Drowning can happen quickly and may not look dramatic. A person in difficulty may be unable to shout, wave or attract attention, particularly if they are exhausted, injured, cold or losing consciousness.
Water emergencies can happen in swimming pools, rivers, lakes, canals, reservoirs, the sea, baths and other bodies of water. They can involve strong currents, cold water, hidden hazards, boats, falls, medical emergencies or accidental submersion.
This guide explains what to do if someone is drowning, how to help without putting yourself in danger, what first aid to give after the person is removed from the water, when to start CPR and how to manage the risk of hypothermia.
Important: your own safety comes first. If you are not trained in water rescue, do not enter the water to attempt a rescue.
Drowning happens when a person experiences breathing problems because they have been submerged or immersed in liquid.
A person does not need to die for the incident to be considered drowning. Some people survive after coughing, breathing difficulty or temporary loss of consciousness, while others may require resuscitation.
Even if someone appears to recover after being rescued from the water, they may still need medical assessment if they experienced breathing difficulty, loss of consciousness or significant submersion.
Drowning is not always obvious.
A person in difficulty may:
Children may become silent rather than calling out, so close supervision around water is especially important.
The first priority is to get professional help and avoid becoming a second casualty.
| Situation | What to do | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| You are not trained in water rescue | Stay on land, call for help and use a flotation device, lifebuoy, rescue tube or another safe method of reaching the person. | Entering the water can put the rescuer at serious risk. |
| The person is still responsive | Encourage them to hold onto flotation equipment and help guide them towards safety. | Flotation can keep their head above water while rescue is arranged. |
| A trained rescuer enters the water | Use appropriate rescue equipment and follow water-rescue training. | Trained techniques reduce the risk to both casualty and rescuer. |
| The person is removed from the water and not breathing normally | Give 5 initial rescue breaths, then start standard CPR. | Drowning cardiac arrest is usually caused by lack of oxygen, so ventilation is especially important. |
| An AED is available | Dry the chest quickly, attach the pads and follow the AED prompts. | Early defibrillation may be lifesaving if the heart has developed a shockable rhythm. |
Not unless you are trained and it is safe to do so.
Resuscitation Council UK guidance specifically advises people who are not trained in water rescue not to enter the water.
A person who is panicking can grab onto a rescuer, and currents, cold water, depth, waves or underwater hazards can quickly turn one casualty into two.
Where possible, stay on land and use equipment such as:
Call 999 and ask for the appropriate emergency service.
Call 999 or 112 as soon as possible if someone is in serious difficulty in the water.
If you are by the sea or on the coast, the emergency call handler may coordinate with HM Coastguard. Inland incidents may involve ambulance, fire and rescue or specialist water rescue teams.
Tell the call handler:
If possible, put the phone on speaker so you can continue helping while following emergency-service instructions.
See our How to Call Emergency Services guide for more general information about making an emergency call.
Once the casualty is on land or on a rescue boat, assess them immediately.
Check:
If they are responsive and breathing normally, keep them warm, monitor them closely and arrange medical assessment where appropriate.
If they are unresponsive and not breathing normally, begin drowning resuscitation immediately.
Drowning is different from many sudden cardiac arrests because the heart often stops after the body has been deprived of oxygen.
Current Resuscitation Council UK guidance recommends:
Rescue breaths are particularly important in drowning because oxygen deprivation is a central part of the emergency.
See our CPR Explained for Adults, Children & Babies guide for more information about CPR technique.
If the casualty is unresponsive and not breathing normally:
Then begin chest compressions and continue CPR.
If you have not been trained in rescue breaths or are unable to give them, follow the instructions of the 999 call handler.
No.
Do not waste time trying to “drain” water from the casualty by turning them upside down, hanging them over your knee or pressing on their abdomen.
The priority is to open the airway, assess breathing and begin resuscitation immediately if they are not breathing normally.
Attempts to force water out can delay effective CPR and may increase the risk of vomiting.
Vomiting can occur after drowning and during resuscitation.
If vomit is blocking the airway:
Do not spend unnecessary time clearing the airway if it is already open enough to continue ventilation.
Yes.
An AED can be used following drowning. Once the casualty has been removed from the water:
Do not delay CPR for a long period while trying to make the casualty completely dry. The chest only needs to be dry enough for the adhesive pads to stick properly.
For more information, see our AED & Defibrillators Explained guide.
If a casualty is unresponsive but breathing normally, keep their airway open and call 999.
Where there is no major trauma preventing it, placing the person in the recovery position can help protect the airway, particularly if they vomit.
Continue checking their breathing until emergency services arrive.
See our Recovery Position Explained guide for further information.
Some water incidents involve diving, falls, boats, surfing or other mechanisms that could cause a neck or spinal injury.
However, if a casualty is not breathing normally, resuscitation takes priority over spinal immobilisation.
Do not delay removing an unresponsive non-breathing casualty from the water simply because spinal injury is possible.
Once on land, minimise unnecessary movement where practical while still maintaining the airway and providing CPR.
Cold water can rapidly lower body temperature, even when the air temperature feels relatively mild.
A casualty who has been immersed in cold water may develop hypothermia.
Possible signs include:
Once the casualty is safely out of the water:
See our First Aid for Hypothermia guide for detailed guidance.
Cold-water drowning can sometimes involve prolonged resuscitation because severe cooling changes how the body responds to oxygen deprivation.
This is one reason bystanders should not assume that resuscitation is pointless simply because someone has been in cold water for a significant period.
If the casualty is unresponsive and not breathing normally, begin resuscitation and continue until emergency services take over or the casualty shows signs of life.
Someone who has been submerged or experienced breathing difficulty in water may appear to recover quickly.
However, medical assessment may still be appropriate, particularly if they:
Follow the advice of emergency services or NHS 111 depending on the situation.
The expressions “secondary drowning” and “dry drowning” are sometimes used online, but they are not separate medically recognised types of drowning.
A person who has experienced a drowning incident can develop breathing problems or other complications afterwards, which is why persistent or worsening symptoms require medical assessment.
Do not rely on misleading claims that someone can be completely well for several days and then suddenly “secondary drown” without warning.
If a person develops breathing difficulty, persistent coughing, unusual tiredness or other concerning symptoms after a water incident, seek medical advice.
Young children are particularly vulnerable around water.
Drowning can occur in relatively small amounts of water, including:
Children should be actively supervised around water rather than relying only on flotation aids.
If a child is unresponsive and not breathing normally after being removed from the water, give 5 initial rescue breaths and begin paediatric CPR.
Our CPR Explained guide includes separate adult, child and baby CPR information.
Swimming pools may have trained lifeguards, rescue equipment, emergency oxygen and AEDs, but arrangements vary between facilities.
In an emergency:
Do not assume someone else has called emergency services unless this has been confirmed.
Inland waterways can contain hazards that are not visible from the surface.
These may include:
Do not enter the water unless you are appropriately trained and equipped.
Throw flotation equipment or use a reach rescue from a safe position while professional assistance is being arranged.
The sea introduces additional risks such as:
Call 999 and ask for the Coastguard in a coastal emergency.
Where lifeguards are present, follow their instructions and use designated rescue equipment.
If you personally become caught in a rip current, try to remain calm and conserve energy.
Do not attempt to fight directly against a strong current towards shore if you are making no progress.
Raise an arm and shout for help where possible, use flotation if available and follow advice from lifeguards or rescue services.
Water-safety organisations commonly advise swimming parallel to the shore to escape the strongest part of a rip current when it is safe and possible to do so.
Boating, kayaking, paddleboarding, fishing and other water activities can create risks of immersion, trauma and hypothermia.
Before going onto the water, consider:
Our Boat & Water Activities First Aid Kit guide covers equipment planning in more detail.
Emergency oxygen can be useful after drowning, but it should generally be provided by someone who is appropriately trained and using suitable equipment.
Do not delay CPR, rescue breaths or calling 999 while searching for oxygen equipment.
If trained responders or lifeguards have oxygen available, they should follow their training and current resuscitation guidance.
Common mistakes include:
The appropriate equipment depends on the setting and risk assessment.
Useful emergency provision may include:
A first aid kit alone does not provide water rescue capability. Rescue equipment, emergency planning and trained people are equally important.
You can view our range of first aid kits for outdoor, travel, workplace and general emergency preparedness.
| Step | What to do |
|---|---|
| 1. Protect yourself | Do not enter the water if you are not trained in water rescue. |
| 2. Call for help | Call 999 or 112 and give the exact location and details of the incident. |
| 3. Use flotation | Reach or throw suitable rescue equipment from a safe position where possible. |
| 4. Remove from water | Get the casualty onto land or a rescue boat as quickly and safely as possible. |
| 5. Check breathing | If they are unresponsive and not breathing normally, begin resuscitation immediately. |
| 6. Give 5 rescue breaths | Give five initial rescue breaths, then begin standard CPR. |
| 7. Use an AED | Dry the chest quickly, attach the pads and follow the AED prompts. |
| 8. Prevent heat loss | Once appropriate, remove wet clothing, use dry blankets and protect the casualty from wind and cold ground. |
| 9. Keep monitoring | Continue CPR or monitor breathing and responsiveness until professional help takes over. |
Resuscitation Council UK provides current evidence-based guidance for drowning first aid and resuscitation.
You can read the Resuscitation Council UK First Aid Guidelines for the current recommendations covering drowning, rescue, rescue breaths, CPR and hypothermia.
Explore our most popular first aid kits for home, car, travel, family trips, camping, workplace and everyday emergencies.
£17.95 £11.95
£17.95 £10.95
£25.95 £15.95
£7.59
£25.99 £11.95
£12.99 £9.99
£25.95 £15.95
