California drownin’: An observational study of drowning and survival in the television drama Baywatch compared to real-life LA County

AIMS: To examine the epidemiology of drowning in the television drama Baywatch, and to compare the fictional survival rate with resuscitations following drowning in real-life Los Angeles County. METHODS: A retrospective observational study of all drownings, rescues and resuscitations in Baywatch (seasons 1–9), viewed on Amazon Prime. Comparison data describing rescues and drownings for real-life LA County from 1989 to 1999 were obtained from the online database of the United States Lifesaving Association. RESULTS: 198 episodes were viewed. 650 water rescues were identified, including 209 drownings. Of these 203 (97.12%) survived. This was significantly lower than the survival rate achieved by the lifeguards of the real LA County over the same period (x(2) = 107.41 p < 0.001). Death following drowning in Baywatch was significantly associated with age group (p = 0.001), grade of drowning (p < 0.001), the absence of witnesses (p = 0.016), total number of lifeguards involved (p = 0.010), and the activity immediately preceding drowning (p = 0.032), particularly if this involved criminal enterprise. Survival on Baywatch was not associated with the presence or absence of the show’s protagonist, rescue speedboats, helicopters, the lifeguards’ hair colour, or resuscitation by an actual lifeguard. CONCLUSION: The lifeguards of Baywatch underperformed compared to their real-life peers. Had they overseen the real beaches of LA County between 1989 and 1999, this might have potentially resulted in 1256 additional deaths. The reduced survival rate appeared to be related to the high levels of criminality in the area, and the lifeguards’ poor CPR technique.