Boy Drowned On School Outing

[managee]

Here's the thing. Very few activities in life are 100% risk free. Accidents can and will happen even with the best precautions. Wonder if the parents had to sign a waiver?

Update: CTV interviewed the student who went into the water with the victim. He said the victim was not wearing a life jacket and "something" pulled him under the water.

Query: Are there any killer fishes or other animals in the waters of Big Trout Lake?

I thought you were joking. But pretty clearly you're not. So here's a link to trophy fish for Ontario.

The report of the teen that said he felt the 'oil fish-like hands/fingers' pulling him down, should probably be taken with a grain of salt. This is pretty big news already. Mangled body-parts caused by a hunter-killer pack of musky or mutant lake trout or the biggest, meanest, most confused catfish ever in Canada would be a news story all to itself. It would be hard to keep that all a secret, considering it sounded like the students witnessed the body being retrieved. That'd be a grim retrieval if it were true.

Note: Although those fish exist, I've taken great leeway in the description above. We have no killer fish in our lakes, except the ones that give you lead poisoning. But that's a slowwwww death. I guess a sturgeon could screw up your day, but Big Trout wouldn't be home for them.

True fisherfolk, please feel free to correct me.

Hands/fingers feel greasy when they're pulling you down under water. Especially if you're not expecting it. That always made me uncomfortable during dive rescue training.

I really feel that the most credible explanation is, he drowned. Maybe it was the weight of his wet footwear (if he had it on) and/or an exhausted upper body. Or just weaker swimming skills than he had remembered. I know after a long paddle, sometimes I wonder how I'll stay afloat during a cool down dip if I wasn't such an expert floater.

On the other hand who doesn't love a big fish story...

 

[SchlongConery]

Us guys were having a nice conversation until you showed up. Stop being so immature.

"Us guys"? Appeal to the crowd?

You just don't like being called out on saying stupid shit.

You asked a question about there being Big trout in Big Trout Lake drowning schoolboys. Surely you were trolling (pun intended) so I took the bait and catfished you with a big fish story! And you didn't just swallow it hook, line and sinker...you took the boat, motor and trailer! Lol!

 

[SchlongConery]

I thought you were joking. But pretty clearly you're not. So here's a link to trophy fish for Ontario.

The report of the teen that said he felt the 'oily-fish like hands' pulling him down, should probably be taken with a grain of salt. This is pretty big news already. Mangled body-parts caused by a hunter-killer pack of musky or mutant lake trout or the biggest, meanest, most confused catfish ever in Canada would be a news story all to itself. It would be hard to keep that all a secret, considering it sounded like the students witnessed the body being retrieved. That'd be a grim retrieval if it were true.

Note: Although those fish exist, I've taken great leeway in the description above. We have no killer fish in our lakes, except the ones that give you lead poisoning. But that's a slowwwww death. I guess a sturgeon could screw up your day, but Big Trout wouldn't be home for them.

True fisherfolk, please feel free to correct me.

Hands/fingers feel greasy when they're pulling you down under water. Especially if you're not expecting it. That always made me uncomfortable during dive rescue training.

I really feel that the most credible explanation is, he drowned. Maybe it was the weight of his wet footwear (if he had it on) and/or an exhausted upper body. Or just weaker swimming skills than he had remembered. I know after a long paddle, sometimes I wonder how I'll stay afloat during a cool down dip if I wasn't such an expert floater.

On the other hand who doesn't love a big fish story...

as a longtime fisherman, big water swimmer, rescue diver, sailor, Bronze Cross lifeguard in my teens and all around Waterman I say you are correct.

There are no fish or other creatures in Ontario waters that drown or otherwise pull people underwater. Period. I challenge Skyrider or anyone else to point to any report of this happening, ever.

But I have seen two people (almost) drown. And the unusual thing about watching someone drown is that it does not look like you think it looks when someone drowns. Their faces just quietly slipped beneath the surface. Had I not seen the actual moment they disappeared, I would not have known they were drowning. One was as a teenager at a golf club pool I was working at and the other was at a crowded Florida beach on a date with a woman with a 9 year old daughter Both immediately recovered when I pulled them out. No artiificial respiration/cpr required. If I had not been looking at them at that exact moment, they would certainly have drowned. So it does not surprise me that this boy disappeared in the dark waters of Big Trout Lake even with 3 lifeguards watching those kids. It really just takes a second. That's why parents need to wathch their kids every second around the water.

 

[managee]

"Us guys"? Appeal to the crowd?

You just don't like being called out on saying stupid shit.

You asked a question about there being Big trout in Big Trout Lake drowning schoolboys. Surely you were trolling (pun intended) so I took the bait and catfished you with a big fish story! And you didn't just swallow it hook, line and sinker...you took the boat, motor and trailer! Lol!

 

[malata]

But I have seen two people (almost) drown. And the unusual thing about watching someone drown is that it does not look like you think it looks when someone drowns. Their faces just quietly slipped beneath the surface. Had I not seen the actual moment they disappeared, I would not have known they were drowning. One was as a teenager at a golf club pool I was working at and the other was at a crowded Florida beach on a date with a woman with a 9 year old daughter Both immediately recovered when I pulled them out. No artiificial respiration/cpr required. If I had not been looking at them at that exact moment, they would certainly have drowned. So it does not surprise me that this boy disappeared in the dark waters of Big Trout Lake even with 3 lifeguards watching those kids. It really just takes a second. That's why parents need to wathch their kids every second around the water.

Here's a good example if what you've described happening...

 

[SchlongConery]

Thought I'dlook this up in the hopes that it might save a life someday. Btw, unless you are a very strong swimmer, if nit actually trained in water rescue you might want to resist trying to rescue someone drowning by jumping into the water too. Too many times, the untrained resuer drowns too..

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instinctive_drowning_response

To an untrained observer, it may not be obvious that a drowning person is in distress — they may appear to be swimming safely, while actually they are within 20–60 seconds of sinking under the surface.[SUP][4][/SUP] They extend their arms laterally and press down on the water's surface in order to lift their mouths out of the water. When their mouth is above the water, they quickly exhale and inhale instead of calling for help. Because of their arm movements and their focus on lifting their mouth out of the water, they cannot wave, kick their feet, nor swim to a rescuer, nor grasp a rope or other rescue equipment.[SUP][1][/SUP] They may be misunderstood as "playing in the water" by those unfamiliar with drowning, and other swimmers just meters away may not realize that an emergency is occurring.
Lifeguards and other persons trained in rescue learn to recognize drowning people by watching for these instinctive actions.[SUP][5][/SUP]
In emergency situations in which lifeguards or other trained personnel are not present, it is advisable to wait for the victim to stop moving or sink before approaching, rescuing, and attempting to resuscitate. While the instinctive reaction to drowning is taking place, victims latch onto any and all solid objects in attempts to get air, which can result in the drowning of a would-be rescuer as well as (or instead of) the original victim.[SUP][6][/SUP] This "aquatic victim-instead-of-rescuer scenario" is common.[SUP][7][/SUP] It killed 103 would-be rescuers in Australia between 1992 and 2010, and 81 people in New Zealand between 1980 and 2012.[SUP][8][/SUP]A study of drownings in Turkey found 88 cases in which 114 would-be rescuers drowned during their attempts to rescue a primary drowning victim.[SUP][9][/SUP]

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[danmand]

I was always discouraged from swimming in lakes, because there likely is very cold water (32 F) somewhere below horizontal boundary. That can easily create cramps that can be fatal.

I experienced such a cold water boundary when I scuba dived in Georgian Bay.

 

[SchlongConery]

Here's a good example if what you've described happening...

]

That was gut wrenching and heartbreaking to watch.

But that wasn't how I experienced it. My experiences were much subtler but every drowning is unique

Here is a very appropriate story related to school age drownings

 

[SchlongConery]

I was always discouraged from swimming in lakes, because there likely is very cold water (32 F) somewhere below horizontal boundary. That can easily create cramps that can be fatal.

I experienced such a cold water boundary when I scuba dived in Georgian Bay.

That is called a thermocline.

You might enjoy this article on deep water lake temperatures

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-temperature-of-lakes/

 

[Robert E]

I only thought oceans have undertow, but it turns out lakes have them too, and they're just as dangerous.
They're called swift currents. Lake Michigan had 82 drownings since 2002:

http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2015/06/why_lake_michigan_is_the_most.html


Here's what to do if you get caught in one:

Thank you for sharing this.

 

[managee]

If I had not been looking at them at that exact moment, they would certainly have drowned. So it does not surprise me that this boy disappeared in the dark waters of Big Trout Lake even with 3 lifeguards watching those kids. It really just takes a second. That's why parents need to wathch their kids every second around the water.

Totes.

I'm stuck on the footwear. Shoes are wet, he gets to a site with an unappealing shoreline for a barefoot entry, so he keeps his kicks on. Kid jumps or runs into the water and misses a drop off, not a surprise since it's not like you can see deeper than 2 feet into the murk, sinks when he thinks he's going to stand. Literally in over his head in an instant. Unless you were staring right at him, it'd require a particularly keen-eyed supervisor to notice 1 kid didn't resurface with the commmotiom of a bunch of teens in the water. No thrashing at the surface, nothing to draw your attention to.

 

[malata]

That was gut wrenching and heartbreaking to watch.

But that wasn't how I experienced it. My experiences were much subtler but every drowning is unique

Here is a very appropriate story related to school age drownings

Great video! This should be taught to all school children how to survive in a drowning situation. Something I certainly did not know about on something so simple as this can save your life regardless of your swimming skills.

 

[basketcase]

...

most probable cause is simple drowning. Happens to many people that know how to swim.

That's my guess. Tiring trip, weak swimmer, cold water (and you can bet a bigger lake like that one is still pretty damn cold right now).

 

[GPIDEAL]

Just joining in. Will check out the videos above.

Certainly sad what happened. I firefighter said swimming lessons or a test doesn't necessarily protect someone from drowning, particularly if the lake water is cold. You guys mentioned undertow too.

 

[GameBoy27]

Did I hear this right? The boy's father said he was a poop swimmer. Then why the hell was he first, on a trip with lakes and second, not made to wear a life jacket? FFS. Parenting fail!

 

[Phil C. McNasty]

Did I hear this right? The boy's father said he was a poop swimmer. Then why the hell was he first, on a trip with lakes and second, not made to wear a life jacket? FFS. Parenting fail!

Actually, school fail!

Apparently the TDSB said every student was swim-proofed (whatever that means).
I smell a major inquiry into this, and some massive lawsuits to follow

 

[GPIDEAL]

Actually, school fail!

Apparently the TDSB said every student was swim-proofed (whatever that means).
I smell a major inquiry into this, and some massive lawsuits to follow

Yes, but didn't his father know he was going to Algonquin Park where they would be in contact with water?

 

[SkyRider]

You know it must be Summer when you hear of drownings. Two men drowned at Wasaga Beach.

 

[fuji]

Thought I'dlook this up in the hopes that it might save a life someday. Btw, unless you are a very strong swimmer, if nit actually trained in water rescue you might want to resist trying to rescue someone drowning by jumping into the water too. Too many times, the untrained resuer drowns too..

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instinctive_drowning_response

To an untrained observer, it may not be obvious that a drowning person is in distress — they may appear to be swimming safely, while actually they are within 20–60 seconds of sinking under the surface.[SUP][4][/SUP] They extend their arms laterally and press down on the water's surface in order to lift their mouths out of the water. When their mouth is above the water, they quickly exhale and inhale instead of calling for help. Because of their arm movements and their focus on lifting their mouth out of the water, they cannot wave, kick their feet, nor swim to a rescuer, nor grasp a rope or other rescue equipment.[SUP][1][/SUP] They may be misunderstood as "playing in the water" by those unfamiliar with drowning, and other swimmers just meters away may not realize that an emergency is occurring.
Lifeguards and other persons trained in rescue learn to recognize drowning people by watching for these instinctive actions.[SUP][5][/SUP]
In emergency situations in which lifeguards or other trained personnel are not present, it is advisable to wait for the victim to stop moving or sink before approaching, rescuing, and attempting to resuscitate. While the instinctive reaction to drowning is taking place, victims latch onto any and all solid objects in attempts to get air, which can result in the drowning of a would-be rescuer as well as (or instead of) the original victim.[SUP][6][/SUP] This "aquatic victim-instead-of-rescuer scenario" is common.[SUP][7][/SUP] It killed 103 would-be rescuers in Australia between 1992 and 2010, and 81 people in New Zealand between 1980 and 2012.[SUP][8][/SUP]A study of drownings in Turkey found 88 cases in which 114 would-be rescuers drowned during their attempts to rescue a primary drowning victim.[SUP][9][/SUP]

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You should always throw something that floats to a drowning person. A life jacket, buoy, anything. Failing that throw the end of a towel or a paddle to them and pull them out when they grab on.

If they do get ahold of you go the one direction they will never follow: straight down underwater, then swim away and resurface away from them.

It is dangerous to get too close. On the other hand you can yell instructions like grab on to the life jacket.

 

[SchlongConery]

You know it must be Summer when you hear of drownings. Two men drowned at Wasaga Beach.

Have you "ruled out" them being pulled under by any of the killer Ontario freshwater lake creatures yet? Wasaga Beach Whales usually hunts in pods of two.