According to Wikipedia [1], water in the lungs has some nasty effects aside from just oxygen deprivation. Lungs have such a huge internal surface area to allow

According to Wikipedia [1], water in the lungs has some nasty effects aside from just oxygen deprivation. Lungs have such a huge internal surface area to allow things to diffuse in and out of the bloodstream, including water. Unless you were breathing an isotonic saline solution, your blood would quickly become either too thick or too dilute to support life. [1]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drowning#Pathophysiology http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drowning#Pathophysiology