Tows

When giving in water rescue breaths, you tow the victim in the position you use for giving breaths, whether mouth to pocket mask, mouth to mouth or mouth to snorkel. A second rescuer can make things easier for you, though, by pushing the victim with the modified tired swimmers carry.

If the victim is unresponsive but breathing, gener­ally you'll want to use the underarm tow because it keeps you where you can easily monitor breathing and responsiveness. Note that victims can become responsive and then unresponsive again, or can stop breathing and then resume breathing inter­mittently so it's important to watch breathing and responsiveness. The main priority is to tow the victim to a stable, secure environment as quickly as possible.