How Long Does It Take to Drown?

By Staff WriterLast Updated April 15, 2020

While drowning time is different for each individual, a person can drown in four to six minutes’ time if submerged underwater. After two minutes, a person can lose consciousness.

A child is especially at risk for drowning even in small amounts of water. A child can be submerged within 10 seconds, the time it takes a parent to get a towel from across the room. People, children included, can drown in small increments of standing water. This includes several inches of water build-up on top of a pool cover, several inches of water in a bathtub, or a small mop bucket full of water.