I was taught to swim as a kid and spent summer days in the water of Long Island Sound. As a maybe 10 or 11yo swimming at a Rhode Island beach, I was tossed into some rocks thanks to some pretty rough waves. I float, so I've never worried about heading in the right direction when under water. Even still, all that tossing and turning without a deep breath was damn scary. I sat out for a bit and then went back in. Not one adult I was with, or any others for that matter, came a runnin'.

Years later, when I was taking the lifeguard class in high school, one of the first things we were taught is that you can drown on dry land with a tablespoon of water. I remember that to this day (that was back in 1980).

These days, my head is on swivel at the pool. . . And I'm not the guard. Just paying attention to all the little people. And during water aerobics, I watch the adults in the pool who are not good swimmers.

Water is scary. I have a healthy respect for it.

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pinkmuffinere 5 days ago | parent [-]

> you can drown on dry land with a tablespoon of water

I know you can down in very little water, but really a tablespoon? How does that work? Is this a literal claim, or more of a cautionary hyperbole?

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closewith 5 days ago | parent | next [-]

The rule of thumb is 1mL per Kg bodyweight, so a child can drown with less than 15mL of water in their lungs. The most common mechanisms are laryngospasm or contraction of the laryngeal muscles closing the airway (dry drowning) or pulmonary oedema caused by irritating of the alveoli (secondary drowning).

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michaelsshaw 5 days ago | parent | prev [-]

I'd imagine it's hyperbole. A tbsp is likely enough to just snort and not have (too many) issues. People do drown in surprisingly shallow waters, however.

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Filligree 5 days ago | parent | next [-]

It’s not hyperbole. It requires prior incapacitation, but if you’re unconscious then even a tiny amount of water can kill you.

Similarly, intoxication vastly degrades the instincts that would otherwise keep you alive. I will never understand how people think getting drunk is _fun_.

	▲	michaelsshaw 5 days ago \| parent \| next [-]
		>It’s not hyperbole. It requires prior incapacitation, but if you’re unconscious then even a tiny amount of water can kill you. Very interesting. I did not consider this case, as well as the mechanism the other reply described. Thanks, safety tip noted >I will never understand how people think getting drunk is _fun_ Haha, I definitely do.
	▲	pinkmuffinere 4 days ago \| parent \| prev [-]
		Re: intoxication, I don’t really like drinking either, but I can kindof understand the appeal. It makes me overthink everything less, so I can be more unfiltered. That can be fun, especially for dancing/stuff like that — if you feel self-conscious while dancing I’d recommend trying a couple drinks first. But I’m not a perfect person, and usually I want some filter, I rarely drink

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rstupek 5 days ago | parent | prev [-]

I believe the mechanism is the water causes your throat to constrict choking off your air supply. It’s not the water entering your lungs that does it