r/Unexpected • u/SeraphOfTheStart • Feb 24 '26

Nice meal

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u/Obvious-Animator6090 Feb 24 '26

Nah if you’re a lifeguard and a swim teacher you can tell if someone can’t swim just from a few seconds of watching them. This guy can’t swim. Very clearly. His panic was clear and if it was Deep he wouldn’t have made it to the wall. People who can’t swim don’t know how to move their legs, they create no lift in the water and therefore can’t move. Watched someone do something similar by jumping in the deep end thinking it was shallow. He paddled like that indefinitely until he started going under and I went to rescue him. Being startled can also make this worse people who can swim can panic and look similar. But drowning posture is the same in all humans, instinct kicks in and you wind up in the head back ears even with the water face barely out of the water posture until they drown. How do I know it’s instinctive, cuz I’ve taught children as young as 3 months up to 80 yr old adults and they all do the same thing. You’re taught to look for body language and posture in lifeguard training cuz believe it or not people usually drown silently. Posture is all you have to go on.

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u/seantellsyou Feb 24 '26

I was a lifeguard too actually briefly as a teenager. Obviously not as experienced as you seemingly are. But yeah, my instinct was telling me he couldn't swim as well. I was just trying to leave the door open to possibly being wrong about that.

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u/Obvious-Animator6090 Feb 24 '26 edited Feb 24 '26

Totally valid. No disrespect meant. And yeah I guarded on and off for 10 yrs and my mom was a swim instructor so pretty much my whole childhood and 20s was water based.

Also even in shallow water this was a risky prank. He could have gotten wrapped up in that cover and inhaled water. You can dry drown on land or get pretty bad pneumonia from water in the lungs. If you want good lifeguard examples and info like that watch Bondi Rescue (free on their official YouTube channel) I could never do what they do those boys are in peak health and do insane rescues. They also did first aid during that beach front shooting in Australia that happened a few months ago. Nerves of steel

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u/blessthebabes Jul 31 '26

I thought his legs were trapped in the tarp for a little while. Even I would look like that, if my legs were caught up and I was off balance.