flotation.

i've always loved swimming - loved the mystical wonder of water as it caressed my body.

i learned two things about rescuing a fellow swimmer.

one was that you should always keep your eyes open.

when i was in 6th grade, my swimming instructor told me a story about a boy he had saved from the clutches of death. the boy, who had had full training on how to swim, had apparently fallen into a lake. confident that he could save himself, the boy began to paddle and stroke and kick as hard as he could.

to the bottom of the lake.

you see, he had squeezed his eyes shut so that not only could he not tell where he was in the water, but also that he was swimming away from the surface.

my instructor finally found him, banging his hands against the lake floor like a fish in a glass bowl.


the other thing i learned was that you should never try to save someone who is drowning - with your own self.

i heard a story about a teenage girl who jumped into water to save her toddler sister. the little girl had been thrashing about, trying her best to stay afloat - to no avail. so with no hesitation, the older sister jumped in and swam over to her dear sibling.

now the little girl was probably, what, half her older sister's size, if not less. but to the older girl's great surprise, she found herself being quickly pulled under by the frantic, panicked little girl, until both older and younger sister nearly drowned together, had not other help arrived.

so, my conclusion is: never jump in with someone in distress, because they'll pull YOU under.