What Does Drowning Look Like?

In film and on television, drowning is often misconstrued as a dramatic event involving waving, splashing, and yellow. However, this could not be further from the truth. More often than not, people drown silently and only a short distance from others.

According to the National Drowning Report 2021, 294 people drowned in Australian waterways from 1 July 2020 to 30 June 2021. This represents a 20% increase on the number of people who drowned during the 2019/2020 period. These statistics illuminate the importance for people to understand what drowning really looks like. In commercial depictions of drowning, like the ones we see in films and on television, people are shown thrashing about wildly and calling loudly for help. According to Francesco Pia, PhD, a lifeguard and water rescue expert, this depiction could not be further from the truth. Rather, drowning in real life is often characterised as an "undramatic" event, which could probably explain why many children drown within 25 metres of their parent or other adult.

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