Drowning may not be easy to recognize

Drowning is subtle — so subtle, in fact, that in 10 percent of all accidental drownings of children, an adult actually watches a child drown and has no idea it is happening, according to the CDC.

Drowning people don’t flail around. They rarely call for help. In fact, they quickly become panicked and are rarely able to call for help.

How drowning looks:
* Head low in the water, mouth at water level
* Head tilted back with mouth open
* Eyes glassy and empty, unable to focus
* Eyes closed
* Hair over forehead or eyes
* Not using legs
* Hyperventilating or gasping
* Trying to swim in a particular direction but not making headway
* Trying to roll over on the back
* Appear to be climbing an invisible ladder
* Children may appear to be simply sitting on the bottom of a pool.

Proficiency test
One way to demonstrate water proficiency is this Red Cross test:
1. Resurface easily after falling into the water above the head
2. Tread water for one minute.
3. Spin around 360 degrees to spot an exit.
4. Swim 25 yards to get to an exit.
5. Climb out of the water without assistance.

Exhaustion protocol
Each swimmer, especially children, should know how to flip, float and swim.
When tired, a swimmer should turn over on the back, with the arms stretched out on top of the water and head above water, then float to recover energy. Turn over again onto the stomach and swim toward safety. When tired, flip and float.

Caution on treading water
Treading water is an important survival skill, but it is more problematic for children, according to some swim experts.

Children are likely to have less buoyancy in the water and use a huge amount of energy moving their arms and legs just to keep their heads out of the water. They can be taught to use less energy, and they should know how to properly tread water, but the key safety skill for children is to flip and float.