The closest I have come to drowning was in about 6 inches of water, and I was 10 years old!
I was at a playground with water features and there was a little bridge over a little stream, and I looked at it and thought “I bet I could fit through there!” I was old enough that I really should have realized this was a bad idea, but… didn’t, until I found myself with my head perfectly wedged under the bridge, face down in the water.
As is common in moments of panic, I was stuck for only a few seconds but it felt like an eternity. My parents were far enough away that I didn’t think they’d notice (because they very reasonably thought I was old enough to take care of myself on a playground), and I wasn’t sure anyone else would either—even if I thrashed around, adults not looking too closely might think I was just splashing and playing. I remember thinking “wow, this is it, this is how I die, what a dumb way to go!”
After a few seconds of wriggling I became unstuck and was fine, but it was definitely a wake-up call about how seeming dangerous and actually being dangerous are not the same thing.
Adding my anecdote:
The closest I have come to drowning was in about 6 inches of water, and I was 10 years old!
I was at a playground with water features and there was a little bridge over a little stream, and I looked at it and thought “I bet I could fit through there!” I was old enough that I really should have realized this was a bad idea, but… didn’t, until I found myself with my head perfectly wedged under the bridge, face down in the water.
As is common in moments of panic, I was stuck for only a few seconds but it felt like an eternity. My parents were far enough away that I didn’t think they’d notice (because they very reasonably thought I was old enough to take care of myself on a playground), and I wasn’t sure anyone else would either—even if I thrashed around, adults not looking too closely might think I was just splashing and playing. I remember thinking “wow, this is it, this is how I die, what a dumb way to go!”
After a few seconds of wriggling I became unstuck and was fine, but it was definitely a wake-up call about how seeming dangerous and actually being dangerous are not the same thing.