eli5: Why do we sink when drowning and float when we die?
In: Biology
Humans are only just barely buoyant in water. Most drownings happen right at the surface ironically enough unless there is a current or other factors at play, but while the body as a whole is right near the surface, the head can still have a hard time sticking out of the water enough to get a clean breath in, especially if you are panicking and flailing which disturbs the water and makes it harder to float.
After a while dead bodies can bloat with gas as they decay which pushes them up to the surface, but there are numerous recorded cases of dead bodies sinking or staying sunken until disturbed, often in cold deep lakes.
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