Swimming pools can provide endless hours of fun in the sun, but they can also be extremely dangerous for young children who haven’t learned to swim. According to the World Health Organization, around 300,000 people die from drowning each year, and about a quarter of those drowning victims are children under age 5.
In 2020, at a residence in Itaperuna, a city north of Rio de Janeiro, a harrowing scene unfolded in a backyard swimming pool. According to the Daily Mail, Henrique, a 3-year-old child of a worker on the property, snuck away from his parents’ supervision and wandered over to the pool. Security camera footage shows the young boy and fellow 3-year-old, Arthur de Oliveira, sitting next to the pool when Henrique reaches for an inflatable floaty and falls into the water.
A frantic Arthur looks around for help, but there is no one to be found. For 10 seconds, Henqriue struggles to keep his head above water, until Arthur bravely extends his hand and pulls the boy up. If Arthur didn’t have the strength, he could have fallen in the pool and both boys could have drowned.
Luckily, Arthur’s strength held up and he pulled the boy to safety. “This video serves as an alert for those who have a pool at home and children,” wrote Arthur’s mom, Poliana Console de Oliveira on her Facebook page. “Thank God the ending is happy, because God sent the land under my care, my son, my little Arthur, a true hero! Real life hero, my pride.”
“Arthur saved his friend’s life,” she added. Arthur hopes to be a police officer one day, so after the local police department learned of his bravery, it sent him a new basketball and a whole lot of candy. The boy was also given a certificate and a trophy that said, “From a hero to a hero.”
While Arthur’s heroism is worthy of recognition, it’s also important to know how to avoid these kinds of near-tragedies. Safekids.org recommends these tips:
Child safety around a body of water
Watch kids when they are in or around water
Keep young children and weak swimmers within arm’s reach of an adult. Make sure more experienced swimmers are with a partner every time.
Choose a Water Watcher
When there are several adults present, choose one to be responsible for watching children in or near the water for a certain period of time, such as 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, select another adult to be the Water Watcher.
Avoid distractions when your child is in or around water
Drowning is often silent and can occur in less than five minutes, so it is important to give your child all of your attention. Put away phones, books and magazines.
Swimming pool safety
Install fences around home pools
A pool fence should surround all sides of the pool and be at least four feet tall with self-closing and self-latching gates.
Be aware of pool drains
Teach your child not to or swim near pool drains or suction outlets. Visit Pool Safely to learn more about available resources to keep kids safe around pool drains.
Empty kids’ pools immediately after use
Store them upside down and out of children’s reach.
A three-year-old’s instinct, and a lesson for every parent
At the end of the day, Arthur didn’t have training, a plan, or even the words to call for help. He just knew his friend needed him, and he acted. That instinct is remarkable, but it shouldn’t have to be the thing standing between a child and tragedy. Ten seconds was all it took for this story to go from a quiet backyard moment to a near-catastrophe, and that’s exactly the point safety experts keep making: drowning happens fast, and it happens quietly. Arthur’s bravery gave this story a happy ending, but the real takeaway is simpler than a trophy or a certificate. Watch closely, watch constantly, and never assume a pool is safe just because it looks calm.
This article originally appeared six years ago. It has been updated.
