By Dean E. Haller, President, Live Like Benjo Foundation
It can happen in seven feet of water. It can happen in 100. The victim can be five years young, 27 years young, or even over 60. He or she may never have been in the water before, or they could have made over 1,500 SCUBA dives, or been an Olympic swimmer. They may be risk-avoiders or they may not have any personal limitations when they take on a challenge. However, what they have in common, which more often than not can kill them, is a lack of understanding about what causes Shallow Water Blackout – commonly referred to as “SWB.”
Shallow Water Blackout is caused primarily by Hypoxic Training – rigorous hyperventilating and breath holding prior to submerging underwater. When the normal level of carbon dioxide in the blood stream is exceeded, which happens every few seconds, the brain receives a signal that it is time to breathe. This is why we don’t even give a second thought to breathing — it happens automatically.
However, hyperventilating prior to submerging drops the normal level of carbon dioxide far below the threshold. When the swimmer, untrained in prolonged breath holding, takes the final breath and submerges, there is not enough carbon dioxide in the blood system to exceed the normal threshold. The automatic signal is not triggered and the brain does not know it is time to breathe. The lack of oxygen in the brain causes it to pass out. When it does, the brain automatically signals for a breath. When this occurs, so does a tragedy. Water is inhaled and the victim drowns. There are survivors of SWB, but only when immediate action takes place to revive the victim.
SWB is not caused by simply holding one’s breath and going underwater. In that case, the normal level of carbon dioxide has not been decreased and the brain sends a natural signal for the individual to surface to take a breath. However, studies have shown that when children exert large amounts of energy playing immediately before jumping into the water, and then hold their breath to go under (think Marco Polo), they may fall victim to SWB.
Why do I know and care about Shallow Water Blackout? Let me tell you about my son, Benjamin Haller. At the age of 11, Benjamin, known to all as “Benjo,” fell in love with sailing on Lake Champlain and for the next 16 years, he worked at the International Sailing Center in Malletts Bay in Colchester. When he was 12, he became a certified SCUBA Diver and set a goal to sail to the Caribbean someday, since this was where he was SCUBA certified. From 6th grade through 12th grade, he was a member of Smuggler’s Notch Ski Team and the Mount Mansfield High School’s State Championship Ski Team during his senior year. At 16 he became the youngest sailing racer ever to come in second in Plattsburg’s Mayor’s Cup Race. At 18, he became a certified SCUBA instructor and was immediately hired by Stuart Coves’ Dive Center in the Bahamas, the youngest instructor ever hired at the Center.
In his freshman year at the University of Colorado, he founded the Boulder Sailing Club, the first collegiate Sailing Club ever established at the University. He trained the racing crews, was a tireless fundraiser and collected 420’s, Flying Juniors and dinghies, which were donated from as far away as California. When he graduated as a film major, the Boulder Sailing Club was racing intercollegiate on the west coast and the team consistently crossed the line in the top three in every race they entered. When Benjo turned 20, he started living on Momma Dance, his 30 foot sailboat, in Mallett’s Bay during the summers.
At 26, he pursued his childhood dream and sailed Momma Dance to the Bahamas. He set sail for the Islands in October 2013, docked in Norfolk, VA for the winter and returned to Colorado to ski. He set sail again in May of 2014. On July 20, 2014, Benjo landed in the Eleuthera Islands in The Bahamas, having sailed Momma Dance from Malletts Bay. On August 1, Benjo, Buddy, his beloved dog, and his first mate, Matt, went spear fishing all day at Harbour Island. After dinner Benjo resumed practicing his breath holding so he could stay underwater longer to spear fish. That night at 7:30 my family’s world as we knew it came to a senseless end when Benjo drowned as a result of Shallow Water Blackout. He was 27 years old, in just seven feet of water and after making over 1,500 SCUBA dives during his all too brief life.
Benjo actually lived a line from one of his favorite artists, Bob Marley: “Love the life you live, live the life you love.” On the morning of August 1, Benjo made his last post on Facebook: “I love my life.” To say he “lived it” is an understatement.
In Benjo’s honor, his family and friends have formed the Live Like Benjo Foundation. Its mission is three fold: to increase public awareness about SWB, put an end to the needless and countless drownings caused by SWB, and provide scholarships for sailing instruction to Vermont’s youth who would not otherwise have the opportunity to learn to love the lake like Benjo.
On May 20, the Governor of Vermont proclaimed at a well attended press conference on the shores of Lake Champlain that June is dedicated as “Shallow Water Blackout Awareness Month in Honor of Benjamin C. Haller.”
Swimming news courtesy of the Live Like Benjo Foundation.