MW thanks for posting the article...

DJB, did you experience the things in the article as you were in distress? Glad you survived. Just curious about your experience if you would like to share. Very important topic.

Good read MW, had my whole family read it. One thing I would add is I've also heard the person in distress may also drown the rescuer because they panic and grab the other person around the neck or force them under to push themselves to the surface.
My best friend almost drowned in the surf in Galveston, he stepped off the second bar and went under. I was only about 50 feet away and never heard a thing. I turned around and saw him throwing up salt water, he got really lucky and found a high spot in the sand. It happened very fast.

A good hard cramp can cause even a strong swimmer to have a hard time staying afloat even if the water is not even over your head.. Throw in some waves or current ....
Going into cold water can really shock the body also. Even on a warm day if you suddenly fall into a cold stream, can make it so you can barely breathe and and zap all your energy.
Even with the water not even over your head feeling like someone just slugged you in the solar plexis knocking all the wind out of you and your body not having the energy to even stand up.
Do not let the fact you are a strong swimmer give you a false sense of security. Always be careful and wear a pfd when boating or even when in the water.

Be especially careful at the beach. One good hit by an unexpected wave can easily knock one off their feet and just about the time they start to get their feet back under them they are hit by another.
Young children getting a face full of water do not know to trun their back to the wave and will stand facing them while trying to recover even inadvertantly walking further out into the water.
They are not making any noise during this time, just trying to get the water out of their face and start to breathe about the time another wave hits them in the face.
You have a wave that can pick them up so feet are not on the bottom and then collapse on top of them it gets even worse.
I have seen these things happen with parents right there not knowing what is going on or distracted for just an instant.
Never take your eye off of them and never let them get further than you can grab them. Better yet to have them wear a life jacket also.
It is not just limited to kids. It can happen to adults also. When surf fishing you are a little tired, take that long trip out to throw your bait out and git hit by that rogue wave on the way back in or cross over into the ripe tide.
Or maybe it is a jellyfish sting or swipe by a stingray.
There is not anything out there worth loosing your life over.

One afternoon I was floating down a very mild rapid section of the river near Gatlinburg. Not in a boat, just letting the current push us along.
A young boy in front of me started looking a little odd. He was not just letting the current push him along, but seemed to be fighting it. He did not make any sounds.
Fortunately I was just a few feet behind him and was able to get to him quickly and safely.
I am confident he would have gone under very soon and no one would have known until they got to where the water was still and noticed him missing.

A game warden told me this � I never recovered a dead body with a life jacket on� figure it out

When the Lord calls you Home, He's already chosen When,Where,and How.

Undertow.... thats why you see quotes like this in the paper (from a 2018 drowning on Grapevine.) "[We were] panicking and yelling his name," "He's one of the strongest swimmers of all of us."

I think many do not respect the power of water, and that's what gets them in a bad situation.