Summary: spelling and punctuation
[[Image:Waterygrave.jpg|630px|thumb|left|Don't become a shark snack! Photo by Leonora Enking/[http://www.flickr.com/photos/33037982@N04/4369475039/ Flickr]/CC]]
Using snakelike agility to yank open the car door and slither through 10 feet of water toward fresh air; outmaneuvering a barrage of bullets with a simple front crawl; fending off deep sea predators ? stars of our favorite popcorn flicks made these feats look easy. But avoiding a watery grave is tougher than you'd think. And according to the World Health Organization, it's disturbingly common: Drowning is the third leading cause of unintentional death among adults worldwide.
Read on for the best tips to either keep your head ? or at least get it back ? above water.
''This how-to was written by Danger Room's [http://twitter.com/katiedrumm/ Katie Drummond], who got stuck in an undertow once and panicked, so her survival was a fluke.''
==Swim Out Of A Sinking Car==
You've probably had this nightmare: grabbing frantically for the door handle, as your sedan fills with water and plunges you into an aquatic grave. With the right training, this nightmare never needs to become a reality.
The first thing to do, according to [http://www.smartdriving.co.uk/Driving/Driving_emergencies/sinking.htm Smart Driving], a U.K.-based driving instruction school, is turn on your car's indoor lights. The next thing? Get the hell out of the car. If water hasn't reached the windows, then open one and swim to safety. If it has, then roll the window down, allow water to flood in, and then make your exit.
If you can't open the windows automatically, use an [http://www.lifehammer.com/ emergency hammer] (you keep one in your car, right?) or a steering wheel lock. But don't just go crazy with your device of choice. Instead, aim for the center of the window and batter as hard as you can, repeatedly.
Worst-case scenario? You don't escape before the car submerges more fully. That's cool. Wait until the water fills almost the entire car. At that point, pressure on the inside of the car and the outside should be equalized and opening your car door will be a snap.
==Outsmart Underwater Bullets==
Swimming around willy-nilly, your soaked shirt accentuating your taut abs or your bra clinging to your wet breasts? Ain't gonna cut it, action star. To survive bullets throttling down from the open air above, think: ?strategy over sexy.?
Next time you find yourself at the mercy of a hitman with a shotgun, remember this good news: Most bullets can't penetrate deep water with fatal velocity. Our trusted pals at ''[http://kwc.org/mythbusters/2005/07/mythbusters_bulletproof_water.html Mythbusters]'' did the dirty work to figure that out, by testing several varieties of gun (pistols, rifles, shotguns) in a swimming pool.
They concluded that if you were being shot at from directly overhead, it'd take eight feet of water to elude fatality. But since most shots are fired into water from an angle, three feet will probably suffice. And by all means, just take the shirt right off.
==Evade Deep Trouble In Ocean Water==
An ocean dip can be delightful. It can also be deadly. Make sure your next beach jaunt is the latter by protecting yourself against two open water hazards: rip currents and sharks.
===Rip Currents===
Never fight against a rip current. These ultra-strong streams of water, which flow in the opposite direction from shore, kill an estimated 100 people in the U.S. every year. Instead, the [http://www.weather.com/activities/recreation/boatandbeach/ripcurrents_avoid.html Weather Channel] recommends thinking of the current as ?a treadmill that cannot be turned off.? Swim parallel to the beach to get to the side of that nightmare treadmill. And if you can't? Stay calm. Wave your arms. A lot.
===Shark Attacks===
Shark attacks can, for the most part, be avoided with some simple tips: Swim in groups and skip swimming at dawn or at night. Wait. You wore shiny jewelry and neon swim trunks in the water? Never do that either.
If you do see a shark, she probably isn't deadly: Of the 300 species that swim our global waters, very few are a threat to humans. But you probably have no idea what kind of shark that one is. So play it safe: Avoid erratic movements, and swim smoothly back to shore.
If the badass does bite you, don't play dead. Fight back: A shark's eyes and gills are most sensitive, so focus your assault on those parts.
Using snakelike agility to yank open the car door and slither through 10 feet of water toward fresh air; outmaneuvering a barrage of bullets with a simple front crawl; fending off deep sea predators ? stars of our favorite popcorn flicks made these feats look easy. But avoiding a watery grave is tougher than you'd think. And according to the World Health Organization, it's disturbingly common: Drowning is the third leading cause of unintentional death among adults worldwide.
Read on for the best tips to either keep your head ? or at least get it back ? above water.
''This how-to was written by Danger Room's [http://twitter.com/katiedrumm/ Katie Drummond], who got stuck in an undertow once and panicked, so her survival was a fluke.''
==Swim Out Of A Sinking Car==
You've probably had this nightmare: grabbing frantically for the door handle, as your sedan fills with water and plunges you into an aquatic grave. With the right training, this nightmare never needs to become a reality.
The first thing to do, according to [http://www.smartdriving.co.uk/Driving/Driving_emergencies/sinking.htm Smart Driving], a U.K.-based driving instruction school, is turn on your car's indoor lights. The next thing? Get the hell out of the car. If water hasn't reached the windows, then open one and swim to safety. If it has, then roll the window down, allow water to flood in, and then make your exit.
If you can't open the windows automatically, use an [http://www.lifehammer.com/ emergency hammer] (you keep one in your car, right?) or a steering wheel lock. But don't just go crazy with your device of choice. Instead, aim for the center of the window and batter as hard as you can, repeatedly.
Worst-case scenario? You don't escape before the car submerges more fully. That's cool. Wait until the water fills almost the entire car. At that point, pressure on the inside of the car and the outside should be equalized and opening your car door will be a snap.
==Outsmart Underwater Bullets==
Swimming around willy-nilly, your soaked shirt accentuating your taut abs or your bra clinging to your wet breasts? Ain't gonna cut it, action star. To survive bullets throttling down from the open air above, think: ?strategy over sexy.?
Next time you find yourself at the mercy of a hitman with a shotgun, remember this good news: Most bullets can't penetrate deep water with fatal velocity. Our trusted pals at ''[http://kwc.org/mythbusters/2005/07/mythbusters_bulletproof_water.html Mythbusters]'' did the dirty work to figure that out, by testing several varieties of gun (pistols, rifles, shotguns) in a swimming pool.
They concluded that if you were being shot at from directly overhead, it'd take eight feet of water to elude fatality. But since most shots are fired into water from an angle, three feet will probably suffice. And by all means, just take the shirt right off.
==Evade Deep Trouble In Ocean Water==
An ocean dip can be delightful. It can also be deadly. Make sure your next beach jaunt is the latter by protecting yourself against two open water hazards: rip currents and sharks.
===Rip Currents===
Never fight against a rip current. These ultra-strong streams of water, which flow in the opposite direction from shore, kill an estimated 100 people in the U.S. every year. Instead, the [http://www.weather.com/activities/recreation/boatandbeach/ripcurrents_avoid.html Weather Channel] recommends thinking of the current as ?a treadmill that cannot be turned off.? Swim parallel to the beach to get to the side of that nightmare treadmill. And if you can't? Stay calm. Wave your arms. A lot.
===Shark Attacks===
Shark attacks can, for the most part, be avoided with some simple tips: Swim in groups and skip swimming at dawn or at night. Wait. You wore shiny jewelry and neon swim trunks in the water? Never do that either.
If you do see a shark, she probably isn't deadly: Of the 300 species that swim our global waters, very few are a threat to humans. But you probably have no idea what kind of shark that one is. So play it safe: Avoid erratic movements, and swim smoothly back to shore.
If the badass does bite you, don't play dead. Fight back: A shark's eyes and gills are most sensitive, so focus your assault on those parts.
Source: http://feeds.wired.com/~r/howtowiki/~3/xv_xRWjtUkE/Avoid_a_Watery_Grave
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