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NBC News Now recently aired a segment on shallow water blackouts, featuring Tom Griffiths, Ed.D., Aquatic Safety Expert with DJS Associates, Inc.

In his conversation with NBC reporter Steve Patterson, Griffiths stressed that experienced athletes are at much higher risk of experiencing a shallow water blackout than weaker swimmers. Shallow water blackouts, also known as hypoxic blackouts, are extremely dangerous because they are often undetected.

Lifeguards and coaches may see a swimmer floating beneath the water’s surface and assume that the advanced athlete is simply taking a moment’s rest or relaxing. In reality, the swimmer may have lost consciousness after holding their breath for too long. Shallow water blackouts are a central topic in Tom Griffiths’s ongoing aquatic safety research. This news segment was a recent example of Griffiths’s continuous efforts to spread awareness and education on this “silent killer.”

Find related Aquatic Safety articles and case studies written by Tom Griffiths here.

, with DJS Associates, Inc., can be reached via email at experts@forensicDJS.com or via phone at 215-659-2010.

Categories: Aquatic Safety | Tom Griffiths, Ed.D.

Tags: Shallow Water Blackout