We’ve all seen drowning victims portrayed on TV or in the movies. We’ve seen actors scream and splash in the water. But that is only how drowning looks on the screen. In real life, drowning happens very differently.
By the time a maritime worker is actually drowning, it is mostly a silent event. The worker may bob up and down in the water but there is no screaming or splashing to catch the eye of his coworkers or other people nearby.
Thus, it is important that everyone is continuously accounted for aboard a vessel, that crewmembers are taught how to handle a person who falls overboard, and that personal flotation devices are readily accessible. It is also critical that everyone knows what drowning looks like so that fewer maritime workers fall victim to drowning each year.
