In honesty, holding one's breath while underwater has been a common pool game for years. Competitive swimmers indulged in the practice as a training regime even before there were swimming pools.
But with the mercury regularly surpassing the 90-degree mark and parents and children seeking ways to keep cool, this and other pool safety concerns are rising back to the surface again.
"It happens but it is strictly forbidden in our pools," said Christine Kinsella, aquatic coordinator for the northern half of Gwinnett County.
Kinsella and other aquatic directors say they are keenly aware of the growing interest in the breathing game, also known as underwater blackout or shallow water blackout, and are taking steps to address it in staff training. Both their lifeguarding books and Red Cross training material address the practice.
While it’s hard to gauge how widespread this practice is or what its impact has been, nearly 400 children under the age of 15 die annually in pool- and spa-related drownings Another 4,200 are treated for submersion injuries, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
Despite the dangers associated with breath-holding, some worry that educational efforts have been too spotty. And although training materials from the American Red Cross and the YMCA, for instance, mention the dangers of breath-holding, few if any facilities post signs warning against the practice and there is still little public awareness of the dangers associated with underwater swimming or breath-holding.
Talking to parents about the phenomenon is like breathing life into an old story. They did it when they were growing up, they said with a twinkle in their eyes. But never to the point of blacking out, they add.
“I wanted to keep swimming,” said Vanessa Baumann, while taking a break with her 4-year-old daughter poolside at the Bethesda Aquatic Center in Lawrenceville.
Steve O’Neill, father of 8- and 14-year-old sons and recreation coordinator for the West Cobb Aquatic Center in Powder Springs, said that five years ago he used to catch kids doing this a lot.
“You’d hear, ‘One, two, three, go,' and they’d jump in the water holding their noses,” he said. “But not so much now.”
While there is no sign posted at the West Cobb center discouraging breath-holding, O’Neill said he and his staff are diligent about discouraging the practice among all swimmers, even competitive ones.
“When I was in college and on swim teams, we used to do it,” he said. “The thinking was that it would improve lung capacity and allow focusing on techniques. But it is known as a failed technique industry-wide and can lead to passing out underwater and drowning. There is no positive outcome in holding your breath as long as you can.”
Any swimmer caught holding his breath, O’Neill and others say, is immediately reprimanded and his parents notified.
“I try to make it as un-scary as possible but explain the danger," he said.
Mike Greenwald, attending physician of emergency medicine at Children's Healthcare at Egleston, said he is already starting to see children in the hospital emergency rooms for this and other water-related injuries.
Just in the past month, he said there have been five cases of near drownings but he suspects that number is low because record-keepers rely on diagnosis.
“We are seeing more pool-related injuries, including kids who’ve experienced near-drowning episodes related to a lack of supervision as well as injuries that occur in and around the pool,” said Greenwald. “Those include head injuries and some seizures.”
Recently, he said, he saw a child who had passed out due to complication from holding his breath. In another instance, Greenwald said he saw a boy who was submerged in water over five minutes in a breath-holding competition.
“I’m not seeing a lot but it is a concern that kids are learning this on the Internet,” said Greenwald.
The good news, he said, is lifeguards are aware of this and are watching for kids engaged in it.
Some parents at area pools last week said they were unaware of the dangers associated with the practice and admitted they’d done it growing up.
“I did that many times when I was a kid but never to the point that I’d black out,” said Baumann, 36, of Loganville. “That’s just crazy.”
Baumann said she found the practice alarming, especially for older children who might swim unsupervised.
Stunned, Carolyn Wilkinson turned to ask her 16-year-old son if he’d competed with any of his friends this way.
“No,” he told her.
Wilkinson, also of Loganville, said that she too had competed with her friends growing up but, “We always came up for air.”
And 35-year-old Brad Denton, of Grayson, said he hadn’t heard of the practice at all.
“I’m always behind the times,” he said wiping water from his brow. Then the 35-year-old father of two thought for a moment.
“Underwater blackout is very plausible, considering I tipped cows growing up,” he said.
Tips for parents:
- Actively supervise children anytime they are in or near water. Drowning is silent; you will not hear them call for help.
- Install four-sided fencing with a self-closing and self-locking gates around pool.
- Children should learn to swim at an early age (around 4 years).
- Make sure pool and spa drains have anti-entrapment devices on any intake vents.
Source: Beverly Losman, Safe Kids Georgia
