Drowning incidents in Australia are both more common and more silent than most people expect. When it happens, the person in the water is rarely shouting for help, and the people nearby may have no idea it is occurring. A fast, correct response changes what happens next.
Symptoms of Drowning: What it Looks Like
The television version of drowning is loud: waving arms, splashing water, a person calling for help. Real drowning almost always looks nothing like that; it is almost always silent. A drowning person’s:
- arms press down on the water’s surface to raise their head high enough to take a breath
- legs stop kicking
- body is either horizontal and face down, or vertical and still with their head tilted back and their mouth just at or below the surface
- breathing takes up the entire time their head and mouth are above the water
- arms cannot wave, and may be thrashing about trying to grab something
First Aid: How to Respond to Drowning
The first priority when someone is drowning is to get them out of the water without putting yourself at risk. If you cannot reach the person from land, throw a flotation device, a rope, or a solid object they can grab, and call loudly for help or have someone call 000 for emergency medical services. Avoid entering the water and putting yourself in danger too.
Once the person is out of the water: firmly tap the person’s shoulders and ask loudly, “Can you hear me?” and “Open your eyes.” to see if they are conscious and can respond. If they can’t, it’s time to begin cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
To begin CPR, place the heel of one hand in the centre of the chest, place your other hand on top, and firmly push down to a depth of about 5 to 6 centimetres at a rate of 100 to 120 compressions per minute, or 1 compression every 1-2 seconds. After every 30 compressions, give 2 rescue breaths; tilt the head back, pinch the nose closed, firmly seal your mouth over theirs, and breathe steadily in for one second. Watch for the chest to rise. If it does not rise, recheck the head position and try again. Keep going until paramedics arrive, until the person begins breathing, or until you are physically unable to continue.
Water Safety Tips to Prevent Drowning
Drowning risk is not uniform across environments. Pools, rivers, beaches, and open water each carry different hazards. The following measures reduce risk across all of them.
Pool fencing
Pool safety laws require every Australian swimming pool or spa to be behind a barrier. Your pool fence must be at least 1.2 metres high, with a maximum gap of 100 millimetres at the base, and your gate must be self-closing and self-latching.
Active supervision
For children aged under five, supervision means being within arm’s reach and maintaining unbroken attention on the water.
Life jackets
Wear a life jacket when boating, kayaking, or paddleboarding.
Patrolled beaches
At the beach, swim between the red and yellow flags. Patrolled areas are chosen for their safety, and lifesavers can respond far faster than emergency services.
Alcohol
Avoiding alcohol before and during time spent in or near water reduces your risk of drowning.
Drowning Prevention Starts With You
Drowning remains a leading cause of death in Australia, but someone nearby acting fast separates a near-miss from a fatality. Fast recognition and correct action in those first minutes give the person in the water a better chance of survival.
A life saving first aid course covers the specific techniques that matter most in a drowning emergency, including rescue breathing, in a hands-on setting that reading alone cannot replicate. When you enrol in a first aid course, you leave with a skill the people near you at the pool, the beach, or anywhere around water.
FAQs
What Is Secondary Drowning?
Secondary drowning is a non-medical term for delayed complications to breathing that can follow a non-fatal drowning event. When water is inhaled it can irritate the lining and cause persistent coughing, laboured breathing, extreme fatigue, and confusion, for up to eight hours after leaving the water.
Will You Learn CPR in a First Aid Course?
Yes. A nationally accredited first aid course includes hands-on CPR training using a practice mannikin. You practise chest compressions and rescue breaths to the correct depth, rate, and rhythm, which builds the physical response necessary for CPR to be carried out under pressure.
How is Cold Water Drowning More Dangerous?
Cold water drowning is faster. It can speed up drowning through “cold shock”, where the sudden drop in temperature causes involuntary gasping that draws water into the lungs. In very cold water, the drop in body temperature can slow the brain’s need for oxygen, meaning someone pulled from cold water can appear lifeless but still be revivable.
