SESKStuff Everyone Should Know
SESK: Stuff Everyone Should Know · sesk.info/swim-dry-drowning-myth

Is 'dry drowning' days after swimming a real medical condition?

No. Dry and secondary drowning are not medically accepted terms.

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  1. No, they are not medically accepted conditions ✔
  2. Yes, it often strikes days later with no warning
  3. Yes, but only in salt water

Why: The Red Cross says near, dry, delayed and secondary drowning are not medically accepted conditions. Anyone who coughs a lot or breathes hard after trouble in the water should get medical care.

Huh, didn't know that: Doctors define drowning as breathing trouble caused by being underwater, so no breathing trouble means no drowning.

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References

Answer: No, they are not medically accepted conditions. The Red Cross says near, dry, delayed and secondary drowning are not medically accepted conditions. Anyone who coughs a lot or breathes hard after trouble in the water should get medical care.

  1. American Red Cross: Debunking Dry or Secondary Drowning www.redcross.org/take-a-class/resources/articles/dry-or-delayed-secondary-drowning
    There are no medically accepted conditions known as “near-drowning”, “dry drowning”, “secondary drowning” or delayed drowning.
    Checked 2026-10-12.

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