No summer is complete without at least a few trips to the pool.
Splashing around with friends and jumping off the diving board is an easy way for children to have fun, but it can quickly turn deadly.
Everyone knows that you need to keep a close eye on children and make sure they know how to swim to avoid drowning. That’s important, but how many people know what drowning actually looks like?
This interactive video, which was built by Francisco Saldaña, shows just how hard it is to notice the small, understated movements that are a drowning victim’s.
Drowning victims don’t splash, wave for help or try to move for pool exits, Mario Vittone reported for Slate. Instead, they struggle, not noticeably, to keep their mouths above the water.
Every day, about 10 people die from drowning, and 20 percent of those deaths are children, according to the CDC. That doesn’t include all the heartbreaking near misses children have every year.
Knowing what drowning looks like can save a life. Test your ability to spot drowning in this exercise.
Related links:
100 deadly days of summer: What you must do to keep your kids safe
Op-ed: Why summertime is an especially risky season for children
The trick that could save a child’s life from heat stroke everyone should know
Shelby Slade is a writer for Deseret News National. Email: sslade@deseretdigital.com, Twitter: shelbygslade.