20 Signs of Drowning Taught to Lifeguards

Lifeguards spend their days scanning the coast for swimmers in trouble, but they can’t do it alone.

Nick Giugni, an Orange County marine safety officer offers these tips for identifying a drowning swimmer.

It’s never a good idea to go after a swimmer in distress yourself; always get a lifeguard. However, if it’s a case where seconds count, don’t go in without a flotation device and never get within arm's reach of the victim; he or she will pull you down out of reflex.

Some signs are obvious, but others are subtle enough for the average person to miss. If you see any of the following signs, the swimmer might be in distress or in danger of drowning:

1. Making no progress or moving out to sea while swimming in; this means the swimmer is caught in a rip current.
2. Waving for help
3. Hair in the face; this means the swimmer is focusing more on getting a breath than seeing.
4. Double-arm backstroke; this indicates the swimmer may be desperately flailing to shore
5. Broken leash or lost surf or body board
6. Swimmer is facing shore
7. Taking waves to the back of the head
8. Panicked look on swimmer’s face
9. Small children; if you see a small child deep in the water, rush for a lifeguard—the kid can disappear in an instant.
10. Weak swim stroke
11. Bailing from body/surfboard
12. Going “over the falls,” i.e., swimming in the impact zone where the waves crash
13. Fully or partially dressed in non-swim attire
14. Paddling farther and farther out; afraid to come in
15. Caught in a lateral current moving toward rocks or jetties; this is very dangerous because usually the swimmer won’t realize he or she is in danger. The upside is just shouting to them can often get them to realize and swim in—no harm done.
16. No swim fins in large surf
17. Multiple people on a single surfboard or other flotation device
18. Head is low in the water
19. “Climbing the ladder,” meaning the swimmer is flailing his arms and legs while vertical, rather than swimming horizontally; this indicates the victim is desperately trying to stay above water.
20. Floating face-down