkerchief, you need to clean oral cavity from foreign bodies present there (silt, algae, sand), wipe the victim with a towel, wrap him warmly and let him lie down, constantly monitoring his pulse and breathing.
IF there is no pulse and breathing when removing the victim from the water or they suddenly disappear, you must immediately begin providing first aid. Get down on one knee and place the victim face down on the other bent knee. Make sure that the victim's head is lower than his chest.
By pressing forcefully on the area of the lungs and stomach, make sure that the water that the drowning person ingested flows out of the trachea and bronchi ( small child you can just take them by the legs, turn them upside down and shake them). Then use any cloth (handkerchief, piece of cloth or piece of clothing) to remove sand, mud, algae and remaining water from the mouth and throat.
After clearing the airway, place the victim on his back on a hard, flat surface and check that he is breathing. If there is no breathing, call an ambulance and immediately begin artificial ventilation (artificial respiration). Loosen any clothes that are tight around your chest. If the victim has dentures, remove them from the mouth.
Artificial respiration is usually performed in one of the known ways: mouth to mouth or mouth to nose. The essence of this procedure is the artificial introduction of air into the victim’s lungs. For example, when using the mouth-to-mouth method, a rescuer can introduce up to 1.5 liters of air into the victim’s lungs during one breath. Blowing air through the victim's mouth or nose into his lungs must be done sharply and energetically. You need to take at least 16–20 breaths per minute.
We've all seen people drown in movies. Therefore, we all know exactly what a drowning person looks like: he screams, begging for help, flounders in the water, hits the water with his hands and feet, raising clouds of splashes, periodically goes under the water, then emerges again, spitting and resuming his screams, but gradually under He finds himself in more and more water, but emerges less often. And if you imagine drowning in this way, as do the vast majority of people, then know that the person next to you can drown, and you won’t even notice it, because there is nothing in common with the movie picture of drowning and how it happens in actually. Everything would be fine, you never know, in what other ways does cinema embellish and dramatize reality, with one exception: drowning is the second most common cause of death in children from accidents, and approximately half of children drown in front of their parents, who do not come to help in time, because that they simply do not understand what is happening.
Why don't people drown like in the movies?
The actor’s task is to make it clear that some action is taking place, this is the essence of acting. In life, a drowning person cannot make it clear that he is drowning, due to physiological reasons, and therefore the process itself occurs so quickly, quietly and inexpressively that it is completely unsuitable for depiction in films. And now in a little more detail and in order:
1. A drowning person is unable to call for help. This happens because all his strength is spent on maintaining breathing, which is a primary, vital function. Speech is not such a thing, and therefore, when one’s breath is taken away, it is impossible to scream - unless a person, having quickly found his bearings, managed to do this before actually starting to drown, which happens extremely rarely. Then the person’s mouth goes under the water, and convulsive movements that allow one to stay afloat are not enough to take a full breath, exhale and ensure a cry. As a rule, in this state, the reserve of strength is only enough for a few abrupt inhalations and exhalations;
2. The human body does not lie flat on the water, beating with arms and legs, but is in an upright position. At the same time, the legs do not support the body in any way, at best they move spasmodically and ineffectively, and the arms make instinctive movements in an attempt to push off from the surface of the water, and therefore the person is also not able to swing his arms;
3. A drowning person not only cannot call for help or attract attention in any other way, but he also cannot perform meaningful actions, for example, make a jerk to the side lifebuoy or other life-saving devices. At this time, the deep structures of the psyche, the biological survival mechanism, are at work, the person is at the mercy of the strongest of instincts, and therefore calling on him and giving him instructions is completely useless, it is just a waste of precious time, which, by the way, is very little. The entire drowning process takes from 20 to 60 seconds. Thus, it can be described as extremely fast and silent.
State of panic
What about those people who beat the water with their hands and feet and loudly call for help? Does this mean that they are liars or overly emotional and fool around with trifles? Oddly enough, most often not. This behavior is characteristic of a state of panic - what sometimes precedes drowning. Panic, of course, may be wrong, but on the water you should never rely on chance and reassure yourself that perhaps this is a joke. Panic can be both a precursor to drowning and its immediate cause; this condition means that a person is in trouble. Unlike drowning itself, in a state of panic a person is capable of not only instinctive movements, he also reacts to commands from rescuers and can perform meaningful actions, since panic is a reaction of consciousness to an impending danger. You should know that the state of panic does not last long before a person begins to drown, and besides, it often does not happen at all - drowning people do not always have time to figure out what happened.
Signs that a person is drowning
So, the following signs most likely indicate that a person is drowning:
- The head does not rise completely above the water, the mouth is under water or at water level;
- A person is in the water vertically, pushing off the water with his hands and making movements with his feet, as if climbing a rope ladder;
- The person tries to lean back, while opening his mouth and taking convulsive breaths, trying to roll over onto his back;
- Gasps for air, breathing is sharp and short;
- The eyes are either closed or do not focus on objects, the gaze is meaningless, “thoughtful” - which, in combination with the previous signs, looks like dissonance;
- The hair hangs down, covering the eyes, and the person makes no attempt to move it away for better visibility.
How not to make a mistake
It is possible to say with absolute certainty that a person has drowned only after his lifeless body is pulled out of the water. Therefore, if you see warning signs of drowning or panic preceding it, if you assume that a person is in trouble, simply call out to him and ask if he is okay. If they don’t answer you or you get a blank stare in response, know that you need to act immediately, since you have extremely little time. 
Rules of conduct on the water for parents
Parents traveling to a pond with their children should know that they do not have the right to relax completely. Regardless of whether a child knows how to swim or not, he should be visible at all times. Do not rely too much on inflatable floating devices: bright circles, balls, colorful mattresses, funny toys and even supportive armbands and vests. On each of these items it is written that it is not a life-saving device, but is just a toy, the slightest damage, and this item will become an additional risk factor. Even if a child is splashing near the shore or in a “paddling pool,” be close, watch, and call out to him. Always be wary if your child is silent. Children are not characterized by silence, especially in water; if the squealing, happy screams and screams have died down, immediately go to the child and make sure that everything is okay with him.
The summer season has begun, people flocked to the sea, and sad statistics began to rise. People are mortal, and many die suddenly. Memento Mori. Keep your will on hand, keep your affairs in order, and give your social media passwords to your family just in case. These are the realities of our time. It’s easy to die, especially on vacation.
Notes from a Royal Thai Police volunteer. All the cases described are real and occurred in summer period holidays, Phuket is in low season at this time.
To understand the difference, here is the sea in the low season, many consider the waves to be fun, and swim with joy:
But in high:
In the high season there are fewer drownings.
So, when relaxing on the water, remember, people drown silently.
All these highly artistic cries for help and waving hands are fiction. The tips of the fingers will be at most above the water, and when floating above the surface, the person will first take a breath, well, as much as he can, and, as a rule, back into the water before he can shout for help.
People are drowning in silence. We were on the beach when a man rushed towards a vacationing couple, grabbing them by the shoulders and arms, jerking them using them as support, he rushed to their child who was drowning 4 meters behind them. It’s clear the scream, what a boor, I’m the same... and then quiet horror. The child was drowning behind them and they cooed and did not see it. And most importantly, they didn’t hear! Because people are drowning in silence.
A Russian man, 33 years old, flew in to celebrate his birthday. I started celebrating on the plane. Upon arrival in Phuket, I checked into Karon and went swimming, diving right into my pants and sweater. It started spinning, spinning, the clothes were heavy, and even filled with sand, and just like that, it pulled me down like a sack. He floated up, spun, his friends saw him, they thought he was swimming, diving, having fun. There were no screams.
When lifeguards are on duty at the beach or pool, they clearly look at the water in search of very specific patterns of behavior: flickering of their hands above the water, and emerging in the form of attempts to crawl along a rope, only grabbing the air with their hands. This is how people drown in 99% of cases.
And we are not yet discussing the features of coastal currents. When you dive under a wave near the shore, you emerge and see yourself being carried out to sea. You can't swim to the shore! Swim parallel until you see that you have come out of the reverse flow, and only after that, saving your strength, swim to the shore. Water is treacherous! I read somewhere that they mostly drown experienced swimmers, beginners work near the shore, mainly where the shore is under their feet. So if you think that this is not all about you, then it’s definitely about you.
Conclusions?
If you are traveling with children:Always keep an eye on your child, even if he is wearing armbands, he can slip out of them, even if he is in an inflatable ring, he can roll over in it. Always keep your eye on the child. Even if it is in your hands! My father was on the beach when a girl’s child was knocked out of her hands by a wave, but he was not visible in the foam of the sea and I don’t know where it was taken. The howl is not human. Panic. Precious time is running out before she can clearly cry out about the baby. Well, by this moment my father was already shouting at the top of his lungs that the child was in the water and everyone rushed to look for him. They snatched her out of the water 7m behind her. Alive. Lucky.
If you're on your own:
Don't drink! Blue in the glass leads to blue on your face. Well, come on after the beach and celebrate a wonderful day. It is very easy to lose orientation in the water and think that you are swimming upward. It is very easy to drown if you cramp a muscle. It is very easy to drown if your heart skips a beat from a sharp drop in the temperature of your extremities. Adults manage to drown even in waist-deep water!
I remember in Bangkok at the embassy I received documents, and on the table there was a stack of death certificates about two centimeters high, 8 out of 10 drowned, 2 out of 10 in an accident.
People are drowning in silence. Take care of yourself and be considerate of others.
© youllupukki 
About 40 people have drowned since the start of the swimming season.
Many people habitually spend their summer holidays near bodies of water to escape the heat. However, not all vacationers think about how dangerous the water element is for unattended children, people with poor health, lovers of “stronger things,” and simply for those who, while having fun, have lost their vigilance.
Last weekend, three people drowned in the republic’s reservoirs. One of the tragedies occurred in the village of Cucuruzen, Orhei district. The search for the eight-year-old child lasted several hours, and divers found his body. Another incident was registered in the Soldanesti region, where a 29-year-old man drowned. A similar incident occurred in the Taraclia region. A 38-year-old local resident became the victim of careless swimming.
Since the beginning of the swimming season, about 40 people have drowned, 7 of them are children. What pulls people to the bottom? AiF in Moldova correspondent tried to figure this out.
Beware of the "green serpent"
For many, outdoor recreation is associated with fried aromatic food and alcohol. Trying to cool off in a river after drinking a lot of alcohol can lead to very sad consequences.
“In my practice, most of those who drowned were intoxicated,” said rescuer with 10 years of experience from the village of Vatra Victor Drochev. – Drinking alcohol impairs coordination of movements, slows down reaction speed, and dulls the sense of danger. In this state, not only swimming, but even walking along the shore is problematic. Because of this, it is often very difficult to understand whether a person is drowning or not. A drowning person may not always scream or attract attention in any other way. At the moment when a person begins to go under water, the only thing he is trying to do is to stay afloat and, having emerged, inhale at least a little oxygen. The rescuer’s task in this case is to monitor what is happening on the water and act immediately. If you are vacationing in areas where there are no rescue workers, do not lose sight of your relatives or friends and do not leave other vacationers in the lurch if you notice something wrong.”
The main thing is not to panic
When we find ourselves in a life-threatening situation, our subconscious mind forces us to behave unpredictably. Some experience a sharp surge of adrenaline, the heart speeds up, providing a surge of strength, while others are lost, not knowing what to do, and fall into a state of shock. Regardless of individual mental characteristics, in a critical situation a person is mastered by the basic instinct of self-preservation.
“Traditionally, we are designed in such a way that all the mechanisms of our subconscious are aimed at preserving life. Starting to drown, we will try by all means to survive. It is very important, no matter how difficult it may be, not to panic, push all negative thoughts into the background and think quickly possible ways salvation. As soon as panic takes hold of us, it becomes almost impossible to control our movements. You should understand that unnecessary worries will not help the matter, but will only exhaust you, putting your life at even greater risk,” she shared with “AiF in Moldova” psychologist Lyudmila Rusu.
Sucked in by a dangerous quagmire
It is worth noting that most of the reported accidents occurred in the waters of the Dniester. Security Specialist environment Anton Alexandrov explained the possible reasons for this: “The Dniester has a fairly strong current and character mountain river. This, together with the uneven depth of the bottom and the narrow channel, contributes to the formation of so-called funnels and other eddies. Because of this, a person often cannot overcome the water element, even if he knows how to swim well. People generally do not calculate their strengths and capabilities while on the water, and simply fail when trying to swim across a river or diving in places unknown to them, where dangerous places and/or anomalous zones may await them.”
adviсe
How to properly prepare for swimming
4 Go to cold water should be done gradually. This is necessary so that the muscles are able to adapt to the temperature and there are no cramps. For the same purpose, before taking water procedures It is recommended to do light exercises and stretch your muscles - this will improve blood circulation.
4 You should not swim in bodies of water where there are no life-saving stations. And in rivers and lakes, do not swim beyond the swimming area marked by buoys.
4 Don't swim during a thunderstorm.
4 Don't swim long distances. If such a swim happens, calculate your capabilities, including the return trip. So, if you feel that you have no strength left for the return swim, DO NOT SWIM! The risk could cost you your life. Get back by boat or bridge. At the very least, get a good rest - let your body recover properly.
4 If you feel that you are starting to drown, do not panic, save your remaining strength and breath, give signs to the saviors and other people. To stay on the water, lie on your back so that only your face (respiratory organs) remains on the surface, and make light movements with your legs and arms underwater. In this state, a person can, using a minimum of effort, long time be on the surface. Keep in mind that your entire body should be submerged, including your ears and hair. The more part of our body we immerse in water, the more life-saving buoyant force will act on us. Every swimmer should know this technique.