St. Louis, MO
We read recently of Bill Durden, a man who fell of his boat in the Gulf of Mexico 30 miles offshore and who managed to survive for 20 hours by floating on his back before he was finally rescued by a U. S. Coast Guard helicopter.
At British Swim School floating is the first thing we teach and is the most important skill for water survival. We certainly hope that none of our students ever have to float for 20 hours in the Gulf of Mexico – or anywhere else for that matter. But floating for 20 minutes or even 2 minutes can be a life saving skill.
In describing what he did, Bill Durden sounds a bit like a British Swim School instructor. “Let your head drop back in the water” he said. “Tilt your chin toward the sky” the article continues and “even if the circumstances are harrowing, lie back and try to relax.”
(On occasion, some of our students seem to find their circumstances a bit harrowing but “lie back and relax” is just what our instructors say.) Durden also held his arms out to the side just as our students are encouraged to do when they are told to look like a starfish.
Many aspects of Durden’s experience were surreal. Hearing underwater is diferent since sound waves go past the eardrum and vibrate the bones of the skull, permitting perception of frequencies 10 times as high as on land. (This is how a whale hears.) Also, in oceans or lakes, suckerfish may attach themselves and other fish may rub up against you.
Floating in the water, whether pool or lake or ocean, can also be a delightfully relaxing activity. And it is our hope that relaxing floating is the only kind of floating our students ever have to do. But it is also comforting to know that they could respond to an emergency – for however long is necessary.
