Aoraki Dragon Boat
Association (Inc)
Christchurch, NZ

Water Safety - practical steps for Dragon Boating

Aoraki's Safety Manual has DB-specific procedures for making you safe. But there are general water safety rules that we should all be aware of.

Recognising a paddler in trouble:

In the event of a capsize or man overboard, crew members must look after their designated 'buddy'. The sweep will also ensure that all the crew are accounted for. Everyone should bear in mind that it may not be obvious that someone in the water is OK.

Francesco Pia, Ph.D., coined the phrase "Instinctive Drowning Response" to describe what people do to avoid suffocation in the water. And it does not look like most people expect (or is portrayed on TV). There is very little splashing, no waving, and no yelling or calls for help of any kind. Drowning can in fact be quiet and undramatic from the surface. In 10% of child drownings, the adult will actually watch them do it, having no idea it is happening (source: CDC). Drowning does not look like drowning – Dr. Pia, in an article in the Coast Guard’s On Scene Magazine, described the instinctive drowning response like this:

1. Drowning people cannot call out for help. The respiratory system was designed for breathing, and speech is the secondary function. In time of extreme peril in water, breathing must take precedence over speech. Breathe first, talk later...
2. A drowning person will 'bob' in the water, their mouth alternately sinking below, then reappearing above the surface of the water. The mouth is not above the surface of the water long enough to exhale, inhale, and call out for help. When the drowning person’s mouth is above the water, they exhale and inhale quickly as their mouths start to sink below the surface of the water.
3. Also, drowning people cannot wave for help. Nature instinctively forces them to extend their arms laterally and press down on the water’s surface. Pressing down on the surface of the water, permits drowning people to leverage their bodies so they can lift their mouths out of the water to breathe.
4. During Instinctive Drowning Response, you cannot voluntarily control your arm movements. Physiologically, drowning people who are struggling on the surface of the water cannot stop drowning and perform voluntary movements such as waving for help, moving toward a rescuer, or reaching out for a piece of rescue equipment.
5. From beginning to end of the Instinctive Drowning Response peoples bodies remain upright in the water, with no evidence of a supporting kick. Unless rescued these drowning people can only struggle on the surface of the water from 20 to 60 seconds before submersion occurs.

This doesn’t mean that a person that is yelling for help and thrashing isn’t in real trouble – they are experience aquatic distress. Not always present before the instinctive drowning response, aquatic distress doesn’t last long – but unlike true drowning, these victims can still assist in their own rescue. They can grab lifelines, throw rings, etc.

Finally, remember: children playing in the water make noise. When they get quiet, you get to them and find out why.

See also tips on cold water immersion and hypothermia.

Look for these signs of drowning when someone is in the water:

• Head low in the water, mouth at water level
• Head tilted back with mouth open
• Eyes glassy and empty, unable to focus
• Eyes closed
• Hair over forehead or eyes
• Not using legs – Vertical
• Hyperventilating or gasping
• Trying to swim in a particular direction but not making headway
• Trying to roll over on the back
• "Ladder climb", rarely out of the water.

So, if a crew member falls overboard and every looks O.K. – don’t be too sure. Sometimes the most common indication that someone is drowning is that they don’t look like they’re drowning. They may just look like they are treading water and looking up at the deck. One way to be sure? Ask them: “Are you alright?” If they can answer at all – they probably are. If they return a blank stare – you may have less than 30 seconds to get to them.