With the return of summer heat, splash pads, swimming pools and the beach remain some of the most popular ways to stay cool. Even seemingly tranquil water can pose unseen risks due to dangerous currents or water too shallow for diving. Drowning can even occur hours after leaving the water, a phenomenon known as "dry drowning."
Florida ranks fourth in drowning deaths for all ages, with roughly two annually per 100,000 residents. When considering only children under 9 years old, the numbers are worse, with the state leading the nation in annual deaths. According to the Florida Department of Health, between 2020 and 2022, over 200 children 5 or younger died of drowning.
Lifesaving professionals will recommend that even expert swimmers follow the “buddy system” to reduce drowning risks.
Outdoor waterways can pose more significant risks, with strong currents that will not be present in pools. When swimming in the ocean or Gulf, the greatest danger comes from rip currents, which are strong narrow currents that flow away from the beach and out to sea.
At public beaches, there are flags posted with the latest rip current information. A green flag represents calm conditions. A yellow flag represents a “medium” hazard for rip currents. When there is a red flag, strong rip currents are present, and a double red flag means that the beach is closed for swimming.
If you find yourself in a rip current, it’s important to remain calm. Your instinct may be to try to swim against the rip current and directly to the beach. However, it’s important to remember that a rip current is strong and narrow. Because of the power, the water is often moving away from the land faster than a person can swim, and fighting the current will be futile. The key to escaping is remembering it is narrow. By swimming parallel, or along the beach, you can get to the safety of calmer water outside of the rapidly moving rip current.
In rare cases, drowning deaths can occur after leaving the water. This is called “dry drowning” or “secondary drowning,” and it happens after a swimmer struggles and is rescued. After returning to land, the swimmer can have water that has entered the body through the nose and mouth and sometimes the lungs. This excess water can reduce the ability of the lungs to exchange carbon dioxide and oxygen, and the oxygen levels in the blood can drop to fatal levels.
Parents of children who are rescued from a near-drowning incident must be alert for signs of dry drowning. Symptoms to watch for after the child leaves the water are coughing, trouble breathing, or chest pains or irritability. If these symptoms are president, experts recommend seeking medical attention.
