Don't drown, folks

[Gaybutton]

Lately several people have drowned in Thailand's seas. Despite warning flags, rough water, and obvious dangerous waves, the drowning victims went swimming anyway. Hopefully you won't be damned fool enough to do the same.

However, strong undertows can happen even when the waters appear to be calm. For many years in my younger days I was an avid Scuba diver and I learned a few things, including how not to drown if a strong current is pulling you out to sea.

1. The worst thing you can do is panic and try to struggle your way back to shore. NO. Let the current pull you right out and don't even try to resist it. Believe me, you can't resist and you can't overpower it. That's the best way to become exhausted and drown..
2. The undertow current will almost always subside less than 100 yards from shore.
3. When you feel the current subsiding, swim parallel to shore until you no longer feel the current trying to pull you out.
4. Now you should easily be able to swim back to shore without a current pulling you out.

Of course if warnings are out, such as red flags or the water just doesn't look right, the best way to avoid drowning is not to go into the water in the first place.

[Jun]

Drowning in an offshore sewer would not be one of my preferred means of dying.