A retired Navy Seal Clint Emerson explains to the public how to survive if someone is trying to drown you.
When an operative is caught in hostile territory, the chances of survival are low.
Rather than being taken to trial, he will probably ‘disappear. This is why operatives are trained to escape while wearing restraints on hands and feet, both on land and in water.
A well-trained operative, no matter if he’s tied up, thrown into open waters or left to drown to death, has skills to help prolong their lives until they save themselves.
Emerson Explains How to Self-Preserve in Water
Emerson emphasizes the importance of controlling your breath if you want to survive in water. When our lungs are full of air, our body is doing well. This is why deep breathing and fast exhales are pivotal.
To stay buoyant in freshwater is challenging, but it’s not unachievable. On the other hand, if you begin to panic, you can cause hyperventilation-the number 1 enemy to your survival.
How the body is positioned and potential restraints may impede the breathing.
In shallow waters, you should use sinking and bouncing approach to go towards the shore and ricocheting off the floor of the lake to the surface to inhale.
When you’re faced down, use a backward kick motion to try and swim to the shore. The operatives are also taught to arch their back to elevate their head above the water.
When they’re at rough seas, they are trained to do a full body rotation to be able to breathe deeply and then go forward.
Emerson revealed these techniques for survival in his book titled 100 Deadly Skills: The SEAL Operative’s Guide to Eluding Pursuers, Evading Capture and Surviving any Dangerous Situation.
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