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Show HN: Spot the Drowning Child

spotthedrowningchild.com

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Re: Show HN: Spot the Drowning Child

#271

Post by irishcoffee »

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.

I was tempted to go on a diatribe about your comment, but I'll leave it at this: my job was to guard lives, not provide entertainment.

Nobody died, which gave every person I guarded the opportunity to pursue an anti-boring life in whatever way they see fit.

Re: Show HN: Spot the Drowning Child

#272

Post by BanMeWithRage »

How to spot a drowning child: Is there a child under your hand struggling to leave the water? Congratulations, you found the drowning child.

Looking forward to the AI/IoT NSA startup that opts to monitor all motions of your child from birth to determine if it is drowning at some random point in the future.

Re: Show HN: Spot the Drowning Child

#273

Post by Nadya »

sandworm101 wrote: post #155

I'm about to go swimming, I do so every day. The truth is that lifeguards at pools rarely ever see "drowning" and almost never have to pull people from the water. It's a one-a-year thing. Heart attacks are more common. I know of one pool locally that in 40 years has only seen two deaths, one heart attack and one murder. Drowning isn't an issue. More people are hurt in the showers than in the pool. And far more on the…

So let's concede that pools as a whole are safe and drowning in a pool happens, at most, maybe once a year. Per public pool. Per city. Per state.

So now we have thousands of people drowning each day - many rescued by lifeguards. In the USA, 10 people drown (and die) per day on average. What if more people could recognize when someone was drowning? What if we could bring 10 down to 8? 6? You'd save hundreds of lives each year. All it takes is educating people.

Going a bit further, what about the ocean? What about a family swimming in a lake? The issue that is being pointed out is that people drown within feet of another person who could help because drowning doesn't look like drowning.

If you pay attention to the videos - a lifeguard saves a child who was drowning while they were surrounded by about 5-6 other kids swimming right next to them who didn't even notice. That's the problem.

Re: Show HN: Spot the Drowning Child

#274

Post by bentcorner »

monk_e_boy wrote: post #26
rusbus wrote: post #22

I was most impressed by the attentiveness of the life guards. While we know someone is going to start struggling in the next 20-30 seconds they've likely been staring at the pool for several hours. They were still able to spot the victims in a huge pool almost instantly.

I was a lifeguard at a beach. I didn't have any dramatic rescues like the video, but you soon get a feeling of which kids are a little too adventurous and need keeping an eye on. Your brain soon kicks into holding your breath while watching kids swim, if one is splashing around while you start to feel uncomfortable it's time to wade in and drag them to the surface. Often for us it was the uneven sea bottom, someone t…

> Doesn't take more than an inch of water for them to fall and start rolling out with the backwash.

https://bob520.wordpress.com/2010/12/13/tragedy-by-the-sea-p...

Re: Show HN: Spot the Drowning Child

#275

Post by haddr »

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…

Once we did rafting and our monitor guy told us: when you fall into the water and find yourself under the boat, just don't panic. Don't try to move your head up but rather chose whatever direction and swim until you reach the either side. We thought it would never happen, but we ended up few times in the water just like just like that. And even though it's just a few seconds you are quite disoriented and at first time don't know what to do.

Re: Show HN: Spot the Drowning Child

#276

Post by mangeletti »

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…

I don't mean any disrespect, and I do agree with the point about "encourages them to go deeper...", but I think "any flotation device" "besides a life jacket" is a little bit hardcore. We can't make everything 100% fool proof and 100% safe in every way without removing all activities. Parents need to pay attention to their kids' swimming abilities and govern their activities accordingly. If a kid can't swim really well, the wave pool (or at least the deep end of one) is not a safe place to be at all.

Less than 1000 deaths by drowning is a really small number in a country with tens of millions of children swimming every year.

Re: Show HN: Spot the Drowning Child

#277

Post by ipp »

DEinspanjer wrote: post #33
omegaworks wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thanks for the feedback. I'm using a position: relative box as a part of the game mechanic for finding the drowner, so your browser's zoom functions should work fine. I'll look into a good cross-browser auto zoom.

Thank you for this and I hate you. I actually teared up a couple of times as the life guards pulled the kids to safety. I also had some trouble getting the hang of what I was supposed to do. I'd recommend an interstitial to get people going before the video starts. Maybe something like this? You are about to watch a recorded video of typical activity at a pool. Help the life guard watch all the swimmers in your half…

I agree. Clicking the video didn't seem to work for me the first time, so I just figured that wasn't how the site worked and wasn't entirely sure why this was a "Show HN" as I assumed it was probably interactive but seemed not. More helpful (and prominent) text than a single line in the bottom without an autoplay video would have helped, as the text there can be out of view/hard to notice.

Re: Show HN: Spot the Drowning Child

#278

Post by aembleton »

otherusername2 wrote: post #220
aembleton wrote: post #165

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My 20 month old has one of these Shark Fins: http://www.amazon.co.uk/SwimFin-3PK-Angelfish-Pink/dp/B001JR... I assume that they are good as he uses them in his swimming classes and with it he can swim a few metres to the side of the pool.

Looks reasonable as a support when your child is being taught how to swim (and is thus closely monitored). Looks absolutely horrible as a means of preventing your kid from drowning though. disclaimer: I'm not in any way a professional when it comes to water safety, so this is just a remark; not advice.

I'd definitely not let him out of my reach, he's far too young.

Re: Show HN: Spot the Drowning Child

#279

Post by novaleaf »

amalcon wrote: post #254
novaleaf wrote: post #130

Earlier quoted context omitted.

water wings are also terrible at teaching kids to swim: they can't properly use their arms wearing wings. I had both my kids (currently 3 and 5) learn to swim by having them wear inflatable vests. When they started they had fully inflated vests. every week or so I would deflate it bit by bit, until they are wearing a fully deflated vest. At that point the vest is just for emotional support, and they can pretty much h…

That makes me think. Could one make a remote inflatable vest? Basically, one of those vests they equip aircraft with, but with a remote control attached as well. While deflated, it wouldn't have a significant effect on buoyancy or encumbrance, so the child could learn to swim naturally. If one notices one's child in distress one could inflate it with the push of a button.

and listening to the child's various physiological indicators, so can auto-deploy itself. (and/or notify you of a potential issue)

Re: Show HN: Spot the Drowning Child

#280

Post by StavrosK »

mturmon wrote: post #184
astrobe_ wrote: post #161

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's something I don't understand in this statement and in GP's story: when you stay static in the water, provided you don't carry extra weight, you just naturally go up and float to the surface. If you want to stay down, you have to actively move in order to counter Archimedes' force. The reaction of babies is therefore perfectly adapted: stay calm, hold breath, wait until your lower density brings you back to th…

I think it depends on your density. If I exhale, I will sink. This is an item of curiosity to my wife, who has to work to stay underwater, even after exhaling completely. For more: http://www.quora.com/What-is-the-density-of-the-human-body

Thank you. Nobody believes me, but I sink like a rock too.
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