Always trust yourself. Any suspicion on your part is more than enough reason to go help. These guards have excellent reactions and don't try to make a judgement call between distress and drowning. While new to the job, I hesitated trying to verify patrons needed a rescue instead of going in immediately.
While this is anecdotal, I also found that poor treaders often made attempts to move to more secure depths. Struggling is no fun, and most people swim to have fun. The dangerous cases were people who did not know their swimming ability chasing family into the deep end.
Lastly we didn't allow floaties in the water, and I think everyone who sees this video should notice the trend and think twice about them.
Watch the face, arms and legs, and water surface. A swimmer in distress has his mouth as high as possible, may be flailing a little with his arms, barely kicks (if at all), barely disturbs the surface of the water, and goes under repeatedly.
But as a lifeguard, I helped weak swimmers, and then requested very firmly that they stay in shallow water. I also took their names so I could get their attention quickly if they wandered too close to the deep end.
Do adults drown as often as children?
When an adult or adolescent drowns, it looks exactly the same, they're much more dangerous to would-be helpers, and half the time they're drunk and surrounded by drunk people.
Deaths per 100,000 people (drowning), Canada, 2006-2010:
0-4: 1.1
5-12: 0.6
13-17: 0.9
18-24: 2.2
24-34: 1.6
34-49: 1.4
50-64: 1.7
65+: 1.6
I don't have the source handy, but I'll try to dig it up.
Edit: Source - http://www.lifesavingsociety.com/media/157475/2013-cdndrowni...
http://webappa.cdc.gov/sasweb/ncipc/mortrate10_us.html
I did 18-24, it says 1.18.
24-34, 0.98.
5-12, 0.49.
I wonder what factors into the differences. I'm sure things like number of guarded facilities, number of swimmers and amount of swim classes are important, it's the specific differences that would be interesting.
I've played water polo for several years. When participating in an activity where it's mandatory to wear a life jacket, I do, but is there really a point?
But first: another water poloist! Awesome! Water polo was pretty small in my area, so we didn't have a lot of talent in the pool. (Pun intended.) I swam distance on the swim team and was a decent sprinter, so my coach had me play both offensive and defensive hole. My best friend could keep his navel above the water for minutes, so he played keeper behind me. I still love to get my hands on a ball and demo the backwards corner shot. Fun times.
Conscious able swimmers have usually been taught how to lie still and float on their backs, or will figure it out quickly if in calm water. They can often call for help, and will do so, interspersed with periods of rest. (Shouting takes a lot of energy.) If the water is warm, they might have hours to get rescued. If the water is cold or even just lukewarm, how long they have depends on a lot of factors, especially the temperature and whether hypothermia is setting in - but in any case they have a lot less time.
Able swimmers, especially those who are good enough to swim a mile, often underestimate the effects of cold water on the body.
They also tend to underestimate the tremendous strength of moving water. Anybody in moving water who is in distress should be helped ASAP, no matter how good they are at swimming. Moving water is a destroyer and an equalizer.
That leaves us with unconscious swimmers. Nobody swims well while unconscious. :) If there's a chance something could knock you out, whether a boat, an overhanging branch, exposure to cold water, or (for those of extended age) a heart attack, put on a well-fitting life jacket.
In my team the hole would go defend number 3 usually. Defending the other hole is intense.
I see, moving water, cold water and being knocked out. Thanks for the explanation!
But at least keep the life jacket near you (ie on the boat), that way you can put it on if necessary - and never ever go out unless there is a suitable life jacket for every person on the boat.
Also never wear an inflated life jacket inside a ship (if it sinks and you become trapped you can't escape).
>Many passengers died because they inflated their life jackets in the cabin, causing them to be trapped inside by the rising water. This led to future notices about not inflating the vests before exiting the plane.
[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethiopian_Airlines_Flight_961
Also, how do you differentiate the drowning response from someone that's just bad at treading water and floats low in the water? They might both be bobbing just in and out of the water, but one of them can just transition to floating on their back and the other is trying to not drown. (I haven't swam in forever and don't know if I can even swim anymore, but I was reminded of childhood swimming lesson tests.)