As one of the busiest beach weekends of the summer draws near, “Good Morning America” is drawing attention to a threat that frequently occurs in the Great Lakes and the ocean.
“Double drowning” is the term for what happens when someone jumps into the water to save another person but ends up becoming a victim themselves—often without any official rescue training or equipment.
Too often, parents seeking to save their own children are the would-be rescuers, and they don’t realize how difficult it will be until it’s too late. The risks associated with inexperienced people attempting a rescue are cautioned against by the United States Lifesaving Association.
ABC News’ Ginger Zee took part in a must-watch demonstration to provide light on the circumstances surrounding the scenario and show what it’s like to attempt to pull someone out of rough surf.
To assist make sure that you and your loved one return to shore safely, Zee learnt how to do a safer beach rescue.
“Double drowning”: what is it?
A “double drowning” is any circumstance in which multiple people perish. Every summer, parents and courageous strangers can be seen attempting water rescues, frequently on unguarded beaches. Far too frequently, neither the sufferer nor the rescuer make it out alive, even though some are successful.
Speaking to “GMA,” Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project co-founder Dave Benjamin described what had happened.
“They might have this confidence because they know how to swim,” he stated. “They make that instant decision to jump in, and that’s, unfortunately, the moment when they learn [that] trying to stay above the surface while you’re holding on to someone is a very difficult process. … It turns into a double drowning.”
Recalling a tragedy Two years ago, at Porter Beach on Lake Michigan, Dennis and Shannon Kenning lost their son, Tom. Tom noticed a little girl struggling in the water and attempted to help her. In the end, she lived, but Tom did not.
“I could tell Tom was thinking about what to do. Shannon Kenning said in an interview with “GMA” that “he handed me his hat and his phone and started walking toward the water’s edge.”
Dennis Kenning continued, “I think we all underestimate how turbulent, how strong this really is.” “And that can overcome you so quickly.”
In order to recreate the craziness of an actual ocean, Zee teamed up with experienced lifeguards at “Skudin Surf,” the waterpark within the American Dream Mall, to demonstrate the challenges of rescuing someone from rough waters and to caution against trying it unless it’s your last resort.
Lifeguards utilize a 10-pound rubber diving brick as a test of their strength and endurance, and her first task was to save it.
Zee jumped in, took hold of the brick, and returned to the shore. She claimed that despite the waves only being two feet high, “it was definitely a challenge, definitely hard.” My legs are blazing.
Zee’s next challenge was even more difficult: she had to try to save Huda, a 12-year-old competitive surfer.
Huda performed a drowning simulation, which poses a risk to the person trying to save them as victims frequently lose control and pull the rescuer beneath the water.
Zee remarked, “This time it feels much more real,” as she dove back into the water.
