Unlike the way it’s portrayed in movies, drowning is often quiet. There’s usually no screaming or thrashing in the water. It’s something that can go unnoticed, unless it’s being watched.
Most importantly, it can happen to anyone — more than 50 percent of drowning victims are strong swimmers, according to the United States Coast Guard.
Last year, the number of deaths due to drowning in the Great Lakes was 118, making it the deadliest year since the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project began tracking drownings in the Great Lakes in 2010.
Since they began, they’ve tracked more than 750 deaths.
“Drowning is one of the leading causes of accidental death,” said Dave Benjamin, cofounder and executive director of public relations and project management at GLSRP, at a recent water safety presentation at Edison Junior Senior High School.
Benjamin said he wants water safety to be as well-known as the need to call 911. Kids memorize the emergency number as soon as they can, and they all know stop, drop and roll, but he wants them to remember flip, float and follow, too.
“How often do we play in fire?” he said. “We never play in fire, but we all know the survival strategy. What about water?”
Benjamin was inspired to get involved with the GLSRP after an incident he had in 2010.
“I’m here today because I survived a drowning incident in Lake Michigan,” Benjamin told the group of students during his presentation.
When Benjamin didn’t feel his board tug on his ankle as he was struggling to swim after a hard fall while surfing on Dec. 26, 2010, he thought he was going to die.
After a struggle, he realized he was exhibiting the signs of drowning, which, he said, look nothing like the way they do in the movies. His body was vertical and he was making a climbing ladder motion with his hands while his head was titled back, attempting to get air into his lungs.
As the freezing water was making its way into his wetsuit, he remembered something he’d read about what is supposed to be done when faced with the situation. He flipped onto his back, floated and followed a path to safety — the flip, float and follow method.
“Water survival is not common sense yet,” he said. But he wants it to be.
The mission of GLSRP is to “eradicate drowning by being the leader of Great Lakes water safety by providing training, public preparedness, and public awareness,” according to their website.
“Drowning is a public health issue,” Benjamin said. “A neglected public health issue.”
So far in 2019, 11 drowning deaths have been reported, the most recent reported late May. The body of Jacob Sandy, 23, of South Bend, was found May 29 on the Indiana Dunes State Park beach near where he was last seen May 18 with a foldable kayak at Porter Beach.
The official cause of death for Sandy is pending, but it is believed to be accidental drowning. His body was found without a life jacket, according to a release from the Porter County Coroner’s office.
Amber Brown, a former member of The Aquatics Underwater Recovery and Rescue Dive Team, said wearing a life jacket — even for strong swimmers — is important, as it can help prevent a struggle in the water.
“It’s so sad to think that something that costs less than $20 could save your life and people aren’t wearing it,” Brown said.
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The Aquatics Underwater Recovery and Rescue Dive Team disbanded about five years ago due to lack of funding, she said. It began in 1969 and was composed entirely of volunteers.
The team answered calls at all hours to assist with drownings and to help recover weapons, vehicles and evidence from bodies of water in the area. Brown said she has watched rescue missions turn into recovery missions, and knows first-hand the importance of water safety.
“Don’t swim alone,” Brown said. “If you absolutely have to go somewhere alone, tell someone where you’re going and where you’re gonna be.”
Brown said trying to flip onto your back to float and backstroking can be helpful, but she knows that when people are panicking, it’s hard to think. Remembering the flip, float and follow method may be difficult, but there are other ways to prevent drowning, she said.
Benjamin said in the event that someone may be struggling in the water, improvised flotation devices such as footballs, cooler lids, surfboards and boogie boards can be thrown out to assist.
But, while improvised flotation devices can help, a life jacket is best.
“I don’t care if you’re a triathlete, I don’t care if you’re a life guard, I don’t care if you’re a Coast Guard swimmer,” Brown said. “Everybody should have a life jacket or a life preserver on when they are swimming. Anything can happen, even to the best of us.”