An active drowning victim is conscious and struggling at the surface — vertical, arms pressing down, unable to call for help — while a passive drowning victim is motionless, either floating face-down at the surface or submerged, due to unconsciousness or a medical event. The distinction drives every downstream rescue decision: approach direction, equipment position, urgency of extrication, and whether ventilations will be needed immediately. A distressed swimmer, who can still call out and grab a rescue device, is a third category on the same continuum. Classifying the victim correctly during the approach lets the rescuer choose the right technique before making contact. All drowning victims, once rescued, require assessment and emergency services involvement for anyone who was submerged or unresponsive.
This video demonstrates how a lifeguard rescues a conscious, actively struggling victim versus an unresponsive victim, showing how the approach, support, and securing technique change based on the vi…