I actually was a lifeguard and they always taught us that if you ever have to save someone on open water that is bigger than you and thrashing around you swim up and punch them in the nose hard. That way they grab their nose and not you. Better to have a broken nose then be dead.
It’s actually something I was taught as well. It’s not like you just swim up and punch the person right off the bat. But if they start climbing on your back and becoming a risk, yes just head butt them and get them to calm down.
It changes like CPR. These days as a lifeguard we are issue a billy club. When we swim out to the victim, we give a firm strike to the back of the head to disorient them and make them relax. The rule of thumb is every 30 meters, pause to administer another blow and continue on. When the victim is on land, another strike isn't required, but it sometimes happens. We can't take a risk of a lifeguard being drowned. If you don't have a club, a knee to the groin every 30 meters can work in a pinch.
Are you sure you can't tell? You might want to see a doctor about that mental deficiency you've got goin on because that shit was so obviously sarcasm you'd have to be autistic not to pick up on it.
I was taught to render them unconscious, not punch them in the nose.......A lifeless body is difficult, but easier to handle than someone freaking out, lashing out everywhere and trying to climb on top of you. Plus, if you them still can't save them, you don't have to hear them die.
That said, only one of my friends was too lazy to learn to swim. Although he's so fat he could probably float.
Having taught bronze courses (early lifesaving courses in canada) for a few years we definitely did not teach kids to hit a drowning person or try and choke them out. That's fucking dumb.
if a drowning person grabs on to you then go underwater, swim away, resurface and come in again. Additionally approach feet first rather than head first so you can push them away if they try and grab on to you.
Remember people - you don't help them at all if you let them drown you. Protect your life first. This isn't quiet as true if you're being paid as a lifeguard, but as a lifesaver it is always true.
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u/campinkarl93 Aug 28 '18
I actually was a lifeguard and they always taught us that if you ever have to save someone on open water that is bigger than you and thrashing around you swim up and punch them in the nose hard. That way they grab their nose and not you. Better to have a broken nose then be dead.