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Show HN: Spot the Drowning Child

spotthedrowningchild.com

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Re: Show HN: Spot the Drowning Child

#231

Post by nso »

Three months ago I was at the beach with some friends. They were lounging at a beachside restaurant (the plastic chair type, if you've ever been here in Mexico you know the type) and I went for a swim.

Having been a competitive swimmer in my younger days I have generally been confident in my swimming abilities. This time however, I suddenly found myself in a current pulling me outwards.

I didnt realize what was happening before I was really tired and noticed that the shore was not getting closer no matter how hard I swam. I was literally 15 feet from the shoreline, and I was about to drown. I was too tired to do anything but focus on keeping myself afloat. I had eye contact with my friends 25 feet away. They smiled and waved. I was panicing and was just about to give up when reruns of Bondi Rescue popped up in my head and reminded me to swim sideways instead of forward. 5 seconds later I have sand under my feet. I crawled on to the shore and laid there panting for a few minutes.

I wobbled my way to my friends who greeted me with smiles and asked how I enjoyed my swim.

That's the story of how I nearly drowned in frobt of my friends, who would have been none the wiser until it was too late.

Be carefull around water, people!

Re: Show HN: Spot the Drowning Child

#232

Post by djm_ »

smackfu wrote: post #140

I found this a bit confusing. I thought it was one of those things where the drowning kid doesn't look like he was drowning. But instead, no one is generally drowning in the first 10-15 seconds. Then a kid flips over a floatie or such, and they are pretty clearly the one in trouble. Then the lifeguard jumps in. So you really only have 2-3 seconds to spot the child.

There are 27 videos, try again.

Re: Show HN: Spot the Drowning Child

#233

Post by jacquesm »

trhway wrote: post #91
m3rc wrote: post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How easy is it to tell the difference between an elevated heartbeat due to imminent drowning, and an elevated heartbeat due to having fun?

just hold your breath for couple minutes (or even better - ask somebody physically stronger to "help" you to keep the plastic bag over you head to make sure that you make the time :) and i think you'll learn the difference. There is an extremely huge biological difference between "panic" and "fun/excitement". Specifically to drowning there is also oxygen blood content difference - harder to detect from outside, yet a…

> just hold your breath for couple minutes (or even better - ask somebody physically stronger to "help" you to keep the plastic bag over you head to make sure that you make the time :) and i think you'll learn the difference.

That could easily kill someone, this is totally crazy advice.

Re: Show HN: Spot the Drowning Child

#234

Post by Nadya »

tomjen3 wrote: post #228
rhaps0dy wrote: post #145

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thanks for the replies. What about able swimmers? 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?

Depends on the distance. As soon as you are out in a small boat there may be too far to the shore, especially if the water is really cold. 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 trapp…

Never inflate it inside an airplane either!

>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

Re: Show HN: Spot the Drowning Child

#235

Post by sirmarksalot »

afandian wrote: post #191

This is great idea but confusing. I missed the drowning event and tried to replay, but the controls are hidden. Clicking on the logo I got to an identical looking, but different video in which a different incident takes place (there's lots of them [0]). To be educational, this should have a 'watch again' feature, or show the video controls, so I can actually re-watch the scene and watch for the features of drowning.…

If you wait, it replays it with the action zoomed in. If you click "play again," it makes you watch a different video, which I think is good, because you don't want to be too keyed in on a single instance.

Re: Show HN: Spot the Drowning Child

#236

Post by bbcbasic »

scarmig wrote: post #50

Genuine question: is it about time that we start thinking about banning (most) swimming pools? Bear with me for a second. I continually hear tragic stories of them. A child drowning in front of their parents. Someone starting to drown, and accidentally drowning another person who tried to save them. Just the other day, I read a story of how at a bachelorette party the bride-to-be was jokingly pushed into a swimming p…

Traffic accidents would cause more deaths if it wasn't for speed limits, driving instruction and testing, seat belts, car safety devices etc. Perhaps we just need more checks and balances in the swimming pools. Let's not throw the baby out with the bathwater. Also without pools where would most of us learn to swim?

Re: Show HN: Spot the Drowning Child

#237

Post by amalcon »

carbeewo wrote: post #194
irishcoffee wrote: post #30

I would like to point out that any flotation device in a pool besides a life jacket is just asking for problems. I life-guarded for almost 10 years, the only way I would ever let anything that supported a human floating __besides__ an approved life jacket was if the pool was almost empty (such that the one person got my undivided attention) and if I knew the child to already be a strong swimmer. I highly encourage ev…

When I was a young child, my local pool allowed kids to play on large floating foam rafts (like this, but half the length: http://goo.gl/7Y4HbU ). One day I decided to show off my underwater swimming skills to a girl I fancied. After a long swim underwater, I exhausted my breath and came to resurface for air, only to get caught under a stacked pile of 5 of these rafts, with kids standing on top like in that photo! I…

I once got "trapped" under one of those big diving rafts they put in lakes[1]. I swam down after one of those colored diving rings, and the wind blew the raft over me while I was under.

I was a pretty strong swimmer at that point, and more than a little lucky as well. I was able to collect my thoughts and get out.

I'm told I was only under there for about ten seconds, but my memory of it feels like about 2-3 minutes. It was easily the scariest thing that ever happened to me personally as a child.

[1]-Like this, but without the gap in the middle: http://www.aquacycleusa.com/aqua-cycle-swim-raft

Re: Show HN: Spot the Drowning Child

#238

Post by viggity »

nso wrote: post #231

Three months ago I was at the beach with some friends. They were lounging at a beachside restaurant (the plastic chair type, if you've ever been here in Mexico you know the type) and I went for a swim. Having been a competitive swimmer in my younger days I have generally been confident in my swimming abilities. This time however, I suddenly found myself in a current pulling me outwards. I didnt realize what was happe…

Sounds like you got caught in a rip current, it's why you should always swim back to shore at a 45 degree angle, you'll eventually make enough horizontal progress to escape the current. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rip_current

Re: Show HN: Spot the Drowning Child

#239

Post by mahart »

tomjen3 wrote: post #209
irishcoffee wrote: post #30

I would like to point out that any flotation device in a pool besides a life jacket is just asking for problems. I life-guarded for almost 10 years, the only way I would ever let anything that supported a human floating __besides__ an approved life jacket was if the pool was almost empty (such that the one person got my undivided attention) and if I knew the child to already be a strong swimmer. I highly encourage ev…

That would make for a pretty fucking boring pool, honestly. No flotation devices would mean that all I could do as a kid would be to stand around on my tiptoes.

Well hopefully it would be an impetus to learn to swim instead of instigating dangerous situations that floatation devices put non-swimmers in.

Re: Show HN: Spot the Drowning Child

#240

Post by ntoronto »

rhaps0dy wrote: post #145
rhaps0dy wrote: post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm still curious about this: "What does it look like when an able swimmer encounters trouble?" Do adults drown as often as children?

Thanks for the replies. What about able swimmers? 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?

Sorry, forgot about the able swimmers.

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.

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