Almost Passed Out Trying to Set Breath-Holding Record... Dies at Age 47

New Zealand Photographer Dies While Attempting Record
Lost Consciousness and Drowned in Apartment Swimming Pool

A man in his 40s from New Zealand, a photographer, died after losing consciousness while attempting to set a breath-holding record in a swimming pool.

According to the New Zealand Herald on the 19th (local time), the autopsy report of professional photographer Ant Clawson (47), who died while challenging his personal breath-holding record in a swimming pool within an apartment complex in Auckland, was released that day.

In January, Clawson joked to his wife, "Someone might need to watch from outside," as he headed to the 2-meter deep swimming pool, and his wife took the joke lightly and went to take a shower.

However, about 10 minutes later, the family found Clawson lying face down at the bottom of the pool without any movement. Clawson's mother pulled him out of the pool, and his wife performed CPR until the ambulance arrived, but Clawson was pronounced dead at the scene.

According to the autopsy report, Clawson drowned due to "shallow water blackout." This refers to losing consciousness underwater due to a lack of oxygen to the brain while diving at shallow depths, and it commonly occurs even in physically healthy swimmers or divers.

The photo is unrelated to the article content. [Photo source=Pixabay]

The coroner stated, "Shallow water blackout occurs when holding one's breath for a long time," adding, "Loss of consciousness can happen without warning, and if immediate rescue is not provided, death can occur very quickly."

In fact, while typical drowning cases allow 6 to 8 minutes before brain damage and death, shallow water blackout occurs when oxygen is already depleted, so the time until death is known to be about 2 minutes and 30 seconds.

To prevent such accidents, hyperventilation before swimming or diving should be avoided, and sufficient time should be taken to recover by breathing. Also, it is advisable to enter the water only when there is someone nearby who can watch over you.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.