BMG - 6-29-2010 at 09:35 PM
Everyone who spends any time around water needs to read this. It may help you save someone's life.
A must read article from USCG rescue Swimmer Mario Vittone.
BajaBruno - 6-29-2010 at 09:58 PM
Very interesting article. Thanks for posting.
redhilltown - 6-29-2010 at 10:53 PM
I was unfortunately at San Quintin last year fishing when three local girls drowned right off the shore in condition similar to what he states
here...no yelling, no splashing, and quite close to shore. You can't keep too close of an eye on kids in these situations and if a few people read
this post and bone up on their first aid and cpr, it can't be a bad thing. (if anyone here is in S.Q. and knows of the incident and how things turned
out could you please U2U me?)
KASHEYDOG - 6-29-2010 at 11:17 PM
Great article BMG. Thanks for sharing. It will make a change in the way I watch people in the water from now on. 
irenemm - 6-29-2010 at 11:42 PM
Thanks for the post. I have learned something from this. i am sure anyone who reads it will learn something from it.
redhilltown
I live just north of San Quintin and will find out about the girls. I know at the beach here. Over the years a few people have died. We have a bad
undertow and it has claimed a few lifes.
thanks for the information
Cypress - 6-30-2010 at 05:56 AM
BMG, Thanks.
Tbone - 6-30-2010 at 06:37 AM
This is something I will share with all of my friends. Thanks
larryC - 6-30-2010 at 06:40 AM
And, just as a follow up, if you ever find yourself in a situation where you have saved someone from drowning or near drowning. Even if they seem fine
at the moment, get that person to some medical help. Sometimes the lungs will fill with fluids after a near drowning, and the person can stop
breathing, it is called "parking lot drowning" can't remember all the details but it is not all that uncommon.
Larry
Natalie Ann - 6-30-2010 at 09:49 AM
wow. I had no idea that's what happens as a person drowns. Makes perfect sense, though.
As KASHEYDOG said, this will make a big difference in how I watch people in the water from now on.
Thanks BMG for posting this. Already I've emailed to friends.
nena
Woooosh - 6-30-2010 at 10:03 AM
I had the bejeezus scared out of me a few years back when a two year old nephew stepped into our pool. He just walked in like he was expecting to
walk on water. I was right next to him. He went all the way to the bottom and just looked up at me through the water with the calmest look. He
reached his hands up to me and I just reached down, pulled him out by his hands and stood him up on the pool deck. No panic on him at all- until his
mother and everyone else freaked out and everything came apart...
As a youth in high school we skipped school one day to swim across Walden Pond. I swam across and back and then spotted a friend going under in the
middle. No panic, nothing. I just swam out and towed him back in (had my Red Cross junior lifeguard training). We never even talked about it...
Mexitron - 6-30-2010 at 10:09 AM
Thanks---good to know!
Bajame - 6-30-2010 at 10:15 AM
One time in Santa Monica my husband and I were swimming when suddenly I lost all my energy! Couldn't cry for help and thought it was over for me. My
husband saw the frantic look on my face and caught me before I went down what was probably for the last time!!! Ever since then I wear a water skiing
band just for protection in any water over my head.
DianaT - 6-30-2010 at 10:38 AM
Really a great article and a great post. Thank you for sharing it---we are passing it on to many people.
THANKS
Diana
Way Back When
MrBillM - 6-30-2010 at 12:50 PM
Probably around '82 during Easter Break in Percebu, in the first of the many drownings over the years while I've been there, there was a College-Age
lad out in the Lagoon Snorkeling and being ignored by everyone else (who were, no doubt, mostly blasted) until someone noticed that there was
NO Snorkel.
No telling how long the Kid had been floating around dead with swimmers all around. It was remarked that it was a good thing the tide hadn't been
ebbing or he might have ended up on the way to La Paz.
postholedigger - 6-30-2010 at 01:04 PM
Facebooking this...
Marc - 6-30-2010 at 06:53 PM
As a competitive open water long distance swimmer (distant past) I tend to be somewhat cavalier about what is going on in and on the water. What feels
so natural to some can be so deadly to others. Thanks for this input.
Juanita - 6-30-2010 at 07:33 PM
Great post! I didn't know this had a description and was classic. Once I was tending a toddler in the pool. I was sitting on the edge and he was on
the steps. I took my eyes off him for a moment and when I looked back he was in just that position, arms out but motionless, big eyes looking up a me
underwater and all in complete silence. I just had time to think "What on Earth!" and grab him and he was okay, had not inhaled water. Thank you for
bringing this to my attention.
bacquito - 6-30-2010 at 07:59 PM
Very good article, thanks!
bajafam - 6-30-2010 at 08:20 PM
Excellent article. I shared on FB as well.
Dewey - 6-30-2010 at 09:20 PM
Good article. I was a seasonal beach lifeguard for 30 years. I would add three things. 1. People in trouble in the surf look back at the beach.
When you start seeing faces the swimmers are starting to get worried. 2. If they are in a rip they are probably in trouble even if they don't show
any of the signs yet. 3. Don't try to make a surf rescue unless you really know what you are doing and have the proper equipment. (minimum, a
torpedo buoy (sometimes called a can) and fins)
Woooosh - 7-1-2010 at 12:44 PM
How long before we see EMILY in action locally? umm... probably never.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-20009180-1.html
[Edited on 7-1-2010 by Woooosh]
windgrrl - 7-1-2010 at 12:53 PM
Thanks, BMG. This is excellent information.
BajaBlanca - 7-3-2010 at 11:19 AM
so true ... have seen it happen to kids as described a couple times. And I was once rescued as a kid when I tried to help a friend who couldn't swim
and fell into a "hole" in Miami. She never made a sound but was definitely going under. When I got to her, she climbed on top of me (instinct). Lucky
for me, a woman saw me go under and saved us.
Looking Back
MrBillM - 7-3-2010 at 04:54 PM
People looking back at the beach in Trouble ?
Based on that, there should be a few million rescues each year.
desertcpl - 7-3-2010 at 06:30 PM
great article,, I am passing this on to my kids
Maderita - 7-11-2010 at 01:52 PM
Thanks BMG, for posting the link. Your timing was fortunate for one lucky soul. You have already saved one life by taking a few minutes of your day to
post!
Here's my account of the incident:
Read your post and the article while at home in San Diego on July 1st.
Two days later, with the forecast for huge waves and ripe mangos, I was on a plane bound for Los Cabos.
Arrived at the beach in San Jose del Cabo soon after sunrise on the 4th of July. "Old Man's" for those who know the break. A big swell was generating
near "double overhead" faces, 10' + in height.
I'm not particularly skilled, had an unfamiliar rental board, and hadn't been surfing since last October. It was intimidating, so I sat and observed
the break for several minutes, memorizing the location of the visible and submerged rocks, while noting the condition of waves breaking at the outer,
3rd reef. Particularly troubling was the alarmingly short interval between waves. I'm used to waiting several minutes for a big set to roll in. That
allows time to rest, catch a breath of air, and plan for a takeoff. More importantly, a longer interval and big sets, separated by some minutes, gives
a chance to paddle back out without getting "Maytagged" (a reference to a washing machine). Then there was the powerful flow of a rip current to
contend with. All of that water coming in must go back out! I knew that paddling out would be difficult and unpleasant, but with the rip pulling at a
45 degree angle toward the rocks, it would be dangerous too.
A "soft top" board, sans leash or rider, was washing toward the shore. At the time, it seemed odd that someone would be out in those conditions on
what is usually considered a beginner's board. I looked around for the owner. That proved to be futile as I couldn't see over the inner waves, and the
outer waves were far in the distance.
Starting from the far right side of the beach, my paddle out was laborious. Within a couple minutes, the rocks on the left side of the beach were
uncomfortably close as the rip was an unforgiving river. Arms felt like lead weights as I had to pull even harder and faster. The conditions were
humbling and forward progress was mostly nullified by each successive, already broken, wave. What felt like 10 minutes was probably only 3 minutes.
So focused had I been on getting out, with the onslaught of monster whitewater ahead of me, that I didn't notice a guy in the water until I was almost
upon him. He was vertical in the water, not swimming nor flailing. His arms and hands never broke the surface.
His eyes were open, but with a vacant appearance. He looked absolutely calm, as if he might be out for a relaxing swim. I thought, "Oh, there's the
guy who lost the soft board. He will catch (bodysurf) a wave in soon enough" as I continued to paddle. There was something incongruent that caught my
attention. It wasn't until some hours later that I realized that while my eyes saw a benign situation, it didn't match my conscious thoughts and
newfound awareness, after having read the article on drowning victims.
I stopped paddling and asked him if he was okay. No answer, though he was looking my direction. He went under, between waves, and came back up spewing
saltwater out of his mouth. He was in aquatic distress. I rapidly covered the remaining 30' to him as he barely managed to vocalize pieces of the
words, "Help, I'm drowning." Flipping my board around, I shoved it toward him, tail- first, and pulled him aboard. He had the ability to cling to the
board as I hung on to the side and steered for the beach, navigating between the jagged rocks.
The unbelievable timing of this article probably saved his life. He was likely only a minute or two, perhaps merely seconds, from going under and
being bashed upon the rocks.
That was one relieved dude as we walked down the sandy beach. I sat on the beach and watched for the remainder of that morning. But karma was good;
the next 5 days were filled with fantastic surfing and the mangos were perfectly tree-ripened.
Barry A. - 7-11-2010 at 02:19 PM
All great stuff!!!! Thanks, BMG for starting this awareness, and getting all out attention. Sobering stories, for sure!!!
We should keep 'bumping' this story to the top of the list, at least for a few weeks.
Barry
vgabndo - 7-11-2010 at 06:23 PM
Instinctive drowning response...I'd never heard that. I remember a time when a drunken hippie fell out of a little rubber boat into the Trinity River
without a life jacket. He survived a quick thrashing in a shallow rapid then was immediately dropped into a little keeper hole. The fight was four
breaths long, viscious, to the death, speechless.
There was this conscious thought that came with the cessation of panic and pain: I'll be damned, I never thought I was going to drown!
I bit later as the lifeless body drifted out of the bottom of the reversal there was an image of sand ripples on the bottom, and a consciousness to
push off. From deep slow moving water, the dumb hippie who was obviously me, rose to the surface and rescue.
I've always felt that there was a protective mechanism in our brains which "turned off the horror". It certainly did for me.
Interesting stuff...
BajaBlanca - 7-11-2010 at 07:33 PM
Maderita, what a story.
Barry A. - 7-12-2010 at 10:07 AM
Bump---------this is important stuff, I think.
Barry
Maderita - 9-7-2011 at 12:56 AM
Bump for a link to the Spanish translation of the article:
http://mariovittone.com/2010/08/el-que-se-ahoga-no-parece-ah...
(Notes: Spanish translation revised by Luis Miguel Pascual, Escuela Segoviana de Socorrismo ESS Technical Manager
Traducción al español revisada por Luis Miguel Pascual, Director Técnico de la Escuela Segoviana de Socorrismo.)
El nuevo capitán saltó desde la cubierta, completamente vestido y esprintó en el agua. Como antiguo Socorrista, mantuvo los ojos en la víctima
mientras se dirigía directamente hacia una pareja que nadaba entre su lancha fondeada y la playa. “Me parece que piensa que te estás ahogando”, dijo
el marido a su esposa. Habían estado jugando a mojarse entre sí, y habían gritado, pero ahora estaban de pie, parados en el fondo de arena con el agua
hasta el cuello. “Estamos bien, ¿qué está haciendo?” Le preguntó, un poco molesta la mujer a su marido. “¡Estamos bien!” gritó el marido agitando los
brazos, pero el capitán continuó nadando con fuerza. “¡Muévete!” ladró mientras pasaba entre la aturdida pareja. Justo detrás de ellos, apenas a tres
metros, su hija de nueve años se estaba ahogando. A salvo, en los brazos del capitán, ya con la cabeza fuera del agua, la niña estalló en llanto y
grito “¡Papá!”.
¿Cómo supo este capitán, desde una distancia de quince metros, lo que el padre no pudo reconocer a tan sólo tres? El ahogamiento no es como la gente
piensa. No involucra violencia ni drama, ni salpicaduras frenéticas, ni los gritos de ayuda que la mayoría de la gente espera. El capitán había
recibido entrenamiento y tenía años de experiencia para reconocer a una persona en proceso de ahogarse. El padre, por el contrario, había aprendido
como las personas aparentan ahogarse mirando la televisión. Si usted pasa algún tiempo en o cerca del agua (y eso se aplica a todos nosotros) entonces
debe asegurarse de que tanto usted como sus acompañantes saben como reconocer las señales de alarma siempre que alguien esta en el agua. Hasta que la
niña gritó entre lágrimas: “Papá”, no había hecho el menor ruido. Como ex-nadador de rescate de la Guardia Costera de los Estados Unidos, no me
sorprendió en absoluto esta historia. El ahogamiento es casi siempre un acontecimiento “decepcionantemente” silencioso. Los gestos, salpicaduras y
gritos asociados al condicionamiento que las largas horas de televisión y cine nos han inculcado que debemos buscar, raramente suceden en la vida
real.
La Respuesta Instintiva de Ahogamiento (RIDA) llamada así por el doctor Francesco A. Pia, es lo que hacen las personas para evitar la asfixia real o
percibida en el agua. Y no es como la mayoría de la gente espera. Hay muy pocas salpicaduras, no hay brazos agitándose, ni gritos o llamadas de
auxilio de ningún tipo. Para tener una idea de lo silencioso y poco dramático que puede ser el proceso de ahogamiento visto desde la superficie,
considere esto: es la segunda causa de muerte accidental en niños de 15 años o menos (sólo después de los accidentes de coches) y de los
aproximadamente 750 niños que se ahogarán el próximo año en los Estados Unidos, unos 375 de ellos lo harán a menos de 25 metros de un familiar u otro
adulto. En el diez por ciento de los ahogamientos, el adulto presenciará la escena, sin percatarse de lo que está pasando (fuente: CDC) porque el
proceso de ahogamiento no se ve como tal. El Dr. Pia, en un artículo publicado en la revista de la Guardia Costera estadounidense “On Scene”,
describió así la Respuesta Instintiva de Ahogamiento:
1 – Excepto en raras circunstancias, las personas que se ahogan son fisiológicamente incapaces de pedir ayuda. El sistema respiratorio fue diseñado
para respirar y el habla es una función secundaria. Se debe respirar antes de poder hablar.
2 – La boca de las personas en riesgo de ahogarse se hunde y reaparece alternativamente sobre la superficie del agua y no permanece por encima de la
superficie el tiempo suficiente para exhalar, inhalar, y pedir ayuda. Cuando las vías aéreas de los personas que se ahogan está por encima de la
superficie, exhalan e inhalan rápidamente, mientras vuelven a descender por debajo de la superficie del agua.
3 – Las personas en vías de ahogarse no pueden pedir ayuda con movimientos de los brazos. La naturaleza instintiva de la respuesta hace que extiendan
los brazos lateralmente y los muevan ejerciendo presión en la superficie del agua para sustentarse. Este empuje permitiría a las víctimas elevar su
cuerpo para sacar la boca fuera del agua y poder respirar.
4 – Durante la RIDA, la víctima no puede controlar voluntariamente los movimientos de sus brazos. Debido a esta respuesta fisiológica, las personas
que están luchando en la superficie del agua no pueden realizar movimientos voluntarios tales como agitar las manos para pedir ayuda, moverse hacia un
rescatador o alcanzar un flotador u otro dispositivo de rescate.
5 – Del principio al fin de la RIDA las víctimas mantienen una posición corporal vertical en el agua sin que haya evidencias de que utilicen las
piernas para sustentarse. A menos que sean rescatados por un Socorrista debidamente entrenado, las víctimas sólo puede luchar en la superficie del
agua durante 20 a 60 segundos antes de que se sumerjan.
(Fuente: On Scene Magazine, Otoño 2006, pag 14)
Esto no quiere decir que una persona que está gritando por ayuda y agitando los brazos no tenga un problema real, probablemente están experimentando
lo que se conoce como Estrés Acuático. No siempre presente antes de la RIDA, el estrés acuático no dura mucho tiempo, pero a diferencia de un
ahogamiento real, estas personas pueden ayudar en su propio rescate y son capaces de agarrar cuerdas o un salvavidas.
Preste atención a estos otros signos de ahogamiento cuando las personas están en el agua:
■Cabeza metida en el agua, boca al nivel de la superficie.
■Cabeza inclinada hacia atrás con la boca abierta
■Ojos vidriosos y vacíos, incapaces de enfocar
■Ojos cerrados
■Pelo sobre la frente o los ojos
■No usan las piernas – Vertical
■Hiperventilación o jadeo
■Tratar de nadar en una dirección determinada, pero sin lograr avanzar.
■Tratar de flotar sobre la espalda.
■Movimientos alternativos de brazos y piernas, como si estuviesen subiendo una escalera vertical.
Así que si un miembro de la tripulación cae al agua y todo parece estar bien, no este demasiado seguro. A veces, la indicación más común de que
alguien se está ahogando es que no parece que se esté ahogando. Puede parecer como si estuviera andando en el agua y mirando hacia arriba, a la
cubierta o la orilla.
¿Cómo estar seguros?. Pregúntele: “¿Estás bien?” Si no es capaz de responder probablemente está en problemas. Si se recibe una mirada inexpresiva,
entonces tiene menos de 30 segundos para rescatarlos.
Y para los padres: los niños que juegan en el agua hacen ruido. Cuando estén en silencio, hay que acercarse y averiguar por qué.
sd - 9-7-2011 at 05:49 AM
Great information! I spent the labor day weekend in Newport Beach and visited the "Wedge", a well known big wave break used mostly by skilled body
boarders.
It was a big wave day, and the lifeguard spent most of his time getting small kids away from the water, as their parents watched the kids from a large
berm. About every 45 minutes the waves would come all the way up to where the non swimmers would have been playing had it not been for the lifeguard
on duty.
Amazing, the parents often did not respect these warnings, and the kids would return and the parents would then be educated by the lifeguard who asked
the parents to keep their kids up high on the berm for their own safety.
Lack of understanding the power of the waves, and lack of respecting those who are trying to protect.
BMG
Baja Bernie - 9-9-2011 at 09:21 PM
Most confused...is this Anna or Steve.
BMG Passed Away
Gypsy Jan - 9-9-2011 at 10:27 PM
And, if I remember correctly, his wife requested that his icon should be retired.
bacquito - 9-10-2011 at 06:15 PM
Good information!
Barry A. - 9-10-2011 at 07:57 PM
Excellent, BMG thank you, and "bump"
Barry
TMW - 9-11-2011 at 10:38 AM
I sent the article to my brother and he sent this back.
"Mother said she was on A sled that broke through the ice ,she said she felt very cold and she held her breath as long as she could and then she got
warm and went to sleep when she woke some one had rescued her and she was very cold and wet . probably A near death experience"