PREVENTING TRAGEDY
Can you name the risks of shallow water blackout?
It can happen in waterways like rivers and oceans, but also in public pools and even bathtubs. Shallow water blackout (SWB) occurs when a person faints underwater because of a lack of oxygen. It’s triggered by holding your breath repeatedly or for too long. If the person is not rescued immediately, they drown. It is a silent, fast – but highly preventable – killer.
Activities that are most likely associated with breath-holding include training for surfing, underwater hockey, free diving, snorkelling, kai gathering, spearfishing, and artistic swimming. Unlike other drowning incidents, when you may see someone struggling in the water, it’s virtually impossible to see the outline of a body underwater when other people are swimming close by. That’s why, to prevent tragedy, having a buddy and knowing the risks are a must.
Drowning Prevention Auckland CEO Nicola Keen-Biggelaar says: “It is vital kai and free divers always dive with a buddy. You should be in constant communication and next to each other in the water for safety. SWB can happen quickly and without warning. Knowing the signs and what to do if it happens to your buddy is critical for their survival.” Never hyperventilate, swim alone or ignore the urge to breathe – Drowning Prevention Auckland.
DPA recommends the following six tips to prevent SWB:
1. Never hyperventilate.
2. Never ignore the urge to breathe.
3. Never swim alone. Supervision is vital at all times.
4. Never play breath-holding games.
5. Don’t compete with anyone who can swim the furthest underwater or breath-hold the longest.
6. If you’re breath-holding underwater, a buddy should be next to you, constantly communicating, and your safety is paramount.
Your buddy should never breath-hold at the same time. SWB risk increases when your body has exerted itself from exercise. Exercising lowers our oxygen levels, and hyperventilating before going underwater is dangerous because our carbon dioxide levels drop dramatically.
Low levels of carbon dioxide in the lungs trick the brain into believing that you’re okay and don’t need to breathe yet – effectively overriding the body’s natural and irresistible urge to surface. But when your body realises it has gone too long without oxygen, it forces you to breathe in. Fainting is the easiest way for your body to do this because it triggers involuntary breathing. Other than being unpleasant and embarrassing, fainting is not usually life-threatening on dry land, but underwater, you can quickly drown because you can’t get the oxygen you need.
Hypoxic training makes young competitive athletes a high-risk group.
Recent studies reveal that competitive athletes – almost always males under 40 years old – are most at risk for SWB, especially when they push themselves too hard. Military-related cases also feature regularly in SWB drowning statistics when aspiring recruits are trained to push their body’s boundaries. Hypoxic training is when people intentionally hyperventilate before going underwater, then hold their breath for prolonged periods underwater to increase lung capacity, speed, and performance. This form of training makes athletes vulnerable to drowning from SWB.
Sadly, this is what happened to Gene “Whitner” Milner, a keen spearfisher and free diver from the US, who died in his family’s backyard pool. He was swimming laps with friends and competing to see who could hold their breath longest.
Gene died later that night when he tried to hold his breath again in the pool alone. His friends were coming and going from the pool; it was late that day, and the pool lights were off. Because they didn’t realise what he was doing, they couldn’t rescue him.
Tragically, a family member found Gene at the bottom of the pool the next day. Many of his friends and family had passed the pool area during the day without seeing his body. This highlights how difficult it can be to detect someone in trouble – or who has drowned – under the water.
Dangers for kids
Kids and teenagers who play underwater breath-holding games are also at risk of drowning from SWB. Tragically, this happened to Nelson teenager Sam Goodenough in the summer of 2011. Sam was 16 years old when he drowned while competing with his peers to see who could hold their breath underwater the longest. After being on life support for five days, he died.
Even though breath-holding games were normalised in our childhood, we’re now more aware of the dangers this activity presents, which means we have the power to raise wider awareness and advocate for behavioural change.
Targeted drowning prevention strategies
Insights from studies and statistics mean we know the high-risk SWB behaviours and groups. The good news is drowning prevention interventions can be targeted and messaging created to resonate with specific demographics.
Naming and shaming – behaviours or people – rarely create long-term change, but raising awareness of the risks means people can enjoy aquatic activities for work, sport, or recreation safely. We should concentrate our efforts and resources on changing attitudes personally and within organisations. This can be accomplished through campaigns led by prominent athletes and families with lived experience, as well as by altering the attitudes of sporting clubs that may engage in breath-holding activities such as surfing, free diving, and artistic swimming.
Finally, we encourage you not to avoid kai gathering, free diving, or other water-based activities, as these activities can be safely enjoyed. By raising awareness about the risk factors and warning signs of SWB, you can help prevent tragedy and continue pursuing your passion.
