recognise drowning
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Can You Spot a Person Drowning?
WebMD's short video using real lifeguard rescue footage to demonstrate how invisible drowning looks to untrained observers. Pairs the visual evidence with a checklist of the Instinctive Drowning Response signs first documented by Dr. Francesco Pia. Essential viewing for any parent or riverside resident.
Transcript
Key teaching points:
1. Drowning people cannot call for help — the respiratory system is fully occupied trying to breathe.
2. Look for a head low in the water, mouth at water level, often tilted back.
3. Eyes are glassy, unfocused, or closed; hair may cover the face.
4. The body is vertical with no kicking; arms press down on the surface as if climbing a ladder.
5. The behaviour lasts only 20 to 60 seconds before the victim sinks.
6. The strongest single rule for parents: when children playing in water suddenly go quiet, go to them.