l was a life grad at a pool when l was younger back in 92 and 93 and they told me in training that if l had a panicked swimmer and he was pulling me under or climbing the ladder or they called it l was to knock him out so he would stop but today l was talking to a life grad and he said l was taught wrong but even cost grad rescue swimmers are taught the same thing so who is right ?

youre right. that would only hurt the swimmer. the point is to save their lives not kill them. lol. (hehe nonsense)

knock em cold if u have to. l was taught that sometimes people in a life threatening situation will fight, that is what they r inherently going to do (its adrenaline). we were taught two things, & l was an instructor for lifeguarding cpr/firstaid for the professional rescuer. 1) if u go to rescue someone & they resist/fight, paddle away from them & let them tire out. go back & try again. if it continues, either let them go under & pass out, then save them. or 2) knock em out. remember, the first thing they teach u is to not get yourself killed along with a distressed swimmer. u can always save them once they r out. l dont know that there is a right way, u will know when the situation presents itself. but let me ask you, u go to save someone & they put u in a choke because they r freaking out, r u going to keep letting them choke you, or wait until they r not a threat to pull them out. if u think about it, u will figure out what is right

Yes, this exact scenario is profiled in the movie The Guardian about Coast Guard Rescue swimmers. The Coast Guard worked closely with the filmmakers & knocking someone out is acceptable.

l think it depends on what the circumstances are. You're not supposed to put yourself out there if u can not handle the situation because then there is two people drowning.

l do not care what the Red Cross teaches now, if someone is physically overpowering u then u need to move away & save yourself or knock them the hell out. Which brings us to my favorite line from the movie:

''The only difference between u & the victim is the attitude in which u enter the water.'' The moral of course is that they will panic & not be thinking clearly while u must remain calm no matter what.

ya dude..the victim is going to kill you trying to save his own life. hes not trying to but hes paniced and his survival instincts are taking over. you have to think abbout your own personal safety first. . . . personally i'd rather have a bloody nose than a funeral...