Drownings in TV and movies often show a victim thrashing, screaming and splashing. Contrary to that depiction, though, is how drownings usually occur.
"What we see in the movies is all about that surface struggle." Becky Hulette, the Aquatics Supervisor for the City of Phoenix said, "In actuality, that doesn't really occur, there may be a little bit of splashing at first, and then they will submerge. It's actually very quiet"
Hulette adds that drownings sometimes look like kids are playing. So what should you be looking for next time you get in the pool?
"Kids that bob and push off the bottom of the pool are not strong swimmers." Hulette said, "You end up with kids that are bobbing off the bottom of the pool, they get in water that's too deep, and they get tired."
Shawn Caraway, a lifeguard at the Phoenix's Cortez pool, agrees.
"As soon as they start losing momentum, they go into a [vertical] position in the water, then we know they're in need and we have to go and get them." Caraway said.
According to Hulette's estimates, among the 29 Phoenix city pools, lifeguards rescue 270-280 people a summer. Those lifeguards have to pass a 20-hour certification class prior to being hired, and then they are subject to in service training throughout their employment. But the lifeguards shouldn't be swimmer's only protection from drowning.
"Parents need to watch their kids, even in life-guarded facilities." Hulette said, "because they can give 100% of their attention to their own child. The lifeguard is there in case of emergency."
Caraway adds one more important piece of advice from his lifeguard's perch.
"In the chair, I'm scanning and recognizing when a kid jumps into the water, I watch them and make sure they come up and they surface." Caraway said.
Hulette warns against simply watching the bottom of the pool, though.
"It's so important to know that if somebody goes under the water, you see them come back up." Hulette said "You run into things such as ripples at the top of the water, kids jumping in and creating that ripple effect, where it distorts the bottom of the pool. So somebody laying at the bottom of the pool does not look like a person, it looks like a smudge."
