What Drowning Looks Like: The Quiet Signs
Drowning is usually quiet and fast. Learn the real signs of drowning in children and adults, how distress differs from drowning, and what to do right away.
Drowning Emergencies and Rescue
How to recognize drowning, help without going in, call 911 and learn CPR, plus the truth about 'dry drowning' and what to do after a scare in the water.
Emergency
Call 911 in any water emergency. Shout for help, then reach or throw something that floats. Don't go in.
Drowning is quiet and fast. The CDC says it happens in seconds and is often silent (opens in a new tab), and a person who is drowning usually can't shout or wave. Knowing what to look for, and what to do in the first minutes, can save a life.
The American Red Cross teaches a simple order of action, its chain of drowning survival (opens in a new tab): recognize trouble and shout for help, get the person out without putting yourself in danger, call emergency services, begin rescue breathing and CPR, and use an AED if one is available. The guides below walk through each link in that chain:
- Spot it: the quiet signs of drowning, and drowning myths vs. facts.
- Help safely: reach or throw, don't go (including what to do if a pet falls in), and how to use a ring buoy or throw bag.
- Call for help: calling 911 near water, with text-to-911 and interpreter tips.
- Act in the first minutes: drowning first aid, and where to learn CPR with rescue breaths.
- Afterward: "dry drowning" and the symptoms that need care, and helping a child after a scary moment in the water.
- Plan ahead: a water emergency action plan for your pool, camp or event.
We don't print CPR steps. CPR is a hands-on skill that differs for adults, children and babies, so we explain why it matters and point you to American Heart Association and Red Cross training instead.
Our founding family's mission includes "the need for proper training and equipment for emergency response personnel." Read what professional rescuers need, and how communities can support them, in what water rescue teams need.
Start here
Reach or Throw, Don't Go: How to Help Someone Who Is Drowning
How to help a drowning person without becoming a second victim: call 911, reach with a pole or rope, throw something that floats, and don't go in.
Drowning Emergency: What to Do in the First Minutes
What to do in a drowning emergency: call 911, get the person out without going in, start CPR if trained, and get medical care for anyone who had trouble.
Where to Learn CPR and Why It Matters for Drowning
Where to find CPR classes from the Red Cross and American Heart Association, free FDNY classes in NYC, and why drowning calls for CPR with rescue breaths.
'Dry Drowning' and 'Secondary Drowning': What Parents Need to Know
'Dry drowning' and 'secondary drowning' aren't medical terms. Learn which symptoms after a water incident need medical care, and when a child is fine.
Calling 911 Near Water: What to Say and How to Share Your Location
How to call 911 from a beach, lake, park or pool: what to say first, how to give a location without an address, NYC text-to-911 and teaching kids to call.
More guides
How to Throw a Ring Buoy or Throw Bag
How to use rescue equipment at pools, docks and beaches: throw bags, ring buoys and reaching poles, what to throw if there's none, and pulling someone in.
Helping a Child After a Scary Moment in the Water
After a near drowning or a scare in the water: how to check your child's health, talk about it, rebuild their confidence and know when to get more help.
How to Write a Water Emergency Action Plan for a Pool, Camp or Event
Write a simple water emergency action plan for a home pool, camp, school trip or event: who calls 911, who reaches, who meets responders, and drills.
Drowning Myths vs. Facts
Do drowning people yell for help? Can you drown in shallow water? Common drowning myths, each answered with facts from the CDC, AAP, Red Cross and CPSC.
Tools and printables
Interactive tool
Drowning myths quiz
Myth or fact? Test 14 common beliefs about drowning, from floaties to dry drowning, with every answer checked against official sources.
Printable
Drowning Is Quiet
A poster of the quiet signs of drowning for pools, beaches, camps and classrooms, with what to do: call 911, reach or throw, don't go in.
Printable
Water Watcher Card
A cut-out card to pass between adults at the pool, beach or lake: whoever holds it watches the water, with no phone and no other job, for 15-20 minutes.
Printable
Reach or Throw, Don't Go
A poster of the safe way to help someone in trouble in the water: shout and call 911, reach from solid ground, throw something that floats, and don't go in.
Questions and answers
- CPR and Water Rescue: Common Questions (15 questions)
- Drowning Facts: Common Questions Answered (15 questions)