Drowning can happen quickly, and it’s also quiet. When someone is drowning, they can’t call for help. They need to breathe before they can yell, and they’re too busy trying to get air. Their mouth may bob up and down, rising just above the surface before going back under again.
Their arms may be out to the side or in front of them, since someone who is drowning will push down in the water to try and lift their head up for air. Their head is usually low in the water and may be tilted either up or down, as if they’re looking at something up in the sky or down at something in the bottom of the pool.
If you see someone struggling in the water like this, call for an adult to help. If there are no adults around, look for a rope pr pole you can use to pull them to the edge, or try to find something that floats that you can through to them. It’s best not to try to help them yourself, since they might pull you under in their panic. So don’t go in after them unless it’s a little kid and you can retrieve them without putting yourself in danger.
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If someone is at the bottom of the pool but they aren’t swimming, or they’re underwater but don’t seem to be moving, that’s a pretty good sing of someone in trouble. If you see this, start shouting for help to let adults know someone might be drowning.
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It’s important for kids to know these warning signs and pay attention to all the other swimmers around them. Sometimes kids will drown in pools filled with people, all because the other kids around them don’t know they are in trouble. So if you see someone who looks like they might be drowning, you need to be that voice: call out for help. The sooner they are rescued, the better the chance of reviving them. You might just save a life!
The end!
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