Seems like you can float on your back forever, without really getting tired. When people drown in lakes or oceans, why can’t they just float until someone rescues them? I get it if you’re wearing clothes heavy with water, but if you were already swimming, or at least dressed for it…?
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There’s several reasons:
Any water that is not at least as warm your own body temperature will over time cool you down so you’ll experience hypothermia.
At the same time, you’ll start cramping up and also getting tired.
Because it’s just a little harder to breathe when your chest isn’t at surface level, you’ll usually kick your feet every now and then to come up a little to make it easier to breathe which contributes to you getting tired.
Also, when you’re in the ocean, the waves are a factor because they can easily prevent you from breathing properly. The animals of the ocean are another topic altogether.
One more problem is that people who realise that they’re having a problem in open water don’t usually stay calm and collected but panic, use up their energy and try to fight the water.
Last but not least it’s hard to keep your head in a position that makes breathing easy enough for hours or even days on end.
So although it’s quite possible to float for a LONG time given the right circumstances, it’s not that easy.
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