Prisma Health held a virtual press conference Tuesday to remind South Carolinians of aquatic dangers for national drowning prevention day.
Prisma’s Dr. Robert Hubbird, who specializes in Pediatric Critical Care Medicine, explained that teaching kids to remain safe around the water is important. He also discussed that, unlike in movies, drowning is a “silent killer”.
"It's not a big flailing, 'help I'm downing'. That doesn't happen," Hubbird said. "Typically, they'll tilt their head back in order to try and get air. Their mouth is usually at water level. They don't typically wave when drowning because, when you drowning, naturally, you try to extend your arms laterally to provide some buoyancy."
You can listen to Dr. Hubbird's full explanation of the five signs of drowning below:
He added that an adult keeping constant watch over children while they swim is also critical.
Prisma Pediatrician Dr. Kerry Sease added that most children are able to begin learning to swim very early in life.
"Most children are developmentally ready, meaning they're not afraid of the water, they can actually have coordinated movements with their arms and legs, by the age of four," Sease said.
She also explained that adult who never learned how to swim should also make an effort to learn.
"If an adult does not know how to swim, there are adult swim lessons that are out there as well," she said. "Learning how to swim is, I think, an essential life-saving skill."
