The Worst Way to Save a Drowning Person

I have always been a strong swimmer, and in high school I was on the swim team, so when I graduated high school, I was excited to have the opportunity to become a swim teacher and lifeguard. During my first day of lifeguard training, I learned something very interesting about saving someone who is drowning- jumping in the pool is always the last resort and the worst option.

What? Then why do we have to be in such good shape? Why all the endurance tests? When you see someone drowning on a television show, the first thing the TV lifeguard does is jump in the pool... right? That day, I was shown the best way to save a drowning person, and it made a lot of sense. It became the first safety tip I taught all of my swim lesson kids- even the four-year-olds. Okay, so maybe the kindergarteners didn't quite grasp the importance of this rescue revelation, but someday it might come in handy.

Now, I would like to teach you the basic information you need to know to save a drowning person. Now to be precise, let's get a bit more specific. When I refer to a "drowning person" for the purpose of this lesson, I am referring to someone who is actively drowning. Essentially, this is a person who is conscious. This means the little girl who just realized that she accidentally doggie paddled into the deep end and has now panicked. This is the kid who got pushed in the pool by his friends, only to expose the fact that he can't swim. This is the little boy who went down the waterslide in the deep end, even though he has reached the pool and now obviously can't swim. This is the grown man who is having a heart attack and can't seem to keep swimming. This is the swim team member who is not feeling well and is having an asthma attack in the pool. Basically, this is anyone who is in the pool struggling, still basically at the surface of the pool.

By now, you are probably asking, "Why can't I jump in and save the person?" There are several reasons for this.

Reason#1- A conscious drowning victim is most likely panicking. It is amazing the strength a panicked person will have.

In their swinging and struggling, you are likely to get knocked out.