The Boy Who Nearly Drowned

This week I saw somebody who was drowning. I was swimming in the Olympic size pool at the complex where my family rents an apartment in Singapore.

Singapore flag

We chose this place because of the pool. I take a daily dip for fitness and health. I stay in the shallow end for safety.

Olympic size swimming pool with deep and shallow ends. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Water and Cramp
My husband reminds me to drink water before swimming, to prevent cramp (seizure of muscles because your body is sending the vital water to the brain which needs it more than the legs - except when swimming in the deep end.)

I always think that I am the one who might need to be rescued. As the UK road safety ad says, The life you save may be your own. I only occasionally think that I could rescue somebody else.

Don't Swim Alone
I take care to minimise my own risks. I remember my friend who used to have a pool at her home in Hendon, London. Her husand, a doctor, what we call a GP in the UK, insisted that his wife never swim alone. But the older boy in this case was accompanied by a younger brother, who giggled nervously, giving me the wrong impression that there was no danger and his oolder brother was just pretending to drown.

Befriend Bystanders
On my way to the pool I say, "Good Morning!" and wave as I pass the security guard at the desk near the pool and gym. I do that for two reasons. To be friendly. Staff in major buildings such as hotels and condos are instructed to say good morning. I reckon it brightens the attendant's dull day, and cheers me.

More importantly, it does two things. It alerts a dozy attendant or one distracted by other tasks to the fact that I am alone and unwatched in the pool. I hope it makes the attendant more inclined to act fast, act at all, if he knows the friendly and elderly lady, who waves to him, is in trouble, rather than somebody unknown.

Stay In The Shallow End
On Singapore's escalators in the MRT stations you hear recorded messages: 'When travelling with young children or the elderly, use the lifts.' It would be helpful to keep to the shallow end in similar circumstances.

Depths
Depths are usually marked. But only in metres. 1.4 metres is about 5 foot. If you are five foot tall or less the water comes to the top of your head at this point. You need to stay further away. I test depth by moving along the side of the pool holding onto the edge. As soon as it gets too deep, I note the foliage or buildings or parts of buildings which I can see alongside as a marker, then move back to the safe point. That is my limit.

I am swimming along, rather tired, and walk a few steps, then swim, then put my foot down, then swim. I can do this in the pool's shallow end. So I can swim even when  tired, without strain and without risk.

Danger Of Swimmers' Collisions
When swimming across the shallow end I always look out at the deep end to see if anybody is swimming in my direction. Some people swim lengths. They swim might cross my path. I don't want to inconveneince them.

UK flag

UK Swimmers' Collision
Nor to risk colliding and hurting myself. That happened to me once in a pool in the UK. In Northwood. The pool was divided into lanes. A lady was doing a backwards crawl faster than me in my lane. She came up behind me and flung her arm back and hit me on the head.

Recovered - Or Not?
I was shocked and in pain and went to the side of the pool and lay down. People came around. Eventaully I stopped gasping and sat up. The lady who had accidentally hit me kept apologising. The pool attendant kept asking if I was OK and said she was calling an ambulance. I said it was not necessary. She said it was important for me to be checked.

London ambulance sourced from London Ambulance, author Manhattan Research Inc, in Wikipedia.

Delayed Reaction
Later I discussed this with the family. Firstly, a dozy person might not realise they are in difficulty. When I was in a car hit by another, I had no visible scratches, bleeding or scars, but my bones were broken. I was breathing shallowly because of my broken ribs. When a bystander asked if I was okay, I said, 'Yes'. However, when I tried to move, I found I could not. I then realised I needed to get to hsopital. Only later, after passing my crashed and smashed car, did the relief and euphoria at being alive wear off, and horror at the accident set in.

Legal Obligation Or Local Requirement
During my family's review of the accidental collision in the swimming pool, secondly, we reckoned it was a requirement of her job to call an ambulance if there was an accident. It might be required by national or local law.

It rould be required by the management to comply with instructions from the insurance company. If I collapsed later, and was left with (body or brain damage) my family could sue for the lack of care, at very least cause bad publicity.

So the abulance came and an ambulance person checked all my vital parts. Could I answer questions, move all my limbs, stand up walk a straight line?

Recovery
I was still too exhausted and demoralised to finish my swim. I went up to the lounge to have a drink. The lady who had accidentally collided with me followed me up, still apologising, insisted on buying me coffee, and we exchanged phone numbers, like car drivers, in case there was any follow up and we were both required to give a report to either the pool management or the insurance company or the ambulance service or some local victim's support society or the Royal Society For The Prevent Of Accidents.

I considered trying to stay friends with her. Taking the opportunity to make a friend. I procrastinated over this. Did I really want a kind 'friend' - whose carelessness had spoiled my day, frieghtened me, and to be constantly reminded.

Delayed Avoidance
I forgot about the incident. Shortly afterwards we switched to another gym and pool . The reasons we gave ourselves and each other were different. It was the parking and the price. However, much later, reviewing the accident and our move to another gym, I wondered whether the incident had been the last straw, or a nagging feeling to avoid the place, subconsciously setting us on a course we had long planned, at least considered, but never previously taken action.

Shouting For Help
My reverie in Singapore was interrupted by shouting from one of the boys. He was just across into the deep end. The younger boy, just into the shallow end was grinning as the older boy shouted.

I turned away and the bigger boy shouted again. I turned to look, thinking, should I be bold and ask him not to shout in the pool when there was no danger, because crying woolf could endanger others who would be ignored if they were really in trouble?

Under Water
As I looked his head went under water. Then he reappeared. Boys diving in the pool often do that. They dive down, bob up for air, and sink again.

Playing, Pranking, or Drowning
Was he doing that? His friend was smiling.
To be sure I called, "Are you okay?"

If he replied, "Yes," I was going to answer, "Then don't keep shouting."

Panic
But he sank and came up again. He didn't swim away or towards me. He was vertical. As if he was sinking, pushing the base of the pool to force himself up, taking a breath, then sinking again. I shouted again, "Are you okay?"

Exhaustion
He did not reply yes or no. If he was out of breath, he probably did not have the breath to reply, or the energy to frame a reply.

He sank and came up again.

HELP!
I shouted in the hope of being heard - shouts echo right around the complex, "Help, somebody help, help, somebody's drowning, HELP!"

I looked around. Two people came running up. Once was the deskbound security guard. The other was another staff member I didn't know.

They shouted to the boy in English, then in Mandarin.

He didn't reply and went down and came up again. He seemed to be gasping and coughing.

Life belts. Photo by Angela Lansbury. copyright.

Throw The Life Belt!
They were standing next to the rescue ring.

They made no attempt to jump in and swim towards him. Problably they could not swim. I shouted
to them, "Throw the ring!"

One of the men pulled off the ring.  He stepped back and with a great effort hurled the ring as far as he could.

Life Belt Falling Short
The ring fell a couple of feet away from the boy.

I shouted to the younger boy, "Push the ring towards him. You hold onto the ring and push it towards him."

The guards shouted at the boy in Mandarin. I made pushing gestures with my right hand. Eventually he got the idea and moved the ring towards his friend - or older brother.

I reckoned the ring was big enough and strong enough to support the two of them, just the couple of feet they needed to get back into the shallow end.

I knew that by staying on the opposite side of the ring, the younger boy would not be pulled under by the arms of the drowning boy.

The younger boy would have the energy and the intelligence, at least directed by us, to move the ring to the shallow end.

The older boy grasped the ring. The two boys swam slowly to the shallow end. The younger boy was still grinning, as if it was all a joke.

The older boy was now smiling, relieved, but coughing up water.

Interrogation
The guards went around to the shallow end. The asked the boys to push the ring towards the side so it could be replaced.

The desk security guard started talking to the boys and the other guard left.

Then the desk guard went back to his desk, talking quickly on the phone.

I still wondered what had happened. Was it all a big joke? Was the boy OK?

Inquest
I followed the guard and asked, "Is the boy Okay?" My next question was going to be call his parents.

Poeple can think they are okay when they are not.

(More later - I have gone swimming!) For more exciting, entertaining and essential information see next post.


Useful Websites for travellers:
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Author
Angela Lansbury
or went into a coma or died, my family could.
Two young boys are swimming a few yards away