Submitted by lemontreelemur t3_yvg986 in todayilearned
900+ people? Was he guarding a whirlpool?
You joke, but I worked a summer at a water park. I had to rescue 3 people in one day who all went under on the same slide. One of them had swallowed enough water in the 5 seconds it took me to get to her that I had to do chest compressions to clear her airway. It’s been 10 years and I still have nightmares.
I've been bringing the reality TV show "Bondi Rescue" which is focused on the lifeguards of Australia's Bondi Beach. Those mother fuckers rescue like 30 people a day, I fully believe this man had 900+ rescues after seeing Bondi
Love this show! Full episodes are available on their YouTube channel.
That's where I'm watching it! I had no interest in this 3 weeks ago now I can name most of the lifeguards on a random beach halfway around the world
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If he decides you're being rescued you're being rescued. Try telling him you're not drowning...
Joking aside, assuming not every rescue is a full-on life or death situation, over a few years I could imagine one or more per day is possible.
Sort of, in the sense it was a volatile, high-traffic area:
>Galveston was a tricky area for all levels of swimmers. On the Gulf side of the island the water is treacherous. There are sandbars and places where the ocean floor drops away unexpectedly. The riptides are a constant issue, pulling under experienced and inexperienced swimmers alike.
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>The peril was increased because in the early 1900s, few people learned water safety. The first swimming programs in the U.S. began in 1912 (see Wilbert E. Longfellow), and the programs were slow to spread throughout the country. Those who came to Galveston for vacation often did not know how to swim, because few towns and cities had public access to pools.
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>Yet summers were hot, and there was no air conditioning until the late 1920s-1930s. Many traveled to Galveston to enjoy the cooling ocean breezes, and of course, they went into the water.
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>Take unpredictable currents and mix in crowds of people who don’t know how to swim (or how to swim well), and Galveston had the makings of daily disaster.
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>...
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>Colombo’s additional advantage was that he grew up near the Galveston waters. He had intimate knowledge of how the ocean could behave in all types of weather.
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>...
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>Colombo often had to rescue the original victim as well as those who were trying to help.
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>...
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>During World War II, the beaches were overrun by soldiers on leave before shipping out, and the crowds were overwhelming. On one single afternoon, he saved 19 people.
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>One of Colombo’s most dramatic rescues was when a tugboat hit a barge, and the barge burst into flames that quickly engulfed the tugboat. To rescue those on board, Colombo dove under the flames several times to save the men.
Tldr: Before access to swimming lessons and good water safety information, a shocking number of people used to die from drowning, especially in more dangerous areas.
Right! I worked a busy beach one year… the only thing I ever had to get wet for was a stupid Asian fisherman who fell of his kayak and couldn’t swim.
Not to be a douche or overly PC or anything, but what does his race have to do with the rest of the comment?
you’re not bein a douche
Most uncalled for
Asian fishing is mysterious and inscrutable.
WhereI am it’s pretty common for many, not all, Asian fishermen to go out and not have any clue how to swim or how to get back on their boat.
Most people would think they are crazy or stupid.
By saying Asian fisherman I was explaining why someone would be on the water and be unable to swim. They had no business on the water as they put their lives and others in danger.
It might come across as racially prejudicial, but the vast majority of kayak rescues, where I worked, are Asian guys who can’t swim and their buddies are terrified to help… because they can’t swim either.
It is actually true that a lot of people in Asia don’t know how to swim. I live in Vietnam and I have personally resuscitated someone after drowning. I have several other friends who have saved drowning victims. I’ve heard of friends of friends dying because they fell in a lake and no one else could jump in and save them. Drowning is the number one cause of death for children here. None of my Vietnamese friends can swim, even ones who grew up on the coast. When I go on vacation here and to other Asian countries I often see groups of tourists wearing life jackets in waist high water.
That said, I do a lot of scuba diving and the all the boat captains I’ve met do know how to swim.
There are always exceptions to the “norm.”
Not every old fat white guy in Texas is a racist MAGA supporter… but a lot are ;)
Chinese fishermen atleast are notorious for fishing where they have zero rights to fish so they just turn of the radar, which is also illegal and an endangerment to nearby vessels.
Yes, notorious Chinese industrial fishers and their kayaks.
Nothing telling about you immediately jumping to this point from "Asian businessman" at all.
I bet he was illegal whaling in his kayak. Classic Chinese industrial fisherman
Ah true xD forgot the Kayak was mentioned. Sorry I AM quite sleepy.
For what it’s worth. Turning off your own radar doesn’t stop other boats from seeing you with their radar. Their radar sends radio waves out, then measures the time it takes until it detects the reflection.
You are thinking of Automatic Identification System. I’m not sure what the laws are about turning one off if you have one, but you aren’t required by law to have one if you are under 65ft in the US. IDK about china.
I don't recall the specifics either and yeah makes more sense. Thanks for the correction.
Lifeguard from hell
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