DROWNPROOFING: A New Technique for Water Safety

There are floaters and sinkers in the aquatic world, and this book is intended for both. The author, a sinker himself who grew up on Cape Cod and is an instructor of swimming at Georgia Tech, has evolved a method whereby one may survive in the water regardless of age, sex or condition. He details the technique, which involves a kind of vertical floating with scissors kick and coordinated breathing, and which is different for the two sexes since the distribution of weight differs. Pechniques for staying afloat with clothes on, helping the tired or struggling swimmer, overcoming fear, swimming underwater (breath-holding time is the key) are discussed, as are swimming after eating, cramps, etc.. There is a section on teaching simple basic drownproofing (the first step is to learn it personally) which is probably the core of the book. For, while ostensibly for anyone interested in water conquest and aquatic survival, this is essentially for the teacher. The validity of the method, apparently vouched for in the Peace Corps' adoption, seems to this uninitiated reader and average swimmer to be a natural response of the reasonably seasoned swimmer. This however, does not detract from its value for novice and expert alike. Still, a thin book.