Here’s something most people don’t know, and it’s the kind of thing that costs lives: drowning doesn’t always end when someone gets out of the water.
When a person inhales water — even a small amount — it can damage the lungs in ways that don’t show up right away. The body might look fine. The person might feel fine. They might be talking, walking around, saying they’re okay. But inside, fluid can be building up in the lungs, quietly cutting off the oxygen supply. Hours later, sometimes up to 24 hours later, a person who seemed totally recovered can stop breathing.
This is sometimes called secondary drowning or dry drowning, depending on what’s happening in the lungs. These are informal terms — not official medical diagnoses — and they get used differently by different people, but the danger is real either way.
So what actually happens during a drowning? Research published in PubMed Central found that when someone is submerged and struggling, the time before they lose consciousness can be as short as around 75 seconds on average — because their body is burning through oxygen way faster than it would at rest. That’s terrifyingly fast. And the damage that happens in those seconds doesn’t just disappear once someone’s pulled out.
The warning signs to watch for in the hours after a near-drowning include:
— Coughing that won’t quit
— Chest pain or tightness
— Trouble breathing
— Unusual tiredness or confusion
— Skin that looks pale or bluish
If any of those show up, call 911 or get to an emergency room immediately. Don’t wait to see if it gets better.
And even if none of those signs show up? Someone who had a real close call in the water — went under, inhaled water, had to be pulled out — should be seen by a doctor that same day. Not tomorrow. That day. The whole point is that you can’t always tell from the outside that something’s wrong.
The World Health Organization notes that drowning is one of the leading causes of unintentional injury death globally, and a huge part of that is because people underestimate how serious a near-drowning event actually is.
Bottom line: if someone you’re with nearly drowns — or if it happens to you — treat it as a medical emergency even after they’re out of the water and breathing. Feeling okay is not the same as being okay.