THE WATER When I was about 4 or 5, my parents took my older brother and me to stay at a hotel in the mountains for a few days.
All my brother and I cared about was the fact that this hotel had a pool. Our first day there, we geared up and headed straight to the pool. My dad loved to get his sun time in, so he was in some swimming trunks and lathered in a healthy layer of suntan lotion. My mother, on the other hand, was there to just enjoy the lounge and read a book while keeping an eye on her two boys.
My older brother by three years knew how to swim, but I hadn't even figured out how to doggy paddle. As we got near the water I distinctly remember my mom caution, "Don't go in the deep end, John."
I was a smart enough kid and knew to be terrified of the deep end. I wasn't sure which end was which, however, and when my brother jumped in I assumed he jumped into the deep end considering he knew how to swim. So I confidently jumped in what I thought was the shallow end.
My confidence was shattered when my feet got nowhere near the bottom. I started bobbing up and down, getting small gasps of air and a glimpse of the surface, only to fall once again and watch everything go watery in front of my eyes as I said goodbye to that precious oxygen.
My brother was frantically trying to swim to me and I still have a clear memory of seeing my dad sit up in his pool chair and give me some pointers every time my head managed to pop out of the water, "Don't... struggle... you'll... keep... popping... to the... surface."
This was not as helpful as I would have liked. Instead, my mom, fully clothed, jumped into the water, grabbed me and pulled me out. Thankfully I hadn't swallowed too much water and I was fine. That afternoon we drove to the store to buy me some arm floaties.
That leads me to this video. The guy in the video was flying his drone near a lake when the battery died. Instead of letting it hit the water and sink to the bottom, the man jumped right in, fully clothed. He swam his heart out to make an epic save, catching the drone right before it hit the water and found a permanent home in the murky depth below.
So why did I tell you the story of me almost drowning during a family getaway? Well, because I now have a question in the back of mind: Was my dad trying to teach me a lesson, or is this guy's drone more important to him than I was to my dad? In my father's defense, I was an obnoxious kid.
I'm kidding. My dad is great, he just doesn't like to swim, but this guy apparently loves to swim almost as much as he loves his drone.
Enjoy the video of this guy's drone save, and obviously, don't forget to be extra safe with your kids at the pool this summer. Here are some water safety tips you can review at home.
All my brother and I cared about was the fact that this hotel had a pool. Our first day there, we geared up and headed straight to the pool. My dad loved to get his sun time in, so he was in some swimming trunks and lathered in a healthy layer of suntan lotion. My mother, on the other hand, was there to just enjoy the lounge and read a book while keeping an eye on her two boys.
My older brother by three years knew how to swim, but I hadn't even figured out how to doggy paddle. As we got near the water I distinctly remember my mom caution, "Don't go in the deep end, John."
I was a smart enough kid and knew to be terrified of the deep end. I wasn't sure which end was which, however, and when my brother jumped in I assumed he jumped into the deep end considering he knew how to swim. So I confidently jumped in what I thought was the shallow end.
My confidence was shattered when my feet got nowhere near the bottom. I started bobbing up and down, getting small gasps of air and a glimpse of the surface, only to fall once again and watch everything go watery in front of my eyes as I said goodbye to that precious oxygen.
My brother was frantically trying to swim to me and I still have a clear memory of seeing my dad sit up in his pool chair and give me some pointers every time my head managed to pop out of the water, "Don't... struggle... you'll... keep... popping... to the... surface."
This was not as helpful as I would have liked. Instead, my mom, fully clothed, jumped into the water, grabbed me and pulled me out. Thankfully I hadn't swallowed too much water and I was fine. That afternoon we drove to the store to buy me some arm floaties.
That leads me to this video. The guy in the video was flying his drone near a lake when the battery died. Instead of letting it hit the water and sink to the bottom, the man jumped right in, fully clothed. He swam his heart out to make an epic save, catching the drone right before it hit the water and found a permanent home in the murky depth below.
So why did I tell you the story of me almost drowning during a family getaway? Well, because I now have a question in the back of mind: Was my dad trying to teach me a lesson, or is this guy's drone more important to him than I was to my dad? In my father's defense, I was an obnoxious kid.
I'm kidding. My dad is great, he just doesn't like to swim, but this guy apparently loves to swim almost as much as he loves his drone.
Enjoy the video of this guy's drone save, and obviously, don't forget to be extra safe with your kids at the pool this summer. Here are some water safety tips you can review at home.
