skulblaka

Even giving this sign the benefit of the doubt, if someone is actively drowning and you just call 911 and do nothing else then they will surely be dead by the time anyone from emergency services can make an appearance to help.

This does not mean you should also drown yourself trying to help them though. Ideally you throw them something long like a rope and tow them in to shore. If that’s not possible, throwing them anything that floats is a good secondary option. People who aren’t trained as lifeguards shouldn’t usually get in the water to try and save a drowning person though, that’s a very easy way to turn one dead body into two dead bodies. A drowning human is not a rational actor and they can and will also drown you trying (and failing) to save themselves.

I’ve never met this man in my life and I am 100% confident it was the latter.