She certainly gave me a good spanking, that's for sure.
Absolutely. And stone-cold sober too. I wasn't scared, almost just resigned to my fate, and I think the worst thing was definitely that the world would see just how daft I'd been.
Here's a definition of drowning from Wikipedia, which sounds terrifying to me - being unable to call for help (assuming that I'd got in the water with other people nearby!). There are videos out there if you look in the right (or wrong) places, showing people actually drowning, and there's no hint that any of them are literally about to die before your eyes/lens :
Drowning is most often quick and unspectacular. Its media depictions as a loud, violent struggle have much more in common with
distressed non-swimmers, who may well drown but have not yet begun to do so. In particular, an asphyxiating person is seldom able to call for help. The instinctive drowning response covers many signs or behaviors associated with drowning or near-drowning:
- Head low in the water, mouth at water level
- Head tilted back with mouth open
- Eyes glassy and empty, unable to focus
- Eyes open, with fear evident on the face
- Hyperventilating or gasping
- Trying to swim in a particular direction but not making headway
- Trying to roll over on the back to float
- Uncontrollable movement of arms and legs, rarely out of the water.
Drowning begins at the point a person is unable to keep their mouth above water; inhalation of water takes place at a later stage. Most people demonstrating the instinctive drowning response do not show obvious prior evidence of distress.
A person drowning is generally unable to call for help, or seek attention, as they cannot obtain enough air. The instinctive drowning response is the final set of
autonomic reactions in the 20–60 seconds before sinking underwater, and to the untrained eye can look similar to calm safe behavior.
Lifeguards and other persons trained in rescue learn to recognize drowning people by watching for these movements.