# How do people fall in the water and not resurface? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 4, 2023, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-people-fall-in-the-water-and-not-resurface/986566 "2023-07-04T17:11:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2023, 10:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-people-fall-in-the-water-and-not-resurface/986566/41 "2023-07-07T10:55:28Z")
> [@Dorjan](#): > > This. My neutral buoyancy point is about 2 feet under. Dang! The guy I saw demonstrate it was only about 8" under… I, on the other hand, bob like a cork. One part of the training required that we tread water for a minute without using our hands (holding them out of the water for the instructor to see.) Most of the guys around me really struggled with this part, while I just kinda hung there. Conversely, when we had to do the underwater swim portion, to simulate swimming under burning fuel on the surface, I was pretty much screwed - I couldn’t keep myself underwater long enough. OK, end of hijack… ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2023, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-people-fall-in-the-water-and-not-resurface/986566/42 "2023-07-08T02:16:46Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > The guy I saw demonstrate it was only about 8" under If you’re negatively buoyant, there’s no such thing as “8" under” or “2 feet under” being a neutral point. A mile is the same as an inch; you’ll just keep sinking unless you swim upward. It’s only for positive buoyancy that some part of your body might be above water to a greater or lesser degree. ETA: Actually it’s worse than that. As you go deeper, the air in your lungs will compress, and make you even less buoyant. So there’s a runaway effect as you sink further. ---
**Author:** ![wallewek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/71e660/32.png) [@wallewek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wallewek)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2023, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-people-fall-in-the-water-and-not-resurface/986566/43 "2023-07-08T16:44:28Z")
I’m a natural swimmer, not afraid of the water. But I had a slight epiphany a little while back. I was swimming beside a boat in a deep lake. I realized that all takes to drown is to lose that lungful of air and start sinking. Pretty soon you’ve lost the surface, and can’t get another breath, and black out. Then you’re dead. Scary thought. ---
**Author:** ![alovem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@alovem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alovem)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2023, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-people-fall-in-the-water-and-not-resurface/986566/44 "2023-07-08T16:56:09Z")
…he said, resurfacing four years later. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2023, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-people-fall-in-the-water-and-not-resurface/986566/45 "2023-07-08T19:08:16Z")
> [@solost](#): > > Those lakes do often have a lot of thick seaweed that grows many feet tall from the lake bed, especially later in the summer. I’ve wondered how easy it would be to get tangled up in the seaweed and drown before you were able to free yourself and get back to the surface. Didn’t this contribute to the drowning that killed Naya Rivera? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-people-fall-in-the-water-and-not-resurface/986566.md?page=2)