How to Rescue Somebody Who Is Drowning

Earlier this month, Robert Rosenbaum of Marina del Rey fell into the ocean near the when he attempted to retrieve something that had fallen off his boat. A female crew member, aided by a couple of jet skiers who were nearby, tried to rescue him. Rosenbaum drowned. In violation of Coast Guard regulations, no personal flotation devices were found on the boat. My heart goes out to Rosenbaum and his family. It was a death that could have been averted.

I’ve already discussed what to do . People drown not only from boats, but from Marina del Rey’s breakwaters, docks and beaches. What should you do if you happen to be biking along the jetty and notice somebody struggling in the water?

The first precept of attempting a rescue was followed in the Rosenbaum case: Don’t risk your own life to rescue another. Last week, this instinct of self-preservation was followed by La’Shaun Armstrong, a 10-year-old boy. After a fight with her husband, Armstrong’s mother packed the family minivan with her four children, then drove into the Hudson River with them. She held on to all of them as the car sank in 8 feet of water. Armstrong managed to break free and swim to safety, although he was in no position to save his siblings and went for help rather than drown in trying to do so.

Remember these four little words: reach, throw, row, go. These terms refer to the order of techniques that you should employ to save somebody from drowning.

Reach first. If you’re on a boat, dock or breakwater, and somebody falls in, be sure that you are secured, then extend a boat pole or toss the end of a sweatshirt to somebody. These are preferable to reaching with your arm or leg, because if the victim panics, and you start to lose your balance, you can let go of an object. I always kept a boat pole handy on the deck of my boat.

Throw. If your boat is more than 16 feet in length, U.S. Coast Guard regulations require that you have a personal floatation device, either a seat cushion or a ring buoy, that you can throw to a person. I had both on my boat. These devices aren’t meant to be worn but will help keep a victim’s head above water. If you only have life vests, throw one of these.

Another thing to do is throw a line, ideally with a large loop knotted by a non-slip bowline, or at the very least a knot at the end so that the line won’t pull through a victim’s hands.

Row. If you can get your boat close to a person, do so, whether it is a rowboat, canoe, kayak, sailboat or powerboat. Put your motor in neutral as you ease up on a person. Be extremely careful of having complete control of your craft. If your rescue victim tries to suddenly climb on board a small boat, he could swamp it.

Go as a last resort. “Drowning victims panic. If they see you swimming toward them, they have one thought in mind: Get on top of you to get their heads above water so they can breathe, even if it means putting you underwater,” said one local lifeguard who didn’t want his name used because he wasn’t officially authorized to speak on the subject.

This is the main reason why our county lifeguards tow buoys through the surf: So that victims can get their heads above water without crawling on top of the rescuer who has swum out to save him.

If you have to swim after somebody, here are some tips to keep in mind. First, ensure you can get back, which means that from a boat, you have the swim ladder deployed. Make sure that a powerboat is in neutral or a sail boat is hove to, so it doesn’t get away from you. Leave somebody aboard if possible. If you’re on shore or on a breakwater, tell somebody nearby that you’re going in. Ask for help when you both climb out.

Secondly, jump before doing a head-first dive—that way, you can keep an eye on your victim. If you’re jumping off a dock or rocks and hit an underwater obstruction, it’s better to break an ankle than a neck. It’s a good idea to swim with a T shirt that you can toss to a victim to tow them in to help keep your distance.

If you have no choice other than going, be wary. If you find yourself being forced under, break away and collect yourself before trying again. While training as a lifeguard, I went through hours of wrestling victims in the water to put them in cross-chest carries. It’s an acquired skill that takes practice.

Finally, there is a reason that Coast Guard regulations require life jackets for every person aboard a boat.

“Coast Guard regs now allow sailors to use inflatable PFDs to meet this requirement,” sailing instructor David Lumian reminded me.

Inflatable PFDs are more comfortable, and some are as small as a fanny pack. To meet the rule requiring one wearable life vest per person, these inflatable PFDs must be worn. A complete guide is here.

This article was originally posted on Marina del Rey Patch.