Authorities say five people have died on a river in Ohio after several of them went into the water to assist another person who was struggling to swim.
Trying to save a drowning person is incredibly dangerous, a panicking person will grab on and flail and pull you under until you are too exhausted to stay afloat yourself, even if you are a strong swimmer.
That said…I don’t think I would be able to just stand and watch either, even knowing the above.
Paradoxically, this kind of stuff makes me kind of glad I’m a terrible swimmer. Like, I would never jump into a river to save a drowning person but at the same time I don’t have to feel bad about it because I know that I wouldn’t be able to help that way, and instead of one casualty you’d just have two.
(I would of course try to call for help, look for ways/tools to pull them out etc.)
This is America. We have a significant number of people that can’t read and words are everywhere.
Some of that comes with welcoming those from other countries. We are a nation of immigrants. The drowning victims in this case were from Honduras. I feel for the children. They likely lost both their parents in this drowning.
Lots of people never learn. I only learned because the apartment complex behind my house as a kid had a pool and my friends and I would hop the fence and use it. Some kid pushed me into the deep end one day and I learned real quick.
Now as an adult, we’ve put our kid in swim classes but that wasn’t something our families had the resources to do when we were kids. My wife still doesnt know how to swim.
I can swim, but not good enough to rescue someone else, and definitely not in a stream.
I have a weird lack of buoyancy in my legs that makes it extremely exhausting just to keep myself affloat, so I never bothered pursuing it further.
I do know how to float, but it only works in salt water. I can however easily dive to the bottom of any pool without effort, so I guess I’ve got that going for me.
I’m also someone who can’t float so swimming is exhausting for me. If I ever have to swim to save my life I’m pretty confident I would die. I stay away from water.
Different countries handle it different ways. Growing up in the UK (Rivers, Reservoirs and being and island) and Qatar (surrounded by the Sea on 3/4 of its mass) swimming lessons were mandatory all the way to High School. I know of a school in Dagenham that continued swimming classes back in 1990’s, but saying that, a lot of governments tend to axe shit left and right so I’d be surprised if it’s still a thing. I still remember the detol smell of washing your feet before getting climbing into the pool in some schools.
That’s really tragic. I can’t even imagine how horrible it must have been for everyone involved.
Like, I know I can’t swim for shit, but I also wouldn’t be able to just watch someone drown.
Trying to save a drowning person is incredibly dangerous, a panicking person will grab on and flail and pull you under until you are too exhausted to stay afloat yourself, even if you are a strong swimmer.
That said…I don’t think I would be able to just stand and watch either, even knowing the above.
I recall being taught to dive if this happens. They’ll let go. I’ve never had to test this strategy.
Paradoxically, this kind of stuff makes me kind of glad I’m a terrible swimmer. Like, I would never jump into a river to save a drowning person but at the same time I don’t have to feel bad about it because I know that I wouldn’t be able to help that way, and instead of one casualty you’d just have two.
(I would of course try to call for help, look for ways/tools to pull them out etc.)
how is that possible? i know zero people who can’t swim and i live in a country with no access to the sea or anything.
This is America. We have a significant number of people that can’t read and words are everywhere.
Some of that comes with welcoming those from other countries. We are a nation of immigrants. The drowning victims in this case were from Honduras. I feel for the children. They likely lost both their parents in this drowning.
Lots of people never learn. I only learned because the apartment complex behind my house as a kid had a pool and my friends and I would hop the fence and use it. Some kid pushed me into the deep end one day and I learned real quick.
Now as an adult, we’ve put our kid in swim classes but that wasn’t something our families had the resources to do when we were kids. My wife still doesnt know how to swim.
I can swim, but not good enough to rescue someone else, and definitely not in a stream.
I have a weird lack of buoyancy in my legs that makes it extremely exhausting just to keep myself affloat, so I never bothered pursuing it further.
I do know how to float, but it only works in salt water. I can however easily dive to the bottom of any pool without effort, so I guess I’ve got that going for me.
I’m also someone who can’t float so swimming is exhausting for me. If I ever have to swim to save my life I’m pretty confident I would die. I stay away from water.
ok, guess i read that wrong then ^^
Different countries handle it different ways. Growing up in the UK (Rivers, Reservoirs and being and island) and Qatar (surrounded by the Sea on 3/4 of its mass) swimming lessons were mandatory all the way to High School. I know of a school in Dagenham that continued swimming classes back in 1990’s, but saying that, a lot of governments tend to axe shit left and right so I’d be surprised if it’s still a thing. I still remember the detol smell of washing your feet before getting climbing into the pool in some schools.