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I could spot a few - but was faster than the lifeguard only once. (Well, before they came into view, considering the time it took before they came into view I

I could spot a few - but was faster than the lifeguard only once. (Well, before they came into view, considering the time it took before they came into view I was probably slower). It'd be a lot harder in real life, when you don't know if there's going to be a drowning kid.. being prepared is half the game.

dsfyu404ed 7y ago
It's easier in real life because nobody just jumps in the deep end and starts drowning. When you're doing nothing but watching the pool you notice who is and isn't a strong swimmer and focus your attention on the kids who look like they're a higher risk. Also when you do it all day you get good. Most people who are struggling will know it and make it to the side of the pool with no issues so you get a lot of experience identifying what "not drowning but might soon" looks like.
- chii 7y ago
  you can drown even if youre a strong swimmer. a cramp in your feet/abdomen can cause you to drown.
  - keanzu 7y ago
    I've had severe cramps in my legs/feet many times in deep ocean water with no-one around. If you drown from a foot cramp you are not a strong swimmer.
    - AstralStorm 7y ago
      Or you're incorrectly trained. You should always be able to flip and float on your back if push comes to shove, and in that position you can swim just using your arms.
      - JoeAltmaier 7y ago
        Floating on your back is only possible for a subset of the population. There are plenty of people who simply sink when on their back, and must kick or more their arms constantly to stay afloat. FWIW
        ben7799 7y ago
        This is improper training. (Former WSI here) Especially in the ocean. The Salinity in the ocean makes it very easy for a well trained swimmer to float. People who sink on their back haven't been trained to maintain enough air in their lungs and/or use minimal arm/leg effort to assist. Also they are probably not leaning their head back far enough. (Head position being a massive component of the problem for non-swimmers.) Anyone who is a "swimmer" can float prone or supine with minimal effort and work out a foot or stomach cramp. I couldn't even count the # of times I've had foot cramps while swimming and stopped and floated and massaged the cramp out. Floating prone is always the better solution for working out a cramp. I taught adults in private lessons who had this "problem". It goes away with training.
        JoeAltmaier 7y ago
        And at Scout Camp each year we always had some. It doesn't go away with training. Whether its body fat or lung capacity, whatever, they simply sink to the bottom no matter how big a breath they take or the 'head position' explanation. They can be 'swimmer' and still not be physically capable of floating on their back. The ocean is a different matter I'm sure.
        eric_h 7y ago
        When I was a kid I would sink with a full breath of air (in a pool). I learned the back float and the dead man's float in swim lessons but I still needed to move some water with my hands to stay on the surface. I enjoyed the fact that swimming in the ocean was easier since I didn't have to exert myself at all to float. Nowadays my BMI is such that I float in all bodies of water ;)
- kungtotte 7y ago
  Eh, anecdotally, I almost drowned when I was a kid before I learned to swim by literally jumping in too deep water. This was in the ocean and not a pool, but I walked out on the bridge to the first division and jumped in because I knew that it was shallow enough there for me to stand on the bottom with my head over the water. Except it was at highwater now, so my head ended up I'd say almost a foot under water. I landed on the bottom and managed to contain my panic enough to kick off and angle myself so I'd go towards shore and not away from it. In the end I was fine, but a lifeguard watching me would've been caught totally unawares.

dsfyu404ed 7y ago

It's easier in real life because nobody just jumps in the deep end and starts drowning. When you're doing nothing but watching the pool you notice who is and isn't a strong swimmer and focus your attention on the kids who look like they're a higher risk. Also when you do it all day you get good. Most people who are struggling will know it and make it to the side of the pool with no issues so you get a lot of experience identifying what "not drowning but might soon" looks like.

chii 7y ago
you can drown even if youre a strong swimmer. a cramp in your feet/abdomen can cause you to drown.
- keanzu 7y ago
  I've had severe cramps in my legs/feet many times in deep ocean water with no-one around. If you drown from a foot cramp you are not a strong swimmer.
  - AstralStorm 7y ago
    Or you're incorrectly trained. You should always be able to flip and float on your back if push comes to shove, and in that position you can swim just using your arms.
    - JoeAltmaier 7y ago
      Floating on your back is only possible for a subset of the population. There are plenty of people who simply sink when on their back, and must kick or more their arms constantly to stay afloat. FWIW
      - ben7799 7y ago
        This is improper training. (Former WSI here) Especially in the ocean. The Salinity in the ocean makes it very easy for a well trained swimmer to float. People who sink on their back haven't been trained to maintain enough air in their lungs and/or use minimal arm/leg effort to assist. Also they are probably not leaning their head back far enough. (Head position being a massive component of the problem for non-swimmers.) Anyone who is a "swimmer" can float prone or supine with minimal effort and work out a foot or stomach cramp. I couldn't even count the # of times I've had foot cramps while swimming and stopped and floated and massaged the cramp out. Floating prone is always the better solution for working out a cramp. I taught adults in private lessons who had this "problem". It goes away with training.
        JoeAltmaier 7y ago
        And at Scout Camp each year we always had some. It doesn't go away with training. Whether its body fat or lung capacity, whatever, they simply sink to the bottom no matter how big a breath they take or the 'head position' explanation. They can be 'swimmer' and still not be physically capable of floating on their back. The ocean is a different matter I'm sure.
        eric_h 7y ago
        When I was a kid I would sink with a full breath of air (in a pool). I learned the back float and the dead man's float in swim lessons but I still needed to move some water with my hands to stay on the surface. I enjoyed the fact that swimming in the ocean was easier since I didn't have to exert myself at all to float. Nowadays my BMI is such that I float in all bodies of water ;)
kungtotte 7y ago
Eh, anecdotally, I almost drowned when I was a kid before I learned to swim by literally jumping in too deep water. This was in the ocean and not a pool, but I walked out on the bridge to the first division and jumped in because I knew that it was shallow enough there for me to stand on the bottom with my head over the water. Except it was at highwater now, so my head ended up I'd say almost a foot under water. I landed on the bottom and managed to contain my panic enough to kick off and angle myself so I'd go towards shore and not away from it. In the end I was fine, but a lifeguard watching me would've been caught totally unawares.